With over 500 beautiful photographs, Cool Hotels showcases the best hotels in India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

Be it a rustic retreat or a five-star, super-deluxe resort that can hold its own globally, all are at the cutting-edge of the new wave of hotel design and management. Each property has been hand-picked according to a set of criteria that includes a strong design aesthetic, architectural integrity, a commitment to service and a sense of individuality. A million miles away from cookie-cutter approach of chain hotels. Many of the properties have never been featured in guides before and many are just recently opened.

Cool Hotels is the first in a series of hotel guides focusing on Asia. Ultimately these will be the definitive guides exclusively showcasing the best of Asia's unique places to stay.