Tag Archives: Five Star

Forbes Travel Guide Releases 2024 Five-Star Award Winners

Posted on by

Forbes has been traveling the globe to certify more hotels for 2024. They have added an additional 21 international 5-Star Hotels and only 1 additional US Hotel. The 66th annual list features 340 Five-Star, 600 Four-Star, and 503 Recommended hotels; 78 Five-Star, 121 Four-Star, and 59 Recommended restaurants; and 126 Five-Star and 201 Four-Star spas worldwide.

From the Forbes Press Release:

FTG compiles its ratings using an objective, independent and data-driven process. Incognito inspectors pose as everyday guests and stay at hotels, board cruises, receive spa services and dine at fine restaurants around the world. They test some 900 exacting standards—such as whether a room is designed to promote sleep quality or whether the food-and-beverage choices support a guest’s well-being—emphasizing exceptional service, which accounts for 70 percent of a property’s rating. Newer standards focus on the guest experience, such as ensuring “cocktails are dynamically interesting and photogenic” and even asking if the inspector would “readily recommend this property to others.” The remaining 30 percent comes from the quality and condition of the facilities. Finally, inspectors are now required to reflect on whether there was great value in the experience.

The full list of 2024 Five Star winners is as follows:

Pages: 1 2

Forbes Travel Guide Releases 2022 Five-Star Award Winners

Posted on by


Forbes seems to be pushing hard again to certify 5 Star Hotels as the pandemic slows.  There are now 323 Five Star Hotels, up from just 76 a few years ago and just 283 last year!  From the press release:

The 64th annual list features 323 Five-Star, 558 Four-Star, and 401 Recommended hotels; 74 Five-Star, 112 Four-Star, and 67 Recommended restaurants; and 102 Five-Star and 193 Four-Star spas worldwide.

To find the best of the best, Forbes Travel Guide’s incognito inspectors stay at each hotel for three days and two nights, posing as ordinary guests. They test up to 900 objective, rigorous standards, from modern-day luxuries—such as whether a room is set up to enhance sleep or whether the food-and-beverage choices are health-conscious—to more traditional amenities, such as the quality of the décor and the courtesy of the staff. Seventy-five percent of a hotel’s rating relies on service, while the remaining 25 percent is determined by the quality of its facilities.

The full list of 2022 Five Star winners is as follows:

Pages: 1 2

Forbes Travel Guide Releases 2021 Five-Star Award Winners

Posted on by
ForbesTravelGuide

Forbes has continued to inspect and add hotels to their last at a rapid speed.  They have added 15 new Five-Star hotels this year, despite the pandamic! There are now 283 Five Star Hotels, up from just 76 a few years ago!  From the press release:

The 63rd annual list features 283 Five-Star, 576 Four-Star and 438 Recommended hotels; 73 Five-Star, 136 Four-Star and 77 Recommended restaurants; and 90 Five-Star and 200 Four-Star spas worldwide. (The winners were surveyed both before the pandemic and once regional restrictions allowed FTG’s incognito evaluators to visit.)

To rate properties, Forbes Travel Guide inspectors stay at each hotel for three days and two nights, posing as regular guests and paying their own way. They test up to 900 objective, stringent standards, from modern-day luxuries—such as whether a room is set up to enhance sleep, and the food-and-beverage choices are health-conscious—to more traditional luxuries, like the quality of the interior décor and design of the staff’s uniforms.

Even in the midst of a global pandemic, service remains paramount. It’s more important than ever before that properties demonstrate the utmost regard for their guests’ wellbeing: 75% of a hotel’s rating is based on its service and genuine care and concern shown by the staff, while 25% is determined by the quality of its facilities.

There were 5 new cities in North America who welcomed their first Five-Star Hotel. They are:

Pages: 1 2

Forbes Travel Guide Releases 2020 Five-Star Award Winners

Posted on by
ForbesTravelGuide

Forbes has continued to inspect and add hotels to their last at a rapid speed.  They have added 107 new Five-Star hotels this year! There are now 268 Five Star Hotels, up from just 76 a few years ago!  From the press release:

The inspectors of Forbes Travel Guide journeyed from Santa Barbara to the Seychelles to find its 2020 Star Award winners, an elite group of the world’s most luxurious hotels, restaurants and spas.

A record-breaking 107 new Five-Star honorees landed on the 62nd annual list, the result of an ambitious expansion. Forbes Travel Guide ventured to 16 countries—including The Bahamas, Cambodia, Egypt, Fiji, French Polynesia, India, Jordan, the Maldives, New Zealand, Scotland and South Africa—for the first time.

To uncover the most outstanding properties, Forbes Travel Guide’s incognito inspectors check into a hotel for a minimum of two nights, posing as ordinary guests and paying their own way. Then they test up to 900 objective, exacting standards—including whether a staff member greets them curbside within 30 seconds of arrival, whether clothing left around a room is folded neatly or draped and placed within immediate view after turndown service, and whether the staff uniforms demonstrated exceptional design. The ratings tabulate 75 percent of a hotel’s score based on its service, while the remaining 25 percent is determined by the quality of its facilities. 

Here is the full list of all of the Five-Star Hotels:

Pages: 1 2

Forbes Travel Guide Releases 2015 Star Award Winners

Posted on by

ForbesTravelGuideLast month AAA published their list of the newest Five Diamond hotels.  Now, it is Forbes’ turn.  Forbes has continued to inspect and add hotels to their last at a rapid speed.  There are now 115 Five Star Hotels, up from just 76 two years ago!  From the press release:

Forbes Travel Guide revealed its 57th list of Star Rating winners, which include our first star-rated properties in Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America, Japan and Thailand. For the past year, our team of professional incognito inspectors has traveled the world in search of the best hotels, restaurants and spas to add to your must-visit list.

The Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating list now includes 115 Five-Star hotels, 55 Five-Star restaurants and 48 Five-Star spas. It also has a total of 336 Four-Star hotels, 192 Four-Star restaurants and 163 Four-Star spas, along with 100 Recommended hotels and 60 Recommended restaurants.

There are 18 Hotels that made the Forbes list for the first time.  From the press release:

Among our 2015 award recipients are 18 new Five-Star hotels, 10 new Five-Star restaurants and seven new spas capturing the top honor. In Mexico, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Nayarit andRosewood Mayakoba in Playa del Carmen snagged Five-Stars, while the Caribbean saw Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort in Antigua, andCheval Blanc St-Barth Isle de France and Eden Rock – St. Barths in St. Barts earning the coveted distinction. Guangzhou debuted on the list with two Five-Stars, Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou and The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou. Bangkok’s grande dame, Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, grabbed Thailand’s first Five-Star hotel award, and Tokyo landed a Five-Star with Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo. The Langham, Hong Kong and Conrad Macao, Cotai Central scored first-time Five-Star awards for their respective brands.

Stateside, new Five-Stars went out to Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California; Keswick Hall and Golf Club in Keswick;Rosewood Sand Hill in Menlo Park, California; The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona; The Setai, Miami Beach in Miami Beach;Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk in Honolulu; and Wheatleigh in Lenox, Massachusetts.