The Academy Awards isn’t the only star-studded event this week. Forbes Travel Guide released its 2019 Star Awards on Wednesday, bringing 21 Five Star, 49 Four Star and 62 Recommended new properties into the limelight from around the globe.
The Forbes Travel Guide acts is a trusted source for luxury travel, with anonymous inspectors evaluating hotels, restaurants and spas for services such as how quickly staff welcomes guests at the door to amenities and room service.
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Stick around as we present some of the winning newcomers from the 61st annual awards, for your next event and personal inspiration.
Category: Most Accoladed Hotel Group
And the award goes to….
The Peninsula Hotels—the first and only hotel brand to receive Forbes Five Star ratings across its entire portfolio to date. You can find the group’s 10 Five Star-rated hotels in New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills (California), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, Paris, Bangkok and Manila. The Peninsula Hotel New York offers the most event space of the U.S. hotels, with 112,776 sq. ft., along with 239 guest rooms.
Category: Destination with the Most Five Star Hotels
And the award goes to…
London. The posh capital city across the pond boasts 210 Forbes Five Star hotels, including four new additions from this year: The Shangri-La Hotel, at the Shard; The Bulgari Hotel & Residences; The Langham; and The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London. Last year, the title belonged to Macau.
Time to go international? Find out which cities are on the rise for your next meeting.
Category: US Hotels
Only two hotels in the United States achieved a new Five Star status this year. They are…
Salamander Resort & Spa—a 168-room luxury escape in Middleburg, in the heart of Virginia’s horse and wine country. Its exceptional service and 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space has earned the Washington, D.C., area its first Forbes Five Star resort, just 35 minutes from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
The Four Seasons Resort Lanai in Hawaii—a 213-room paradise retreat with 10,000 sq. ft. of meeting space on the private island of Lanai in Hawaii. It kind of speaks for itself.
Category: Honorable Mention
Spa Pechanga in Temecula, California, has earned itself a Four Star rating, making it the only Los Angeles area casino resort spa to do so. It has been open for one year and features 1,090 guest rooms, 275,000 sq. ft. of meeting space and a 25,000-square-foot spa—plus the casino floor. Ka-ching.
A luxury Caribbean retreat in Turks and Caicos, Wymara Resort and Villas has joined the elite list of Forbes Four Star hotels, following its January rebrand. This hotel joins 11,952 sq. ft. of meeting space with white-sand beaches, new four- and five-bedroom beachfront villas, and a 7,000-square-foot infinity pool.
For the full list of Forbes Five Star, Four Star and Recommended properties new and old, visit Forbes.com.
