Nearly all
Five-Star hotels maintained their rating from 2023; Middle East scores big wins;
high adventure and smaller metros surge in popularity.
Always anticipated and the award that
hoteliers get the most PR milage from – The Forbes Travel Guide star awards –
were announced on Wednesday and revealed that secondary cities such as
Nashville and New Orleans experienced a significant surge in rankings this
year, offering insights into emerging destination preferences.
Forbes Travel Guide President of Ratings Amanda Frasier said
the list also reflects the evolving focus travelers have on well-being and the
desire for authentic destination-centric itineraries.
The hotel ratings expanded into new destinations, including
Baku, Azerbaijan; Curacao; Iceland; Sardinia, Italy; Kenya; Algarve and
Madeira, Portugal; Rwanda; Koh Samui, Thailand; Rabat, Morocco; Makkah, Saudi
Arabia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Winners are
determined on 900-plus criteria and the 66th annual list produced:
- 340 Five-Star, 600 Four-Star and 503 Recommended Hotels
- 78 Five-Star, 121 Four-Star and 59 Recommended
Restaurants
- 126 Five-Star and 201 Four-Star Spas
- seven Four-Star and five Recommended Cruise Ships
Here are some highlights from the 2024 winners:
- Dubai gained five new Five-Star hotels (Address Beach
Resort; Armani Hotel Dubai; Atlantis, The Royal; The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai;
and The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm), the most of any market. The city
totals 12 Five-Star hotels.
- Beyond Dubai, the Middle East saw additional new
top-rated winners in Doha (Four Seasons Hotel Doha and Raffles Doha) and
Kuwait (Waldorf Astoria Kuwait), making it the region with the newest
Five-Star awards.
- Montage Hotels & Resorts becomes the world’s only
all-Five-Star hotel brand after Montage Big Sky in Southwestern Montana
earns a Five-Star accolade.
- Luxurious adventure travel is on the rise. Rwanda
debuts on the list with two Five-Star winners (One&Only Gorilla's Nest
and One&Only Nyungwe House), and Kenya makes its first appearance
featuring animal-centric experiences at Nairobi’s Four-Star Giraffe Manor
and Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.
- For the second consecutive year, Macau remains the city
with the most Five-Star hotels (22), with the addition of Paiza Lofts at
The Parisian Macao.
- Three hotels earned their exclusive triple Five-Star
status, representing properties that receive top awards for their hotel,
restaurant and spa. Salamander Middleburg in Virginia horse country
achieved the trifecta with Harrimans Grill and Salamander Spa. Rosewood
Miramar Beach in Montecito, California, won the Five-Star honors along
with its Sense, A Rosewood Spa at Miramar Beach and Caruso's restaurant.
The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman captured the Caribbean’s first triple
Five-Star title with Blue by Eric Ripert restaurant and The Ritz-Carlton
Spa, Grand Cayman. There are only 15 triple Five-Star winners in the
world.
- Travel is thriving in smaller metro areas like
Nashville (with Forbes Travel Guide Recommended Conrad Nashville and JW
Marriott Nashville), Charleston (Forbes Travel Guide Recommended boutique
hotel The Charleston Place) and New Orleans (Four-Star properties Four
Seasons Hotel New Orleans and The Ritz-Carlton Spa, New Orleans).
- Five-Star restaurants appear for the first time in
Grand Cayman (Blue by Eric Ripert) and Tokyo (Nouvelle Epoque). Restaurant
ratings also debuted in Dubai (Four-Star winners Armani/Ristorante Dubai
and Stay by Yannick Alléno at One&Only The Palm) and Los Cabos
(Four-Star Cocina de Autor at Grand Velas Los Cabos).