Forbes Travel Guide Honors Hospitality's Finest In 2020 Star Rating Awards

107 Properties Earn New Five-Star Accolades

Largest-Ever Global Expansion as Awards Launch in 16 New Countries

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Triumphs as Hotel Brand with Most Five-Star Hotels

London Takes Starring Role as the Five-Star Capital City of the World

Forbes Travel Guide ("FTG"), the global expert on genuine Five-Star service, today presented a galaxy of "Stars" to the world's most luxurious properties. A record 107 new Five-Star awards have been announced, owing to the company's significant expansion across 16 countries.

The 2020 awards celebrate 1,898 Star-Rated properties in 73 countries; the full list can be found here. The new awards add 70 Five-Star, 120 Four-Star and 81 Recommended hotels to the annual winners list. Among restaurants, there are 13 new Five-Star, eight new Four-Star and two new Recommended winners. The recipients also include 24 new Five-Star and 22 new Four-Star spas. 

This year sees the most extensive global expansion in Forbes Travel Guide's 62 -year history. The company spotlights new international markets, including Antigua, the Bahamas, Cambodia, Egypt, Fiji, French Polynesia, India, Jordan, the Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, the Seychelles and South Africa, many of which achieved the coveted Five-Star honor. 

A total of 432 Five-Star distinctions were awarded to hotels, restaurants and spas, and the top ranking was attained for the first time in Antigua; Bora Bora; Cambodia; Cape Town; Doha; Fiji; Ireland; Johannesburg; the Maldives; Mauritius; Monte Carlo; Moscow; Prague; St. Petersburg, Russia; the Seychelles; and Tahiti.

Four Seasons maintained the prestigious achievement as the brand with the most Five-Star hotels adding 11 new Five-Star hotel awards to its collection. Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, Four Seasons Hotel Moscow and Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff, Johannesburg are among some of the additions in newly rated destinations.

Wynn Resorts took an all-star position, dominating the Las Vegas market by earning seven Five-Star awards for Wynn Resorts Las Vegas (Wynn Las Vegas, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, Wynn Tower Suites, Encore Tower Suites, The Spa at Wynn Las Vegas, The Spa at Encore Las Vegas and Wing Lei) and an additional eight for Wynn Resorts Macau (Wynn Macau, Encore Macau, Golden Flower at Encore Macau, Mizumi at Wynn Macau, Wing Lei at Wynn Macau, Il Teatro at Wynn Macau, The Spa at Encore Macau and The Spa at Wynn Macau). Wynn Palace Macau also achieved seven Five-Star awards.

London cemented its position as the global Five-Star capital city with 19 top hotels, including six new additions: Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel; Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square; Rosewood London and The Berkeley. The Egerton House Hotel and The Milestone Hotel & Residences join Hotel 41 to give Red Carnation hotels a triple Five-Star hotel win for the city.

"It's a privilege for Forbes Travel Guide to honor such magnificent hotels, restaurants and spas from all corners of the globe. Each deserving recipient excels at enriching people's lives through the power of exceptional service," said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. "Our role at Forbes Travel Guide is to establish our annual star ratings with absolute independence and integrity and champion those at the very top of their game."

More than 600 Star-Rated winners and invited VIP guests will gather to celebrate at Verified, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on February 18 and 19. As the recipients of multiple Five-Star awards, the MGM International property will be packed with inspirational speakers and discovery sessions. The event will culminate in a gala dinner hosted by Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei, followed by an exclusive afterglow hosted by Wynn Las Vegas XS nightclub where headline DJ Dillon Francis and other exciting surprises await the 2020 award winners.

For highlights, trends and fun facts from our 2020 Star Awards, click here.

To view the full Star Ratings for 2020, visit ForbesTravelGuide.com.
For a detailed explanation of how Forbes Travel Guide compiles its Star Ratings, click here.

Connect with Forbes Travel Guide:Instagram: www.instagram.com/ForbesTravelGuide
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About Forbes Travel Guide:

Forbes Travel Guide is the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas. Our anonymous professional inspectors evaluate based on up to 900 objective standards, with an emphasis on exceptional service, to help discerning travelers select the world's best luxury experiences. The only way to get a Five-Star, Four-Star or Recommended rating is by earning it through our independent inspection process. For more information about Forbes Travel Guide, please visit forbestravelguide.com.

Here Are The 9 Best Hotels Of 2014

Hoping to treat yourself to a tip-top getaway? This exclusive look at luxury travel network Virtuoso's annual 'Best of the Best' list reveals nine hotels that 9,000 high-end travel agents voted tops in their categories -- from the sweetest spas to the tastiest eats.

Best Spa:

• Hotel: Bulgari Hotel & Residences
• Location: London

The Bulgari spa offers some of the most sought-after spa treatments, ice showers and steam rooms available. But the real crown jewel is a 25-meter colonnaded swimming pool with full body massage jets, finished with tiny gold leaf glass tiles.

Guests can relax in loungers and cabanas while they wait for synchronized four-handed massages (about $950 for 2 hours) and emotional healing with the modern-day wizard (about $1,000 for 90 minutes).

Best Culinary Experience

• Hotel: L'Abeille, Shangri-La Hotel
• Location: Paris, France

This two Michelin-starred restaurant is named after Napoleon's favorite emblem -- the bee -- but the food itself creates all the buzz. Its seasonal menu ranges from duck foie gras coated in chocolate and braised cheek of Iberian suckling pig to confit shoulder of milk-fed lamb. Bon appétit!

 Best bar

• Hotel: King Cole Bar, The St. Regis New York
• Location: New York City

This classic bar dates back to 1948, but it reopened its doors in 2013. Guests sip $25 Bloody Marys in the vast wood-paneled room right off the hotel's lobby.

Best Family Program

• Hotel: Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy
• Location: Florence, Italy

Sure, between the shopping, the pasta, the sweeping hotel lobbies and the wine, you might never get bored in Florence. But the Rocco Forte Hotel wants to make sure kids feel the same way. That's why they started offering the "Pinocchio Experience," a three-hour workshop where each child gets to personalize a piece of wood, just like the storied little puppet himself. It will later be delivered to the child's room as a souvenir to take home.

Sustainable Tourism Leadership

• Hotel: Cuixmala
• Location: Costalegre, Mexico

The hotel, on 25,000 acres of land, beaches and lagoon, is part nature reserve, part unspoiled beach, and part working plantation. Expect to see wild boar while out for a bike ride, or giant tree frogs while having breakfast in the morning. Guests can stroll through the coconut plantation and organic farm, tour the animal sanctuary, and hold baby sea turtles at the turtle hatchery.

Most Innovative Guest Experience

• Hotel: Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort
• Location: Liwa Desert, U.A.E.

In the heart of one of the largest uninterrupted deserts in the world, guests can ride on camels or mountain bikes over dunes, try their hand at archery, go land sailing or dune bashing through the desert and watch animals graze by the infinity pool.

Best Achievement In Design

• Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace
• Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Guests can live like 19th century Russian royalty in this hotel. The lavish marble staircases, exterior pillars, gilded lobby and sky-high ceilings have been restored to their original 1820 beauty.

Hotel Of The Year

• Hotel: Rosewood London
• Location: London, U.K.

The recently re-opened hotel, which was built in 1914, is set back into a courtyard. It's brimming with seven types of marble, a seven-story grand staircase, and a six-bedroom suite that uses its own private elevator and even has its own postcode.

One To Watch

• Hotel: Park Hyatt New York
• Location: New York City

The soon-to-open establishment reportedly will boast the biggest hotel rooms in New York City, starting at 475 square feet, as well as some of the best views of Central Park. The 118 guestrooms and 92 suites will be outfitted with remote control lighting and drapes, and the Nalai spa will have its own private terrace.

Contributed by Emily Jane Fox, money.cnn.com

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