Forbes Travel Guide, the independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas, has unveiled its 2022 Star Awards.
The 64th annual Forbes 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.
Highlights from the 2022 winners include:
- Nine destinations welcomed their inaugural Five-Star hotel: Amman (Four Seasons Hotel Amman); Amsterdam (Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam); Berlin (Hotel de Rome, a Rocco Forte Hotel); Greece (Katikies Mykonos); Ibiza (BLESS Hotel); Madrid (Four Seasons Hotel Madrid and BLESS Hotel Madrid); Malta (Iniala Harbour House); Okinawa, Japan (Halekulani Okinawa); and Zurich (The Dolder Grand).
- The U.S. debuted 10 new Five-Star hotels: The Chanler at Cliff Walk (Newport, Rhode Island); Chatham Inn (Cape Cod); Encore Boston Harbor; ESPACIO The Jewel of Waikiki; Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street, Boston; The Lodge at Blue Sky, Auberge Resorts Collection (Park City, Utah); Madeline Hotel and Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection (Telluride, Colorado); Rosewood Miramar Beach (Montecito, California); The Towers at Lotte New York Palace (NYC); White Barn Inn, Auberge Resorts Collection (Kennebunk, Maine).
- London claimed the title of the city with the most Five-Star hotels worldwide. The British capital tallied 21 top-rated hotels, including the new additions of Pan Pacific London and The Prince Akatoki London (see the full list here).
- The Maldives picked up four new Five-Star hotels: Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, JOALI Maldives, Kudadoo Maldives Private Island and Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi.
- Boutique hotels made a strong showing. The standouts delivering one-of-a-kind experiences include new Five-Star properties such as Casa Angelina (Amalfi Coast); The Chanler at Cliff Walk (Newport, Rhode Island); Chatham Inn (Cape Cod); ESPACIO The Jewel of Waikiki; The Hazelton Hotel in Toronto; Hotel Esencia (Tulum); Iniala Harbour House & Residences (Malta); JOALI Maldives; Katikies Mykonos; Kudadoo Maldives Private Island; and Switzerland’s Park Hotel Vitznau (shown at top of post).
- Three new U.S. restaurants earned a Five Star: Carte Blanche in Dallas—it’s the only one in Texas to hold that accolade; Cara in Newport, Rhode Island; and MUGEN in Waikiki.
- Hong Kong added three restaurants to its Five-Star ranks: L’Envol, Sushi Saito Hong Kong and Tempura Uchitsu.
- The Bulgari Spa Dubai and The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Doha are the Middle East’s first Five-Star spas.
- The U.S. saw seven new Five-Star spas: Edge Spa, Park City, Utah; Salamander Spa, Middleburg, Virginia; The Spa at Encore Boston Harbor; The Spa by Ivanka Trump at Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C.; Spa Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina; Spa Ojai, Ojai, California; The Wellness Floor at One Dalton in Boston.
- Mexico welcomed two new Five-Star spas: Banyan Tree Spa Mayakoba in the Riveria Maya and SE Spa at Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit in Puerto Vallarta.