Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating

Forbes Travel Guide uses a three-tier rating system: Recommended (good quality, basic inspection), Four-Star (excellent, detailed inspection, about 1,200 hotels worldwide), and Five-Star (the best, around 100 hotels). They also rate restaurants and spas on the same scale. A small subset of Five-Star hotels earn the "Best of the Best" distinction for maintaining the rating 25+ consecutive years, only 13 hotels worldwide had it as of 2025. New ratings are announced each February. Forbes inspectors are full-time professionals who stay at each property for 2-3 nights, paying with corporate funds so the hotel doesn't know they're being audited. Looking for Forbes-rated properties? Check forbestravelguide.com.