Forbes Travel Guide 2023: Macau is the top five-star rated hotel capital of the world, beating London
Macau now boasts 22 top-rated hotels with several new entries on the list, as revealed by the Forbes Travel Guide 2023 Star Awards. London has 21.
After four years as the city with the most five-star rated hotels in the world as ranked by the Forbes Travel Guide, London has lost its title. The Forbes Travel Guide 2023 Star Awards was unveiled on Wednesday (Feb 15), with Macau emerging as the new champion.
Macau has 22 five-star rated properties in the guide, gaining more new five-star hotels than any other destination. These hotels include Galaxy Hotel, Grand Lisboa Palace Macau, The Karl Lagerfeld, Londoner Court and Londoner Hotel.
London came in second with 21 five-star rated hotels, including the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park and The Langham.
The Forbes Travel Guide is an independent global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants and spas. To compile the list, incognito inspectors check into hotels, dine at restaurants and experience spa services, posing as ordinary guests. According to the guide, they test up to 900 rigorous standards, such as service standards, decor, quality and condition of facilities, food and beverage options and whether a room is set up to enhance sleep quality.
This year, the list features 360 five-star hotels, 585 four-star hotels and 433 recommended hotels. The list also features 79 five-star and 113 four-star restaurants, and 119 five-star and 195 four-star spas.
Elsewhere in Asia, Singapore has a total of four five-star rated properties. These include Capella Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore and Raffles Hotel Singapore.
Maldives expanded its scope as a star-studded destination with four new top-ranked hotels. These include Joali Being, Soneva Jani, The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands and Patina Maldives. Patina Maldives is developed by Singapore’s Pontiac Land Group.
Osaka and Shenzhen also picked up their first five-star hotel ratings with The Ritz-Carlton Osaka and Mandarin Oriental, Shenzhen respectively.
The full Forbes Travel Guide 2023 Star Awards list can be viewed here.