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Forbes Five-Star

Forbes Five-Star Hotels: The Complete 2026 Directory

Forbes Travel Guide is the only global rating system that grades hotels exclusively on anonymous, in-person inspections — over 900 objective service standards, no self-reporting, no fees-for-stars. Five Stars is the maximum award; fewer than 5% of evaluated hotels earn it.

Below: every Forbes Five-Star property in our catalogue, sorted by rating then name. We refresh inductions and withdrawals against each annual Forbes release.

181 properties listed

The Editors Answer

Frequently asked

What does Forbes Five-Star mean?
Forbes Five-Star is the top tier of the Forbes Travel Guide rating system. Anonymous inspectors stay two nights and grade the hotel against 900+ standards covering service, facility, food and beverage. Hotels do not pay to be rated and cannot influence the score. Fewer than 5% of evaluated hotels achieve Five Stars.
How is Forbes different from Michelin Keys or AAA Five Diamond?
Forbes measures objective service standards with anonymous inspectors. Michelin Keys measure the totality of the experience — soul, narrative, sense of place — and skew more editorial. AAA Five Diamond is a North American body using a similar service-grade model to Forbes. Many flagships hold all three.
How many Forbes Five-Star hotels are there?
The current Forbes Travel Guide release recognises around 360 Five-Star hotels worldwide, concentrated in Hong Kong, mainland China, the US, Western Europe and the Gulf. The list is updated annually each February.
Are Forbes Five-Star hotels worth it?
Forbes ratings predict service consistency more reliably than any other system — they tell you the bed-down, the early-arrival handling and the room-service tray will not let you down. Whether the price matches your value calculus is a separate call; the Five-Star tells you the floor, not the ceiling.

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