Forbes Travel Guide (“FTG”)—the only independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises—has revealed its 2025 Star Awards. The 67th annual list spans more than 2,100 properties in 90 countries. It features 336 Five-Star, 645 Four-Star and 567 Recommended hotels; 79 Five-Star, 128 Four-Star and 64 Recommended restaurants; 124 Five-Star and 224 Four-Star spas; seven Four-Star and seven Recommended cruise ships; and three Four-Star and three Recommended cruise ship restaurants—a new rating accolade.
The ratings expanded into new destinations, including Brunei; Costa Navarino, Greece; Finland; Haikou, Xiamen and Xi’an, China; Kazakhstan; Malaga, Spain; Montenegro; Oualidia and Tamuda Bay, Morocco; Phu Quoc, Vietnam; Romania; and Salzburg, Austria. FTG’s inaugural cruise restaurant ratings feature Celebrity (Apex and Ascent’s Fine Cut Steakhouse), The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (Evrima’s S.E.A.), SeaDream Yacht Club (SeaDream II’s Dining Room), Silversea (Silver Origin’s The Grill) and Windstar (Star Pride’s Candles).
Geographic highlights of the 2025 Awards:
For the third straight year, Macau holds strong as the destination with the most Five-Star hotels (24), adding Epic Tower at Studio City Macau and Raffles at Galaxy Macau , as well as seven new restaurants: Aurora (Altira Macau), Chef Tam’s Seasons (Wynn Palace, Don Alfonso 189 (Palazzo Versace Macau), The Huaiyang Garden (The Londoner Hotel), Mesa by Jose Avillez (The Karl Lagerfeld), Yamazato Macau (Hotel Okura Macau, and Zuicho (Grand Lisboa Palace Macau.)
The U.S. Gained new Five-Stars in Arizona (The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, A Luxury Collection Resort, The Maybourne Beverly Hills and Olivella restaurant at Ojai Valley Inn, California, and RiverView Ranch and Spa Montage Big Sky, Montana.
Europe had a strong showing, with new Five-Stars in Azerbaijan (Four Seasons Hotel Baku), France (Carlton Cannes, a Regent Hotel, Greece (Mandarin Oriental, Costa Navarino), Italy, (Castelfalfi), Spain (Rosewood Villa Magna), and the U.K. (The Cadogan, A Belmont Hotel, London, and Raffles London at The OWO.)
China is roaring back. In addition to Macau winners, China added Five-Stars in Guangzhou (Rosewood Guangzhou) and Hong Kong (The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong.)
Elsewhere in Asia, new Five-Star hotels arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam (Capella Hanoi), and Singapore (The Paiza Collection at Marina Bay Sands.)
New Five-Star hotels also came to the Middle East (One&Only Royal Mirage – The Residence in Dubai and The St. Regis Abu Dhabi) and Africa (Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island.)
For a full list of winners, click here.
Click here to see how FTG star ratings are determined.
Main photo: Raffles Spa at Raffles Istanbul. Courtesy of Raffles Istanbul