What is a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star property?
A Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star property is a hotel, restaurant or spa that offers consistently outstanding service, a full array of amenities and an attractive, well-maintained facility. Forbes Travel Guide’s team of inspectors is constantly on the road, visiting each property we rate-checking in and testing more than 500 different attributes of the service and facility experience in order to determine the property’s Star-Rating. We visit every property on our own dime, and go anonymously, so that our inspectors receive the same experience that the average guest does. Another facility inspector also visits the property, taking a tour with the staff and taking note of the style of the hotel, restaurant and spa, and its unique offerings. Each year, Forbes Travel Guide announces its new and existing Four- and Five-Star properties, which have all achieved their rating by delivering superb service and experiences throughout the 12 to 18 months prior, and have been open for at least six months before the annual Star Awards.
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A Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star property is a hotel, restaurant or spa that offers consistently outstanding service, a full array of amenities and an attractive, well-maintained facility. Forbes Travel Guide’s team of inspectors is constantly on the road, visiting each property we rate-checking in and testing more than 500 different attributes of the service and facility experience in order to determine the property’s Star-Rating. We visit every property on our own dime, and go anonymously, so that our inspectors receive the same experience that the average guest does. Another facility inspector also visits the property, taking a tour with the staff and taking note of the style of the hotel, restaurant and spa, and its unique offerings. Each year, Forbes Travel Guide announces its new and existing Four- and Five-Star properties, which have all achieved their rating by delivering superb service and experiences throughout the 12 to 18 months prior, and have been open for at least six months before the annual Star Awards.
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A hotel, restaurant or spa achieves a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating by offering consistently great services and facilities throughout the ratings season leading up to each Star Rating announcement. The staff should deliver personalized, attentive and intuitive service (we notice when a staff refills a glass, or performs a special turndown service, or goes above and beyond to make sure we’re comfortable). The property should be special and unique in design and appearance, with plenty of thoughtful amenities (sunscreen by the pool? Check. House-baked pastries to take with you when you leave the restaurant? Check) There are no rules about what a Four-Star property should look like-it can be formal and traditional, or sleek, modern and cutting edge. Its staff can be refreshingly casual (no need for old-fashioned uniforms), as long as they’re at the top of their game and make each guest feel anticipated, welcomed and appreciated.
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Forbes Travel Guide announced its 2012 Star Rating awards on November 15th, coinciding with the launch of its new online home, Startle. This year’s Four-Star ratings include 177 Hotels, 146 Restaurants and 105 Spas. The new roster of Four-Star hotels encompasses a diverse group of properties, from the ultra-contemporary Trump SoHo New York to the slope-side chic Four Seasons Resort Vail. New Four-Star restaurants include the Italian-focused Scarpetta, under the helm of Chef Scott Conant at Montage Beverly Hills, and the casual American menu and hipster vibe at Graham Eliot in Chicago. Additions to the Four-Star spa list include the sleek, modern Spa at Aria at Aria Las Vegas, whose sister properties Aria Las Vegas and Aria Sky Suites also achieved Four-Star status for the first time this year.