Forbes Travel Guide Unveils 2026 Star Awards, Expanding to Over 100 Countries

Forbes Travel Guide has released its 2026 Star Awards, recognizing hotels, restaurants, spas, and cruise ships across more than 100 countries, including several first-time recipients and new destinations.

Forbes Travel Guide has announced the recipients of its 2026 Star Awards, marking the 68th annual edition of the program. The awards now cover more than 100 countries, with new destinations on the list including Bhutan, Croatia, Georgia, Grenada, Laos, Poland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uzbekistan.

The 2026 awards introduce several firsts. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma is named the first Five-Star cruise ship in the history of the Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards. Le Voyage, a restaurant on Celebrity Xcel led by chef Daniel Boulud, is recognized as the first Five-Star cruise ship restaurant.

The list features new Five-Star hotels in smaller destinations, with inaugural awards in Turks and Caicos (Wymara Villas), Nikko, Japan (The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko), and Montenegro (One&Only Portonovi). The Charleston Place in Charleston and 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh are awarded Four Stars. Atlanta receives its first double Five-Star recognition with The St. Regis Atlanta and its Atlas Buckhead restaurant. The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes is the first hotel in Orlando to receive a Five-Star rating. Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is the first Five-Star property from Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea giga-project.

Macau continues to have the highest number of Five-Star hotels, totaling 28, with new winners including Capella at Galaxy Macau, Paiza Grand, and Palazzo Versace Macau, which offer hotel-within-a-hotel experiences.

The 2026 Star Awards recognize a total of 2,422 properties. This includes 343 Five-Star, 708 Four-Star, and 679 Recommended hotels; 82 Five-Star, 138 Four-Star, and 80 Recommended restaurants; 118 Five-Star and 241 Four-Star spas; one Five-Star, nine Four-Star, and nine Recommended cruise ships; and one Five-Star, eight Four-Star, and five Recommended cruise ship restaurants.

In the United States, five new hotels have received Five-Star ratings: The Chateau at Nemacolin in Farmington, Pennsylvania; Mii amo in Sedona; The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes; The St. Regis Atlanta; and Yacht Club at The Boca Raton. Three new restaurants in the U.S. have been awarded Five Stars: Atlas Buckhead in Atlanta, Aurelia at Castle Hill in Newport, Rhode Island, and Flybridge in Boca Raton.

Europe’s new Five-Star hotels include The Maybourne Riviera in France, One&Only Portonovi in Montenegro, Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona in Spain, and Mandarin Oriental Savoy in Zurich, Switzerland. In the Asia Pacific region, new Five-Star hotels are Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, Capella at Galaxy Macau, Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li, Mandarin Oriental Qianmen in Beijing, Paiza Grand in Macau, Palazzo Versace Macau, Regent Hong Kong, ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko in Japan, and The St. Regis Macao.

The Middle East has four new Five-Star hotels: Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental in Abu Dhabi, Grosvenor House in Dubai, Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Saudi Arabia, and Rosewood Doha. The Caribbean adds Wymara Villas in Turks and Caicos, and Mexico adds Grand Velas Los Cabos to the Five-Star list.

The complete list of 2026 Star Award winners is available on ForbesTravelGuide.com.