What Makes a Five-Star Hotel Room? Ask Forbes Travel

Forbes Travel Guide released its Verified List for 2019’s World’s Best Hotel Rooms. The best-of list highlights 41 properties spanning 17 countries compiled from detailed data gathered by the company’s incognito inspectors.

The guide spies stay at the properties and evaluate them on up to 900 standards for the guide’s annual Star Ratings. The World’s Best Hotel Rooms list features properties with rooms and bathrooms that are not only beautiful, but exceptionally comfortable, functional and elegantly appointed with special touches such as high-quality linens, an array of luxurious bath amenities and well-designed technology.

So, what did they find? Some examples include:

• The room is supplied with a variety of high-quality amenities and/or technology appropriate to the destination

• Exceptional attention to the interior design is evident, which may include interesting or notable pieces of artwork, excellent fabrics/upholstery on furniture, high-quality window treatments, etc.

• The bathroom amenities are exceptionally luxurious

Guest comfort and convenience standards encompass a guest’s physical comfort and surroundings. Considerations include:

•The guest room is well-soundproofed

•The bedroom offers a comfortable place to relax, such as when watching

television or dining, separate from the bed and desk areas

•The grooming areas are generously spacious so that two persons could easily shower and dress in comfort

Four Seasons Beverly Hills

Among the recognized hotels, United States led the pack with 12:

Belmond El Encanto, Santa Barbara

Bernardus Lodge & Spa, Carmel Valley

Casa Palmero, Pebble Beach

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

Montage Beverly Hills

Nobu Ryokan Malibu

Park Hyatt New York

Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

Rancho Santa Fe

The Peninsula Beverly Hills

The Peninsula Chicago

The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park

The St. Regis Aspen Resort

Placing second and third for most entries on the list are China, which claims six (Encore Macau; Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou; Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Rosewood Beijing; The Peninsula Beijing; Wynn Macau), followed by France, with four (Grand-Hotel du Cap-Ferrat, A Four Seasons Hotel; Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel; Mandarin Oriental, Paris; The Ritz Paris).

Independent hotels made a strong showing with 10 winners, including Palace Hotel Tokyo; The Alpina Gstaad and The Chedi Andermatt in the Swiss Alps; The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore; and The Resort at Pedregal.

Click here: to see the complete list of Forbes Travel Guide’s World’s Best Hotel Rooms.