Celebrity Cruises, Ritz-Carlton Yachts Earn 1st-Ever Accolades from Forbes – Travel Market Report
The 68th annual Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) — an independent, global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises — has unveiled its 2026 Star Awards.
Among the interesting inclusions in this year’s list are the first-ever Five-Star cruise accolades. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma becomes the first Five-Star cruise in FTG’s history. And Celebrity Xcel’s Le Voyage from master chef Daniel Boulud is the first Five-Star cruise ship restaurant.
The list also features more new award winners than ever before and many inaugural distinctions, which Forbes calls a signal that luxury travel is moving into a new era. The full list of honourees can be found on ForbesTravelGuide.com.
This year’s FTG also hits a major milestone: it spans more than 100 countries, including new destinations like Bhutan, Croatia, Georgia, Grenada, Laos, Poland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Uzbekistan.
Smaller cities and destinations made a bigger splash this year. Inaugural Five-Stars were awarded in Turks and Caicos (Wymara Villas); Nikko, Japan (The Ritz-Carlton, Nikko); and Montenegro (One&Only Portonovi). The Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina and 100 Princes Street in Edinburgh earned Four-Stars, elevating their cities’ hospitality offerings and the continued tourism rise of some less-explored markets.
For the fourth year, Macau continues to outpace the world’s top destinations in Five-Star hotels (28). The city’s newest winners show a shift toward a more intimate luxury tier: Capella at Galaxy Macau, Paiza Grand and Palazzo Versace Macau offer hotel-within-a-hotel experiences that favour privacy over scale.
Other Forbes Travel Guide 2026 highlights:
“Forbes Travel Guide’s newest Star Award winners showcase an exciting evolution in luxury,” says Amanda Frasier, FTG’s President of Standards & Ratings.
“As guests navigate the increasingly complex travel landscape for the best places to stay, sail, dine and spa, we are proud to provide them with the trusted, integrity-based guidance they need. The 2026 list showcases properties deeply committed to delivering consistent and reliable world-class experiences.”
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