Eight hotels and two spas in Taiwan were among the winners selected by this year's Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards, with the Mandarin Oriental in Taipei receiving a five-star rating for the seventh consecutive year.
The 2023 Star Awards included 1,956 hotels, restaurants and spas worldwide ranked with five stars, four stars or "recommended" by Forbes, which published the list of winners online on Feb. 15.
According to its website, inspectors stayed at each of the hotels for three days and two nights, posing as ordinary guests, to assess up to 900 objective criteria such as the quality of the décor and courtesy of the staff.
The Forbes Travel Guide's five-star ratings are awarded only to "outstanding, often iconic properties with virtually flawless service and amazing facilities," with 360 hotels worldwide receiving the rating this year.
Four other hotels in Taiwan -- Regent Taipei, Taipei Marriott Hotel, W Taipei and Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei -- received four-star ratings, which indicate they are "exceptional properties, offering high levels of service and quality of facility to match," the Forbes website says.
A total of 585 hotels around the world received a four-star rating this year, Forbes said.
Meanwhile, Grand Hyatt Taipei, Humble House Taipei and Eslite Hotel were rated "recommended" by Forbes.
The "recommended" rating was given to 433 "excellent properties with consistently good service and facilities" this year, according to Forbes.
Although no restaurants in Taiwan were included on Forbes' list, The Spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Taipei and the Wellspring Spa at Regent Taipei both received four-star ratings.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel