Forbes Unveils Top Picks: Korea’s Reigning Hotels Dominate Rankings

① Forbes Travel Guide

The Forbes Travel Guide officially announced “the 2024 Forbes Travel Guide.” Established in 1958, Forbes Travel Guide is a luxury travel evaluation magazine. This year marks its 66th anniversary, and it is known as the origin of the 5-star hotel system. It is a globally respected evaluation institution with strict standards.

The Forbes Travel Guide is called the Michelin Guide for Hotels. The Forbes Travel Guide evaluates luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas worldwide annually based on more than 900 criteria. Highly trained global inspectors anonymously have the same experience as regular customers. They pay expenses and stay at the hotel for at least two nights.

The Forbes Travel Guide ranks 5-star hotels, 4-star hotels, and recommended hotels. South Korea was selected as an evaluation country for the first time in 2017. They selected 340 hotels with five stars worldwide this year. Two Korean hotels have received the honor of being 5-star hotels.

② 5-Star Hotels Selected for Six Consecutive Years

The domestic 5-star hotels selected are The Shilla Seoul and Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. The Shilla Seoul has been listed as a Forbes 6-star hotel for six consecutive years. After being selected as a 4-star hotel in 2017, it was the only domestic hotel to be upgraded to 5 stars in the 2019 Forbes Travel Guide. The Forbes Travel Guide evaluation team gave high scores for services from check-in to check-out and F&B quality.

The Shilla Seoul, which opened in 1979, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. As a representative Korean hotel, The Shilla Seoul has top-tier competitiveness in hotel operation indicators such as room occupancy rate and guest unit price.

All four fine dining restaurants at The Shilla Seoul received excellent grades in “La Liste.” La Liste is a gourmet guide that the French Tourism Board selects and announces the top 1,000 restaurants worldwide every year since 2015.

Forbes has named The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul and The Shilla Seoul 5-star hotels. The Four Seasons Hotel received high scores in the gourmet guide, which the French Tourism Board has selected and announced as the top 1,000 restaurants worldwide every year since 2015.

The hotel and its subsidiary facility, “The Spa,” were selected as 4-star hotels in the spa category. The Spa has been titled the first 4-star spa in Korea for eight consecutive years since 2017. The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul’s The Spa is the only place in Korean hotels to have won a star in the spa category for eight consecutive years.

The Four Seasons Hotel Seoul has a total of eight restaurants. The Chinese restaurant “Yu Yuan” is famous as a Michelin 1-star restaurant. Subsidiary facilities include an indoor swimming pool, sauna golf zone, fitness center, and more.

③ List of 4-Star Hotels Selected by Forbes

The Forbes Travel Guide selected six Korean 4-star hotels. For the first Time Since Its Opening, Conrad Seoul was selected as a 4-star hotel in the hotel and spa categories.

Conrad Seoul has been selected four times in a row for the World Spa Awards, which selects the best spas worldwide. This year, Conrad Seoul Spa was chosen as a 4-star, enhancing its competitiveness. When using the spa, a dedicated lounge and reception are prepared. It is equipped with treatment rooms, hydrotherapy rooms, and relaxation lounges.

In addition, Park Hyatt, The Westin Josun Seoul, Signiel Seoul, and Paradise City were also selected as 4-star hotels.

Paradise City’s luxury boutique, Art Paradiso, is the first Korean hotel to receive a 4-star rating. The hotel is an adult-only luxury boutique hotel, and its core target group is the Millennials, and Gen Z. Art Paradiso received high scores from the first evaluation after being newly listed in August last year.

Art Paradiso has turned the entire space into a gallery with 58 all-suite rooms. Due to its luxurious facilities, interior, and services, the hotel receives high guest satisfaction. The hotel received high evaluations for services, including everything from rest to gourmet food and art.

In particular, Art Paradiso’s “Curating Service” stands out. This service identifies customer requirements before staying, offers a customized schedule, and responds to requests 24 hours daily. In addition, it offers an “Art Tour Service” where you can listen to explanations while looking at the exhibited works and a “Full Board Service” that includes meal benefits at the hotel restaurant “Sara Sae.”