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      Forbes Travel Guide Stories

      Hotels, Verified Lists

      Forbes Travel Guide’s 2019 World’s Best Hotel Rooms
      By Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

      July 2, 2019

      Ritz Paris. Credit: Ritz Paris

      When stepping into a room at Ritz Paris, you find a space dripping in opulence. The Louis XIV-influenced décor features rich brocades, tasseled tapestries, chandeliers and bursts of gold. Inside the Italian-marble-filled bathroom, there are more lavish touches, like the gilded swan faucet — an original amenity of the 1898 hotel — and accompanying sink knobs bejeweled with red and blue crystals. And when you settle into the spacious accommodations, expect to receive a welcome treat, like lemon custard choux buns and apricot pastries on a silver multi-tiered tray. It’s no wonder why legends, ranging from Coco Chanel to F. Scott Fitzgerald, chose to live here.

      The historic gem is among 41 hotels to earn a spot on Forbes Travel Guide’s 2019 Verified List for the World’s Best Rooms. The best-of list comes from detailed data gathered by the company’s inspectors, who stay at the hotels anonymously and evaluate them on up to 900 standards for the guide’s annual Star Ratings, which were announced in February.

      Forbes Travel Guide’s Best Hotel Rooms list goes beyond looks. The winners achieved perfect scores on guest room and bathroom standards measuring luxury, comfort and convenience — on top of being spotless and well-maintained. That means inspectors tested everything in the room, including whether the spaces were well-soundproofed, the bedroom offered a place to relax outside of the bed and desk areas, the technology was well-designed, the linens and pillows were top quality, the bathroom areas were spacious enough for two people and the bath amenities were exceptionally luxurious. They even peeked inside the minibar to ensure it was stocked with a variety of notable finds.  

      To see the complete list of best rooms, click here. And get a look inside these all-around standout accommodations spanning 17 countries below.

      Nobu Ryokan Malibu. Credit: Nobu Ryokan Malibu

      The Americas

      The United States claimed 12 winners — the most of any country — eight of which hail from California. A Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hideaway tucked along Billionaire’s Beach, Nobu Ryokan Malibu infuses its 16 rooms with the chic minimalism of a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn. Covered in teak (including the handcrafted tub), they have neutral furnishings, an indoor-outdoor layout, bedside tatami mats and yukata robes, but the floor-to-ceiling ocean views are pure Malibu.

      Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa. Credit: Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa

      Over near SoCal’s Del Mar, Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa feels like your own private Mediterranean paradise. Olive and citrus trees surround your expansive casita (they average 1,000 square feet), which boasts a vaulted ceiling, a sunken living room and a patio with a whirlpool and fireplace. The bathroom offers an inviting oversized tub, hand-painted tiles and luxe Natura Bissé toiletries. A great perk: the hotel delivers the newspaper and fresh-squeezed orange juice to your door every morning.

      The Ritz-Carlton Montreal. Credit: The Ritz-Carlton Montreal

      The world’s first Ritz-Carlton also made the list. While the rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Montreal carry vestiges of the hotel’s more than 100-year history (like the chandeliers), they veer to the new (motion-sensor-activated lights to guide you in the dark) and modern (a cream palette with bold chrysanthemum-patterned wallpaper and pops of plum and fuchsia). Stay warm during those Montreal winters with heated bathroom floors, towel racks and Toto toilet seats.

      The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. Credit: The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort

      You won’t have to worry about the cold at The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, which is why every room comes with an outdoor shower and a sizable terrace with chairs and a daybed. Inside, the chic, understated Mexican aesthetic — exposed-beam ceilings, terra cotta floors — makes for a peaceful retreat. And you needn’t lift a finger: a dedicated 24-hour butler does everything from fetch coffee to pack your bags.

      The Peninsula Beijing. Credit: The Peninsula Beijing

      Asia Pacific

      The country with the second-highest tally on the list, China emerged with six winners, including The Peninsula Beijing. The sleek all-suite hotel equips its accommodations with uncommon amenities like a valet box, an unobtrusive way for staff to deliver and pick up laundry and room service without having to knock on your door; electronic nail dryers in the dressing rooms; and hands-free phones in the bathroom.  

      Mandarin Oriental, Taipei. Credit: Mandarin Oriental, Taipei

      Taiwan also made a showing with Mandarin Oriental, Taipei. Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, the hotel has established itself as Taipei’s go-to place to stay. It has some of the city’s largest guest rooms, so you can spread out on the chaise lounge or armchair and ottoman near the big-picture windows, or in the walk-in dressing room. The gray-marble bathroom tempts with a round deep-soaking tub and toiletries from coveted French brand Diptyque.

      The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore. Credit: The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore

      Over in Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore takes advantage of its prime waterfront location across from Marina Bay Sands and the Singapore Flyer Ferris and added floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies in its 100 guest rooms. Inside the handsome accommodations, keep an eye out for luxe perks like Bottega Veneta bath products, Harman Kardon Bluetooth speakers and a Handy smartphone with unlimited data and complimentary local calls to use during your stay.

      COMO The Treasury. Credit: COMO The Treasury

      After glimpsing into a room, you’d never guess COMO The Treasury sits in a former 19th-century treasury in Perth, Australia. Bathed in white with blond wood and low-slung furniture, the Scandinavian-influenced accommodations are bright, airy and bare. But the Four-Star hotel didn’t pare back the amenities: rooms come with Tivoli alarm clocks, Samsung LED televisions/IPTVs, complimentary minibars stocked with local beer and chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, vast bathrooms with Kaldewei Duo freestanding tubs and more.

      Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island. Credit: Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island

      The Middle East

      Contemporary rooms at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island possess art deco details; a navy, gray and white color scheme; and top-to-bottom windows overlooking the water. Customize your bed with a plush, signature or firm mattress topper and then slip under the down duvet for the night. You won’t have to budge from your down pillow — a bedside panel controls the lights and do-not-disturb sign, and a tablet lets you order room service and contact housekeeping.

      One&Only Royal Mirage. Credit: One&Only Resorts

      Made up of three properties, Dubai’s sumptuous One&Only Royal Mirage channels old Arabia in The Palace and Arabian Court with carved furniture, arches, wood pocket doors, intricate mirrors, Arabesque lamps and eye-catching mosaics. And the Residence & Spa provides a more exclusive experience, with its own pool and staff. But no matter which option you choose, all have a balcony that peers out over the gulf.

      Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel. Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

      Europe

      Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel resides in a former 18th-century palace, so opulent interiors come standard (plus, Karl Lagerfeld designed two suites). Antiques, fabric wall panels, bronze furnishings and contemporary art stylishly blend the then and now. Gray marble bathrooms are outfitted with local products from Buly 1803 and an inlaid television at the foot of the bathtub. But you’ll really get the royal treatment with your own butler.

      Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London. Credit: Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London

      Perched in one of Western Europe’s tallest buildings, Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London delivers breathtaking city panoramas from the room’s walls of windows. The Five-Star hotel furnishes you with binoculars to take it all in. But the cool blue-and-gray space’s other perks — heated bathroom floors, body-contouring beds, Frette sheets — will vie for your gaze, too.

      For the complete list of World’s Best Hotel Rooms winners, click here.

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      COMO The Treasury Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island Hôtel de Crillon A Rosewood Hotel Mandarin Oriental Taipei Nobu Ryokan Malibu Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa Shangri-La Hotel At The Shard London The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore The Peninsula Beijing The Ritz Paris The Ritz-Carlton Montreal The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort
      by Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester 

      About Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

      Jennifer Kester is the vice president and executive editor at Forbes Travel Guide, where she oversees the editorial department. Kester’s beat includes everything that rings of luxury travel—food and drink, culture, wellness and, of course, hotels. She has visited hundreds of luxury destinations, and her travels have brought her everywhere from Toronto to Tokyo to Tasmania. She’s always on the lookout for the next great beach or city to visit, all to bring readers that much closer to figuring out their next destination. A leading expert in hospitality journalism, Kester has been an editor and writer for Forbes Travel Guide since 2008, taking over as executive editor in 2015.

      View all posts by Forbes Travel Guide Editor Jennifer Kester

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