Hotel bars have become destinations in their own right. The finest examples are familiar yet transporting, offering a welcome respite for weary travelers, a launching pad for an exciting night out or the elegance of a perfectly crafted cocktail.
The inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025 honors the world’s most exceptional hotel bar experiences. A timeless icon such as Monaco’s Le Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo demonstrates daily why it’s endured since the 1930s, with its jazzy ambiance and nightly music drawing illustrious fans from Josephine Baker to Lady Gaga. Then there are new favorites such as the BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River’s, which connects Asia with North and South America, showcasing Mexico-inspired drinks in a dazzling Art Nouveau space that evokes Buenos Aires.
The inaugural list also includes sky bars—including SkyHigh on the 60th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and the Lounge & Bar on the 102nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong—and novel drinking dens, like Rosewood London’s Scarfes Bar, which draws from English caricaturist Gerald Scarfe’s famous works, and Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa’s Library by the Sea, a Grand Cayman hot spot that interprets literary works through creative cocktails.
Forbes Travel Guide recognized 58 bars this year to celebrate its 1958 founding as Mobil Travel Guide. And FTG’s expert, incognito inspectors went to each one, sampling cocktails on multiple visits. The winners were determined by data collected as part of FTG’s 2024 and 2025 Star Ratings, based on several exacting standards. The top bars achieved the highest scores for their beverage program and presentation, as well as providing seamless service and an exceptional guest experience. FTG also focused on publicly accessible hotel bars.
London rang up the most accolades with seven bars, followed by Paris with five and Dubai at four. When it comes to brands, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts earned eight spots, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company tied with five winners each.
“These awards highlight sophisticated ambiance, elevated service, artfully curated wine lists and cocktails that are skillfully crafted and creatively presented,” says Bastien Gardrat, Forbes Travel Guide’s Global Spirits Ambassador. “These are elements that come together to create an unforgettable hotel bar experience.”
Here are the Star Bars for 2025
The Americas
33 North at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club, Orange County
1826 Tequila Bar at Rosewood San Miguel de Allende
The Bar at Auberge du Soleil, Napa
The Bar at Baccarat Hotel New York
The Bar & Lounge at The Umstead Hotel and Spa, Cary, North Carolina
Carlotta Reforma at The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City
Cocina del Mar Bar at Esperanza, Auberge Resorts Collection, Los Cabos
CUT bar at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown
King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York
Lester’s Bar at Eclipse at Half Moon, Jamaica
Library by the Sea at Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa, Grand Cayman
Lobby Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco
Lobby Bar at The Tampa EDITION
Manor Bar at Rosewood Baha Mar, The Bahamas
SkyHigh at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center
The St. Regis Bar at The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Miami
Tower Suite Bar at Wynn Tower Suites, Las Vegas
Zapote Bar at Rosewood Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Asia Pacific
The Bamboo Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
BKK Social Club at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River
The Capitol Bar at The Capitol Hotel Tokyu
Le Bar at Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li
Limited Edition Sip Bar at Waldorf Astoria Chengdu
The Loft at Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
The Lounge & Bar at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto
The Lounge & Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
MOBO Bar at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul
Rooftop Bar at Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills
The St. Regis Bar at The St. Regis Macao
The Study at Four Seasons Hotel, Macao
VIRTÙ at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi
Wing Lei Bar at Wynn Palace, Macau
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Armani/Bamboo Bar at Armani Hotel Milano
Artesian Bar at The Langham, London
Bvlgari Bar at Bvlgari Resort and Residences Dubai
El Patio at Four Seasons Hotel Madrid
The Goring Cocktail Bar at The Goring, London
The Guards Bar and Lounge at Raffles London at The OWO
The LaLee at The Cadogan, London
Le Bar at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
Le Bar Américain at Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo
Le Bar Botaniste at Shangri-La Paris
Le Bar Long at Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris
Le Fumoir at Çırağan Palace Kempinski, Istanbul
Les Ambassadeurs at Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
Library Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai
Mandarin Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London
Manhattan Lounge at The St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi
MO Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Geneva
Newman’s Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Wolfsburg, Germany
Peacock Alley at Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre
The Pine Bar at The Biltmore Mayfair, London
Pinzelada Lounge at BLESS Hotel Madrid
The Polo Bar at Al Habtoor Palace, Dubai
Ritz Bar at Ritz Paris
Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London
St. Regis Bar at The St. Regis Venice
