As Forbes Travel Guide unveils its 2025 Star Award winners, a crucial shift in luxury hospitality has come into focus. The latest wave of prestigious properties reveals an industry no longer defined solely by extravagance but by a thoughtful fusion of traditional luxury with sustainability and wellness.
“The standard being set across brand-new construction continued to show hotels and resorts are adapting to the demand for authentic and discreet ‘quiet’ luxury services that includes attention to sustainability and well-being — without compromising traditional luxury,” said Amanda Frasier, Forbes Travel Guide’s president of Standards & Ratings.
Not only do many of the 2025 Star Award winners reflect this change, a select few properties achieved the highest recognition in their first year open, establishing a new benchmark for excellence.
In a bold departure from “quiet luxury,” Raffles’ largest property makes an unmistakable statement with two gold towers connected by a striking 50-foot glass airbridge. Inside the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star property, you will find more opulence: many of the vast 450 suites have their own heated pool and gardens, and the white-marble-filled Crystal Lobby showcases a gazebo under a dome, both decked out with 380,000 crystals and 146,000 lights that glow during a light show that runs every half hour.
The Macau hotel also carries on the hallmarks that Raffles has become known for since its 1887 debut in Singapore: 24-hour gracious butler service (butlers do everything from arrange VIP experiences to surprise guests by gifting them with their favorite fruit), destination restaurants (heralded Japanese chef Masaaki Miyakawa’s Sushi Kissho by Miyakawa and omakase-style Teppanyaki Shou) and a Long Bar. This iteration of the bar is a speakeasy with a gin-focused menu and a Macau Sling, a local version of the Singapore classic that features gin infused with Malaysian botanicals served in a glass resembling a lotus (Macau’s official flower).
Yet this hotel was designed with sustainability in mind. A 230-foot green wall greets you in the lobby, and other green art pieces dot the property. Raffles evokes a nature sanctuary with 90 trees (including a 26-foot-tall Phoenix palm), 50,000 shrubs and thousands of seasonal blooms (from begonias to Madagascar periwinkles) — all created to conserve energy and water and reduce carbon.
In addition, Raffles Macau earned Forbes Travel Guide’s VERIFIED Responsible Hospitality badge for demonstrating a commitment to more than 100 standards to protect the environment and support the well-being of employees, guests and their communities.
The Paiza Collection at Marina Bay Sands
Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands left a big impression on travelers after its three sloping towers crowned by a dizzying 57th-story rooftop infinity pool appeared in Crazy Rich Asians. Just below this over-the-top attraction, The Five-Star Paiza Collection may not be as flashy, but it certainly is lavish.
A stay at the hotel-within-a-hotel starts at the airport, where a Rolls-Royce, Lexus, Mercedes or other luxury vehicle picks you up. After arriving at the hotel’s discreet lobby, a dedicated elevator whisks you to your suite or the Paiza Sky Residence, a club lounge exclusively for Paiza guests (return later to the club lounge’s Tea Vault to see the graceful kungfu tea ceremony). Elegant suites are swathed in neutral tones and come with extravagant amenities — for example, the Horizon Suite has Gharieni massage tables, a hammam and a Himalayan salt wall, while the Presidential Suite features a golf simulator. Even evening refreshment has been elevated, with in-room “night fridges” stocked with curated herbal teas and specialty waters — a nod to the growing emphasis on wellness. Since Paiza resides on the top floors of Marina Bay Sands, every accommodation has breathtaking city views from floor-to-ceiling windows.
To make sure your every want is fulfilled, 160 butlers — one of the world’s largest butler teams — stand at the ready 24/7. But the guest experience goes beyond the hotel’s walls — Paiza will snag you invitations to high-profile events, rare wine tastings and previews for luxury goods.
Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island
The Seychelles’ first Five-Star hotel weaves eco-friendly practices into its fabric. Designed to resemble a hawksbill turtle shell, the 50 villas were built farther away from the shore with gardens to allow local turtles space to safely lay their eggs. The island’s garden supplies many of the fresh fruit and vegetables served to guests, and a 2.5-megawatt solar farm powers 95% of the Waldorf Astoria’s operations. A desalination process provides rain and ground water for vegetation, while an onsite water treatment plant also helps to reuse water.
In addition, the tiny private island provides a wellness haven. Treatments at Waldorf Astoria Spa incorporate sustainable ingredients like organic seaweed, locally sourced coconut and native plants. There are numerous wellness options, too — undergo a non-invasive screening and get a three-, five- or seven-day tailored program that blends ancient Ayurveda practices and the latest science. Your itinerary could include guided meditation, breathwork and sound healing. And you can revel in the lush surroundings in the spa’s garden or relax by using the hydrotherapy facilities.
Guests are also invited to help in the area’s preservation. Activities include coral planting to support reef preservation, sunrise wildlife walks, seagrass snorkeling expeditions and coconut harvesting. The resort’s Discovery Center offers up fun ways to learn about the local ecology and the hotel’s sustainability initiatives.
When you retreat to your ocean-facing villa, unwind among the understated, contemporary interiors with wood floors and sandy colors. Standout amenities include the bathroom with its standalone oval tub and the private patio that leads to your own infinity pool and tranquil garden.
