Macau has dethroned London this year as the city with the most Forbes five-star hotels in the world, according to the 2023 Star Awards by Forbes Travel Guide. The city had 22 five-star award winners, according to the list released on Wednesday. London came second, with a total of 21 top-rated properties.
Most of Macau’s luxury hotels are located at casino resort properties. The city added five newcomers to its elite ranks this year.
The new top-rated hospitality venues were: Galaxy Hotel, part of the Galaxy Macau resort, run by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd; Grand Lisboa Palace Macau, and The Karl Lagerfeld, two hotels at the Grand Lisboa Palace property of SJM Holdings Ltd; and the British-themed Londoner Hotel plus the exclusive Londoner Court, both part of the The Londoner Macao, operated by Sands China Ltd.
In aggregate, Macau boasted 63 Forbes-rated five-star venues – including hotels, spas and restaurants – on the 2023 list. Aside from the 22 top-rated hotels, the city had 16 spas with a five-star rating, and 25 five-star-awarded restaurants.
There were also three hotels rated four-star, and two “recommended” properties. Two of the city’s spas received a four-star award, and an additional restaurant was dubbed recommended in the 2023 Star Awards.
In a Wednesday update, Galaxy Macau said it had become “the world’s largest integrated resort to have the most Forbes five-star hotels under one roof”, with eight top-tier venues, including four hotels, two spas and two restaurants.
Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd earned an aggregate of 15 five-star awards for its hotels, spas and restaurants in Macau, encompassing its City of Dreams, Studio City, and Altira Macau properties.
Wynn Resorts Ltd, the parent of Wynn Macau Ltd, also had 15 five-star awards in the latest list by Forbes Travel Guide, distributed among its hotels, restaurants and spas at Wynn Macau on the city’s peninsula, and Wynn Palace, in the Cotai district.
Aside from Grand Lisboa Palace Macau, and The Karl Lagerfeld hotel, SJM Holdings received seven additional five-star ratings from Forbes, including for the Grand Lisboa hotel, three spas and two restaurants.
Several venues of MGM China Holdings Ltd were also assessed in Forbes’ latest list. The company garnered a total of seven five-star awards for 2023, spread between its MGM Macau and MGM Cotai properties.
Part of the Sands China portfolio, the Four Seasons Hotel Macao, and the Grand Suites at the Four Seasons Hotel Macao, were also awarded five-stars by Forbes. The Four Seasons also had its spa and the Zi Yat Heen restaurant recognised in the top tier of the awards.
Aside from the accolades for the city’s integrated resorts, the Mandarin Oriental, Macau received three five-star awards, for its hotel, spa, and the Vida Rica restaurant.
