Thirteen Vancouver hotels and spas have made the cut on a long (1,956 entries) but prestigious list of global accommodations worthy of the 2023 Forbes Travel Guide Star Award Winners.
Three hotels and one spa were awarded the top five-star award, seven others were given four stars including one restaurant, and four were recommended.
Forbes distinguishes five-star properties as "outstanding" and "iconic" with "virtually flawless service and amazing facilities." Four stars are "exceptional" and offer "high levels of service and quality of facility" while recommended places are "excellent properties with consistently good service and facilities."
The five-star rating system was first introduced in 1958 when the guide was known as the Mobil Travel Guide.
Anonymous inspectors visit hotels (for a minimum of two nights), spas, and restaurants and evaluate them based on 900 "objective criteria" according to their website. They also pay for their own hotel stays to ensure no one can buy a rating.
The five-star winners
The only five-star spa winner in Vancouver is attached to a hotel that also won a five-star distinction. The popular Fairmont Pacific Rim and Willow Stream Spa nabbed the top spot. Unsurprising since it's landed on international lists of beautiful places to stay in the past.
The inspector highlighted the hotel's art collection, the bento box lunches from the lobby-level Raw Bar, the Japanese soaker tubs in some of the rooms, and suggests opting for rooms in the Fairmont Gold category to have access to the 20th floor private lounge and dedicated concierge. They also suggest that the Willow Stream Spa terrace is one of the nicest in the city.
The Rosewood Hotel Georgia and Shangri-La Hotel round out Vancouver's five-star winners.
The Rosewood's lobby renovation gets a shout out for its Art Deco details and the cocktails at the 1927 Lobby Lounge, the specifically call out the signature Hotel Georgia. Perhaps the most unique feature that excited on inspector was the fragrance butler.
The Rosewood has a curated selection of perfumes for guests to use. A concierge will arrive at your room with a tray of assorted spritzes to try, all it takes is a phone call.
The Shangri-La Hotel makes the 5-star list for it's service. Staff are described as "attentive but unobtrusive" and the level of service is reportedly "impeccable."
The four-star winners
The Shangri-La's Chi spa was given four stars for its lavish treatment suites that come with a standalone tub, sitting area and cozy fire, a dressing area, bathroom and eucalyptus steam room.
The two other Vancouver Fairmonts, Waterfront and Hotel Vancouver, were also given four-star ratings. As was the Sutton Place Hotel on Burrard Street and the Sense Spa in the Rosewood Hotel Georgia.
The only Vancouver restaurant to make the list was Hawksworth, also located in the Rosewood. The wine list was described as dizzying and the menu as "beyond West Coast fare" that isn't a "fussy collection of trendy ingredients."
The Things to Know section reads: "No doubt the restaurant is formal, but it is formal in the way only Vancouver can be – a guest in jeans and Converse All-Stars may be sharing a table with a friend in an Armani suit."
The recommended spots
For many locals, the two hotels recommended by the Forbes Travel Guide are interchangable because they share a central building. The JW Marriot Parq and The Douglas are in fact two different properties connected by the casino in between. The access to the 30,000-square-foot park is like an adult playground and one of the winning features that earned both accommodations their recommendation.
The St. Regis Hotel on Dunsmir also clinched a recommendation thanks, in part, to its standout breakfast that is complimentary which each reservation.
