London unseated Macau as the city with the most Five-Star hotels in the latest Forbes Travel Guide rankings.
London’s rise to the top came thanks to four new additions (Bulgari Hotel & Residences, London; The Langham, London; Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, London; Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London).
London finished with 13 top-ranking hotels, with Macau at a close 12.
Forbes Travel Guide rates properties in 76 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
The Shilla Seoul is now a Forbes Five-Star hotel.
Several countries captured their first Five-Star hotel: Malaysia (Crockfords at Resorts World Genting), Portugal (Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon), South Korea (The Shilla Seoul), Turkey (Raffles Istanbul) and Vietnam (Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An).
A standout was The Peninsula Hotels, which made Forbes Travel Guide history by becoming the world's first all Five-Star hotel company. The Peninsula Manila earned its fifth star this year, which pushed the Hong Kong-based brand's tally to 10 Five-Star hotels.
These countries gained one new Five-Star hotel: Canada (Fairmont Pacific Rim), China (Bulgari Hotel Beijing), France (Hotel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel), Indonesia (Bulgari Resort Bali), Mexico (Rosewood San Miguel de Allende), the Philippines (The Peninsula Manila) and United Arab Emirates (Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island).
"At Forbes Travel Guide, we verify luxury. Our independent inspection process is the gold standard in the hospitality industry," said Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide.
"The Peninsula Hotels stood out from what can only be described as an incredible list of prestigious properties this year," he said. "It's a remarkable feat - the epitome of luxury service."
Peter Borer, COO of Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels Ltd., owner and operator of Peninsula Hotels, said the brand wide recognition was the "culmination of an immense amount of hard work from colleagues across our ten hotels”.
To recognise employees' hard work, he said, Peninsula would give teams at each hotel a range of rewards, including complimentary massages, afternoon tea experiences and special menus.
For guests, Peninsula will celebrate between February 27 and May 31 by offering flexible check-in and checkout, an upgrade to the next available room category when available, and a dining or spa credit when they book direct.
Winners will be honoured at Verified, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on February 26 and 27.