Macau Overtakes London as City with Most Five-Star Hotels in the World

Summary

• Macau now has 22 five-star hotels, most of which are located at casino resorts
• Macau now has 63 top-rated venues, according to the 2023 Star Awards by Forbes Travel Guide
• Macau casino resorts receive five star ratings

Macau’s hospitality industry appears to be in good form now after being heavily impacted by the pandemic, with the city now having more Forbes five-star hotels than any other city in the world. Macau is now home to 22 five-star award winners, dethroning London which has 21 first-class hotels.

Macau, once known as the biggest gambling hub in the world and its casino resorts generally come with multiple luxury hotels.

Macau Now World’s Five-Star Hotel Capital

Forbes Travel Guide recently unveiled its 2023 Star Awards list, with Macau topping the hotels category. Majority of the top-rated properties are located at casino resorts, and five of them are fresh awardees.

They are: Grand Lisboa Palace Macau and The Karl Lagerfeld (both located at Grand Lisboa Palace which is operated by SJM Holdings Ltd); Galaxy Hotel (located at the Galaxy Macau resort which is owned by Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd); Londoner Hotel and Londoner Court (both located at The Londoner Macao which is run by Sands China Ltd).

London, which ruled the list for four years, has not added a new five-star hotel to the list.

The 2023 Star Awards also includes restaurants and spas, with ocean cruises making a debut on the list. The venues are rated by Forbes Travel Guide’s incognito inspectors who avail of their services by posing as ordinary guests. The ratings are based on 900 rigorous standards, from traditional elements to modern-day luxuries. Guest experience accounts for 70% of the ratings, while the remaining 30% makes up for the quality and condition of the facilities.

Apart from the 22 hotels, Macau has 25 restaurants and 16 spas with five-star ratings, which means the city now boasts a total of 63 top-rated venues. In addition to that, multiple Macau properties also received four-star and “recommended” ratings.

Macau Casino Resorts Receive Five-Star Ratings

Eight venues associated with Galaxy Macau made the five-star list, including four hotels, two restaurants, and two spas. Wynn Macau’s parent company Wynn Resorts Ltd, as well as Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd have 15 each, while SJM Holdings has nine top-rated properties.

MGM China Holdings and Sands China are also part of the list, with both companies receiving seven and four five-star ratings respectively for 2023.

Macau’s five-star ratings are not only limited to the city’s integrated resorts, with Mandarin Oriental’s Vida Rica restaurant, as well as its hotel and spa also receiving the same recognition.