Forbes Travel Guide's Best Hotel Bars For 2025
The inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Star Bars for 2025 honors the world's most exceptional hotel bar experiences. A timeless icon such as Monaco's Le Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo demonstrates daily why it's endured since the 1930s, with its jazzy ambiance and nightly music drawing illustrious fans from Josephine Baker to Lady Gaga. Then there are new favorites such as the BKK Social Club at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River's, which connects Asia with North and South America, showcasing Mexico-inspired drinks in a dazzling Art Nouveau space that evokes Buenos Aires.
The inaugural list also includes sky bars—including SkyHigh on the 60th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and the Lounge & Bar on the 102nd floor of The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong—and old school drinking dens, like Rosewood London's Scarfes Bar, which draws from English caricaturist Gerald Scarfe's famous works, and Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa's Library by the Sea, a Grand Cayman hot spot that interprets literary works through creative cocktails.
Forbes Travel Guide recognized 58 bars this year to celebrate its 1958 founding as Mobil Travel Guide. And FTG's expert, incognito inspectors visited each one, sampling cocktails on multiple visits. The winners were determined by data collected as part of FTG's 2024 and 2025 Star Ratings, based on several exacting standards. The top bars achieved the highest scores for their beverage program and presentation, as well as providing seamless service and an exceptional guest experience. FTG also focused on publicly accessible hotel bars.
London rang up the most accolades with seven bars, followed by Paris with five and Dubai at four. When it comes to brands, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts earned eight spots, and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company tied with five winners each.
'These awards highlight sophisticated ambiance, elevated service, artfully curated wine lists and cocktails that are skillfully crafted and creatively presented," says Bastien Gardrat, Forbes Travel Guide's Global Spirits Ambassador. 'These are elements that come together to create an unforgettable hotel bar experience.'
Here are the Star Bars for 2025
The Study at Four Seasons Hotel, Macao
VIRTÙ at Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi
Wing Lei Bar at Wynn Palace, Macau
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
42 minutes ago
- New York Times
Making Connections on Flights to the U.S. from Europe Could Get Easier
If flying home to the United States from London requires a connecting flight, your journey may be about to get easier. The experience can be stressful: With the clock ticking, travelers race through customs, pick up and re-check bags, then have to go through security again to board the next leg of their flight. If they're not speedy enough or the lines aren't moving, the plane will leave without them. But starting this month, travelers on several flights from London to Dallas and Atlanta will be able to bypass some of these steps and get to their connecting gates faster. The pilot program, called One Stop Security, will expand to select flights from Heathrow Airport to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport operated by American Airlines and to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport operated by Delta Air Lines. It began last week on one route, Flight 51, from London to Dallas, an American Airlines spokesman said. Delta and American will both offer dedicated customs areas for eligible flights, but each will handle security screening differently. Passengers with American who are connecting to other flights from Dallas will stay at gate level and go through a small passport control area before getting cleared to head to their next gate. They won't need to claim their bags, recheck them, or go through Transportation Security Administration screening. For Delta passengers in Atlanta, the process will differ depending on whether a traveler is registered in Global Entry, a trusted traveler program, or has the Mobile Passport Control app, which is available only to U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. All travelers on those flights will be processed in a dedicated customs area separate from standard immigration and won't have to claim and recheck their bags, but only Global Entry members or Mobile Passport Control app holders will be able to bypass T.S.A. screening, a Delta spokeswoman said. In all, this can save customers up to 40 minutes, the spokeswoman added. The T.S.A. did not respond to multiple requests for comment. However, Adam Stahl, the T.S.A. deputy administrator, told Fox News in an interview that more international airports would join the program in the coming months. The One Stop Security pilot began in February for travelers going from Dallas-Fort Worth to Heathrow and then connecting to international destinations outside Britain. It's available on five daily flights operated by American on this route, an airline spokesman said. Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2025.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Southwest misses profit expectations as weak domestic demand erodes fares
(Reuters) -Southwest Airlines missed Wall Street estimates for second-quarter profit on Wednesday, pressured by weak domestic travel demand that has led to more empty seats and softer fares. Shares of the carrier were down 2% in aftermarket trading. The budget carrier reported an adjusted profit per share of 43 cents, compared with analysts' average expectations of 51 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG. In April, several major U.S. carriers scrapped their financial forecasts, citing uncertainty linked to President Donald Trump's broad tariff measures and government spending cuts, which pressured consumers to scale back travel plans. Since then, airline executives and analysts have signaled that demand trends and the broader travel environment are showing signs of steadiness. Even so, the domestic market remains under pressure, with cost-conscious travelers continuing to exercise caution as household budgets tighten. Summer, typically the peak money-making season for airlines, is falling short this year as sluggish demand for standard economy seats forces carriers to cut fares, undermining their pricing power. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have seen strong revenue gains from premium cabins, buoyed by affluent travelers willing to pay for upgrades. By contrast, low-cost carriers such as Southwest, which relies heavily on standard economy seats, are under pressure to maintain profitability as price-sensitive travelers remain cautious with discretionary spending. Southwest reported operating revenue of $7.24 billion in the quarter through June, compared with $7.35 billion a year earlier.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
A-list actresses casually board commercial flight in sea of stunned passengers
Angelina Jolie and Salma Hayek had travelers doing a double-take in Mexico City last week. The 'Eternals' co-stars boarded a commercial flight over the weekend, according to a video shared via TikTok on Saturday. The actresses cut casual figures while chatting in the jet bridge on their way to Veracruz. Hayek matched her white joggers to her sweater, while Jolie opted for a cream top and coordinating pants. When fans asked Jolie, 50, and Hayek, 58, for a photo, they politely declined — but did pose for pictures while out and about in the terminal and eating. Social media users questioned the duo's public presence on the public flight in the comments section. 'Why don't they have a private jet?' one asked, while another joked that it didn't look like Hayek 'had stopped talking to' her A-list pal for days. The pair became close working on 'Eternals' in 2021. Three years later, Hayek starred in 'Without Blood,' which Jolie wrote, co-produced and directed. The latter gushed about the 'Salt' star in an interview with People last year. 'We do things together as a family. We hang out with the kids but also by ourselves,' Hayek, who is the mother of 17-year-old daughter Valentina, said in September 2024. Jolie, for her part, has six children: Maddox, 23, Pax, 21, Zahara, 20, Shiloh, 19, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 17. Hayek went on to call their bond 'super inspiring.' At the time, she explained, 'A friend was telling me, 'It's the same life whether you laugh or cry.' And it's nice to have a friend where you can laugh and cry … and feel always safe.' The 'Ugly Betty' alum also gave insight into Jolie's eldest sons' roles in 'Without Blood,' revealing Maddox and Pax's 'very professional' mom-turned-boss was 'demanding' of them. Solve the daily Crossword
