Forbes reveals this year's five-star rated hotels

The 2016 list includes 42 new five-star hotels, 100 new four-star hotels and 57 new "recommended" hotels. Paris emerged with the most accolades, debuting on the list with nine five-star hotels, including Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris; Le Meurice, Dorchester Collection; and Shangri-La Hotel, Paris.

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris Closer to home, London has one five-star addition to its hotel portfolio with The Goring,

which we reviewed in 2014

, while England’s Home Counties welcomed its first five-star property - and the first outside London - with Coworth Park, a Georgian-style country escape located on the outskirts of Windsor Great Park in Ascot

London's newest five-star hotel - The Goring These two additions join seven other five-star hotels in the UK, including “London’s most famous hotel,” The Savoy; the typically English 'The Dorchester'; Claridge’s; Four Season’s London at Park Lane; The Connaught; The Lanesborough; and 45 Park Lane. Ten UK hotels joined the four-star category, including Hertfordshire’s The grove; Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London; and London’s exclusive Hotel 41.

Four-star rated Shangri-La Hotel, At The Shard, London Italy made a strong showing with four five-star awards in Rome, three in Florence (Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Hotel Savoy, Portrait Firenze) and one in Milan (Mandarin Oriental, Milan). Switzerland’s standout Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva also joined the Five-Star gang.

Royal suite at five-star Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva In Asia, Palace Hotel Tokyo and The Peninsula Tokyo were Japan’s additions, while Thailand saw The Peninsula Bangkok recognised. Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou; MGM Macau and The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong represented China’s latest five-start properties, along with Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake, which became the first five-star hotel in Hangzhou.

Five-star rated The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong Other notable five-star acknowledgements include Dorado Beach, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica’s Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo. Mexico’s Los Cabos; Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa in Playa del Carmen; and The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun also earned the coveted distinction.

Breakfast at Mexico's five-star Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa Four Seasons was by far the biggest winner this year, receiving six new five-star ratings, meaning the brand now has 26 five-star hotels - the largest number of five-star ratings awarded to a single hotel brand. President and CEO, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, J. Allen Smith, said: “We are honoured that Forbes Travel Guide has recognised 26 of our hotels and resorts with their highest star rating.”

Five-star rated Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo On top of the 42 new five-star hotels, Forbes recognised two new five-star restaurants (Addison at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego and Volver Philadelphia) and two new five-star spas (The Spa at Fairmont Grand Del Mar, San Diego and Waldorf Astoria Spa Shanghai) for 2016. The Forbes Travel Guide Star Rating list now includes 154 Five-Star hotels, 56 Five-Star restaurants and 47 Five-Star spas.