ATLANTA, Feb. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Forbes Travel Guide today unveiled its 58th list of worldwide Star Rating recipients, including 42 new Five-Star hotels, 101 new Four-Star hotels and 57 new hotels in the Recommended category.

Forbes Travel Guide now rates properties in 29 countries throughout The Americas,Europe and the Asia-Pacific region and expects to double its size again in the next year with expansion into the Middle East and Africa. The 2016 Five-Star hotel winners now total 154 — the most in Forbes Travel Guide’s history. The company continues its uniquely selective process for recognizing the finest properties in the markets it rates, rewarding intuitive, gracious service —  which makes winning an award one of the most prestigious achievements in the industry.

In addition to the Five-Star hotel winners, two new restaurants earned Five-Star awards, bringing the total to 56. Two new spas achieved Forbes Travel Guide’s highest honor, pushing the tally to 47 Five-Star spas.

In Costa Rica, Forbes awarded a Five-Star rating to the Four Seasons Resort in Peninsula Papagayo, in the Gold Coast of Guanacaste.

Additionally, Forbes awarded Four-Star ratings to the Andaz Peninsula Papagayo Resort and to El Mangroove. These hotels are also located in the Gold Coast of the Guanacaste province.

A special recommendation was awarded to the Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens in La Fortuna, San Carlos.

“We are delighted to recognize the 2016 Star Rating recipients, a phenomenal group of hotels, restaurants and spas,” said Gerard J. Inzerillo, Chief Executive Officer of Forbes Travel Guide. “These properties set an unimpeachable standard of excellence in hospitality at a moment when the proliferation of voices claiming to provide unbiased ratings online is exploding. With Forbes Travel Guide-rated properties, there is no ambiguity, no doubt: based on a stringent set of standards developed and refined over six decades, our ratings are now accepted and embraced worldwide. We are proud to congratulate each of the owners, property managers and their teams, and everyone associated with the prestigious properties recognized today. Together, we help discerning consumers make better luxury travel decisions worldwide.”

Forbes Travel Guide also recognized a total of 410 Four-Star hotels, 187 Four-Star restaurants and 180 Four-Star spas, as well as its list of 159 Recommended hotels and 68 Recommended restaurants in the markets it rates — the United States,Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Costa Rica, England’s Home Counties, London, the French Riviera, Paris, Berlin, Florence, Milan, Rome, Geneva, Bangkok, Beijing,Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei andTokyo.