Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and series of travel guides for hotels, restaurants and spas.[1] In 2011, Forbes Travel Guide published its last set of guidebooks and as of November 15, 2011, launched its new web 3.0 platform and online home [2], which covers 72 U.S. markets and five international markets—Hong Kong, Macau, Beijing, Singapore and the Dominican Republic. Startle combines Forbes Travel Guide’s Five-Star travel ratings system with insights and perspectives from Forbes Travel Guide’s own inspectors. This website marks the first time in the company's history that the information is available to the public online, alongside expert answers from tastemakers, consumers, and some of the world’s leading hotel, restaurant and spa brands.
Contents |
[edit] History
Founded by Mobil in 1958, it was the oldest travel guide in the United States. Ratings were given by anonymous, paid staff members in stars, from one to five (with no half-stars or zero stars), based on objective criteria. A Four- or Five-star rating was a considerable honor, with only 60-70 hotels and restaurants receiving the top rating. The ratings served as a Certification mark, in that Mobil had registered trademarks for the phrases and designs indicating each star rating level, and allowed only rated establishments to display them. Although less exclusive than the Michelin guide, Mobil employed a similar system of recommending and rating only approved establishments. For example, it only listed 9,000 of the 50,000 hotels in the United States.
Initially guides were regional and limited to the United States and Canada. Later, Forbes Travel Guide began introducing city and state guides and, in 2008, Forbes Travel Guide launched the international star ratings program for hotels and spas with the release of the inaugural Forbes Travel Guide Beijing and Forbes Travel Guide Hong Kong and Macau. Published in print by ExxonMobil Travel Publications, as of 2005 the guide was published online by HowStuffWorks.com.
In October 2009, ExxonMobil licensed the brand to Forbes Media LLC, which retitled the guide's various designations, e.g. Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes Five-Stars, and so on. Forbes launched revised versions of various guides in late 2009, completing the transistion in 2010.[3][4] While the Mobil guides were comprehensive, providing travel information about many towns and attractions in every state, the Forbes guides carry listings only for selected cities and destinations and only in certain states.
[edit] Star Ratings
Forbes Travel Guide, originator of the Mobil Travel Guide Star Ratings, has provided ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958. Forbes Travel Guide has a team of inspectors who anonymously evaluate properties against proprietary standards.[2]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ http://static.howstuffworks.com/pdf/2010FTGAnnouncement.Final.Revised.2.pdf
- ^ a b "Startle". http://startle.com. Retrieved 2011-12-22. "The online home of Forbes Travel Guide, the creators of the original Five-Star ratings system and the leading travel authority since 1958."
- ^ "Mobil Travel Guide to become Forbes Travel Guide". Associated Press. 2009-08-04. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-08-05-mobil-forbes-guide_N.htm.
- ^ Carly Zinderman (2009-12-03). "Hotel Rankings: Forbes Merges with Mobil". International Business Times. http://www.ibtimes.com/contents/20091203/hotel-rankings-forbes-merges-with-mobil.htm.
