28 Gulf hotels score five stars in 2026 Forbes Travel Guide

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Njuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Hotel, Saudi Arabia

A record 28 hotels across the GCC have been awarded the prestigious Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating in its 2026 Awards, with the UAE accounting for 19 of the top-ranked properties, including 14 in Dubai.

Across the region, the number of Five-Star hotels increased by four properties year on year, with two new additions in the UAE and one each in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The newly awarded hotels are Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi; Grosvenor House, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai; Nujuma, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve at The Red Sea destination; and Rosewood Doha.

UAE leads regional rankings

Dubai accounted for half of the GCC total, with 14 hotels receiving the top rating and a further 26 awarded Four Stars. Abu Dhabi followed with five Five-Star hotels and six Four-Star properties. This marks an increase on 2025, when 17 hotels in the UAE secured Five Stars, including 13 in Dubai and four in Abu Dhabi.

Among the standout performers are Atlantis Dubai’s flagship resorts – Atlantis, The Palm and Atlantis The Royal – which together earned an impressive 57 stars this year, up from 31 in 2025. Atlantis Dubai achieved the highest number of new ‘Star Awards’ globally in 2026, rising from #6 to #2 in the overall rankings. Notably, Atlantis The Royal became the first and only hotel in the Middle East and Africa to attain the prestigious ‘triple five’ distinction.

Atlantis the royal ounass dolceandgabbana

Atlantis The Royal, Dubai

Elsewhere in the UAE, Ras Al Khaimah secured four Four-Star ratings, while Fujairah on the east coast gained one Four-Star resort, Address Beach Resort Fujairah.

In Saudi Arabia, Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre and The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh both retained Five-Star status, while in Qatar’s capital Doha, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles and Rosewood all achieved Five-Star ratings. In Kuwait, Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya and Waldorf Astoria Kuwait also received top scores. Across the broader Four-Star category, Qatar counted nine properties, Saudi Arabia seven, Oman four and Bahrain five.

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Beyond hotel rankings, Abu Dhabi has also secured its first Five-Star spa, with The Pearl Spa and Wellness at Four Seasons Hotel Abu Dhabi at Al Maryah Island recognised by Forbes Travel Guide in 2026.

Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) is the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises. To create the star ratings, FTG’s undercover inspectors pose as regular guests and test hundreds of service aspects that account for most of the overall score, with the remaining portion based on the quality of facilities. Inspectors typically stay a minimum of two nights, cover their own expenses and evaluate each property against more than 900 objective standards.

The FTG Awards are now in their 68th edition and cover more than 100 countries.

Forbes Travel Guide 2026: GCC Five-Star hotels

Dubai, UAE