Old Edwards Inn and Spa is Awarded a 2012 Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Rating

Submitted by oehadmin on January 9, 2012 - 12:20pm

Both the Resort and Spa Receive Four-Star Rating

Forbes Travel Guide, formerly Mobil Travel Guide, today unveiled its 54th annual listing of Five-Star and Four-Star hospitality establishments worldwide, and named Old Edwards Inn and Spa as part of this list. Old Edwards Inn and Spa will be showcased with all of the 2012 award winners on Startle.com, the new interactive website of Forbes Travel Guide. Launched today, the site features exclusive offers, or “Star Experiences,” thousands of unique photos and videos on award-winning properties and destinations, social activity and access to some of the world’s leading luxury hospitality brands and tastemakers, and original expert answers to the questions of travel from Forbes Travel Guide inspectors. With its expert content, social connections, curated lists, and exclusive offers and experiences, Startle.com delivers a one-of-a-kind destination online for the most discerning travelers.

The resort is one of only 177 hotels to achieve the Four-Star award along with the Spa being one of only 104 spas worldwide. The Forbes Four-Star award signifies that Old Edwards Inn and Spa is an outstanding establishment, offering guests a truly exceptional level of luxury and service. Old Edwards Inn and Spa is the latest installment to the travel ratings system that has been the gold standard in the industry since 1958.

“We are delighted to be recognized by Forbes Travel Guide for the third straight year as a Four-Star Award recipient at both our hotel and our spa,” says President and Managing Director Richard Delany. “It means a great deal to be in the same category as these other exceptional hotels and resorts throughout the United States. Forbes Travel Guide’s standards are among the very highest in the industry and we appreciate their recognition of the continuing effort our team puts forth on a daily basis to deliver top-notch service and experiences to our guests.”

“Our annual ratings represent the best of the best in hotels, restaurants and spas. They serve as guideposts for consumers who are looking for exceptional travel experiences,” said Shane O’Flaherty, President, Inspections & Ratings, Forbes Travel Guide. “This year, we are thrilled to be able to provide rich new content for each of our Five-Star and Four-Star honorees on our just-launched travel planning platform, Startle. It’s a whole new way to explore which of these select properties is right for you.”

Forbes Travel Guide’s ratings process is based on more than 750 standardized criteria for hotels, making it the most rigorous and comprehensive in the industry. The process begins with a facility inspection that considers every aspect of the property, including its overall cleanliness, condition and location. To achieve Forbes Travel Guide Four and Five Star status, properties must meet or exceed the bar-setting service standards, which are determined through an unannounced, undercover service evaluation conducted by Forbes Travel Guide’s expert inspectors.

For a detailed explanation of how Forbes Travel Guide compiles its Star ratings, visit www.startle.com.
Follow Forbes Travel Guide on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ForbesInspector.

About Old Edwards Inn and Spa (www.oldedwardsinn.com)

• Condé Nast Traveler’s #1 Hotel Spa in North America for 2010 with the First Ever Perfect Score in the 20-Year History of the Reader’s Survey
• Condé Nast Traveler’s #3 Hotel Spa in the United States for 2011
• 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award (top ten in the US)
• 2011 TripAdvisor Reader's Choice Award for #4 Best Relaxation Spa Hotel in the U.S.
• 2011 TripAdvisor Reader's Choice Award for #2 Best Hotel for Romance in the U.S.
• 2011 TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for Madison’s Restaurant
• Condé Nast Johansen’s Most Excellent Inn in the US and Canada 2008
• Forbes Four-Star Rated for both the Resort and The Spa
• AAA Four-Diamond Rated
• Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden has won the Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence” every year since 2005 and the “Best Of” award since 2008.

Old Edwards Inn and Spa cascades along several blocks in downtown Highlands—a cultural mountain village that offers award-winning dining, wine events, art galleries and some of the nation’s top golf resorts. The European style resort welcomes visitors to North Carolina’s high country with its unique blend of relaxed luxury recognized worldwide. A spectacular outdoor heated mineral pool, world class spa, award-winning dining, and golf at the private Old Edwards Club are signature experiences at this full-service mountain resort. Guests are surrounded by the warmth and character of Old-Europe architecture and authentic period antiques. Many rooms, cottages and suites offer private patios or terraces—some with captivating rooftop views of Main Street and downtown Highlands. All of the luxury accommodations include champagne arrival, twice-daily housekeeping, two 24-hour business centers and two 24-hour Butler’s pantries with Dove Bars, fresh fruit and soft beverages. European bedding, fine Italian linens, plush robes & slippers, rainfall showers, heated-tile bathroom floors, in-room safes and Wi-Fi enhance the in-room experience. Old Edwards Inn and Spa also boasts a state-of-the art fitness center with wellness classes that include guided hikes into the scenic surrounding mountains known as “waterfall country.”

Guests enjoy onsite shopping at the Spa Boutique, Acorns Boutique or Acorns on Church featuring fine antiques and home accessories. Dining venues include Madison’s Restaurant and Wine Garden serving innovative New South Cuisine, the Spa Café and the Poolside Bar and Bistro. Special events and weddings take place at The Farm—a lushly landscaped Old Edwards property located one mile from downtown Highlands featuring The Barn, the Farmhouse with luxury lodging, Bridal Pavilion, Bridal Bridge over a scenic pond and outdoor events pavilion. The Edwards Hall Conference Center provides a catered corporate retreat venue.

Also introduced in 2009 was Satulah, Old Edwards Private Residences, which includes 14 luxury mountain homes just two blocks off Main Street, Highlands. The Forbes Four-Star, AAA Four-Diamond resort is located at 445 Main Street in Highlands, NC.

About Forbes Travel Guide
Forbes Travel Guide, originator of the prestigious Mobil Travel Guide Star ratings and certifications, has provided the most comprehensive ratings and reviews of hotels, restaurants and spas since 1958. In October 2009, Mobil Travel Guide announced a strategic partnership with Forbes Media LLC. This exclusive licensing agreement between two industry leaders with more than 140 years of combined experience transfers the hospitality industry's premier star rating and travel guide brand from ExxonMobil to Forbes. Forbes Travel Guide has a team of expert inspectors who anonymously evaluate properties against rigorous and objective proprietary standards, providing consumers the insight to make better-informed travel and leisure decisions.

About Forbes Media LLC
Forbes Media encompasses Forbes and Forbes.com, the #1 business site on the Web that reaches on average more than 17 million people monthly. The company publishes Forbes and Forbes Asia, which together reach a worldwide audience of more than 6 million readers. It also publishes ForbesLife magazine, in addition to licensee editions in China, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey.

Other Forbes Media Web sites are: Investopedia.com; RealClearPolitics.com; RealClearMarkets.com; RealClearSports.com; and the Forbes.com Business and Finance Blog Network. Together with Forbes.com, these sites reach on average nearly 40 million business decision makers each month.