Five Star Rating System Arrives In Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo And Costa Rica

Forbes Travel Guide Continues its Growth to Help Consumers Make Better Luxury Travel Decisions in Rapidly Growing Markets Throughout The Americas

NEW YORK, Dec. 11, 2014 — Forbes Travel Guide-the originator of the Five-Star hospitality rating system and formerly Mobil Travel Guide-announced that it will begin rating properties in the Latin American cities of Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and in the resort destination of Costa Rica.

It will unveil the first group of Forbes Travel Guide Five-star, Four-star and Recommended properties in these locations in 2015, and will expand further in these Latin America and other international markets in coming months and years. The announcement follows the company’s recent expansion into Mexico and the Caribbean, as it named Lourdes Hainlin Vice President, Client Services, to drive its presence and growth in the region.

“We are happy to announce another important step in Forbes Travel Guide’s global growth, as we expand our time tested process for identifying the world’s finest hotels further into The Americas ,” said Forbes Travel Guide’s CEO, Jerry Inzerillo. He concluded, “We look forward to announcing our first group of star-rated hotels in this region as part of our annual Five-Star announcement event in February – and continuing to keep the industry updated on our rapid growth.”

In addition to its aggressive expansion throughout The Americas, the company announced its entry into the United Kingdom market in 2013. This comes on top of the more than 150 markets in which the company currently rates hotels, restaurants and spas in the United States, Canada, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau.

Spearheading the Latin American growth is Hainlin, who joined Forbes Travel Guide earlier this year with more than twenty years sales & marketing experience in various leadership roles in the hospitality industry, including with Denihan Hospitality Group, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and the Westin brand. She is based in Miami and can be reached at [email protected].

TulioHochkoeppler, General Manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires, welcomed the announcement, saying, “We are excited to welcome Forbes Travel Guide into our part of Latin America.” He concluded, “Our region has unique cultural destinations and offerings that cater to the luxury traveler — and recognition by the Forbes Travel Guide brand will further enhance awareness and help open new markets for us all.”

The announcement of Forbes Travel Guide’s annual rating of Recommended, Four and Five-Star Hotels, Restaurants and Spas, is scheduled for February, 2015.