Forbes Travel Guide raises its profile as a travel guide

Forbes GuidesRecent expansion through the introduction of ‘Debut’ and ‘Curated’ collections aims to enhance the business’ core foundation as an influential travel guide.

The Debut collection, launched last month, showcases highly anticipated pre-launch hotels and cruises, while the Curated collection features luxury hotels and cruises in destinations where Forbes Travel Guide does not currently conduct independent star ratings. Both are intended to complement star ratings.

“We’re a ratings guide, and that’s what we’re known for. But beyond that, we’re a guide,” Amanda Fraser, President of Standards and Ratings, Forbes Travel Guide said LATTEexplaining in more detail the reason for the release of the “Debut” and “Curator” collections.

“We’re considered experts in all things travel, and what our guide was missing was more coverage of all these incredible hotels that are soon in the pipeline, and that’s what Debut serves as a platform.”

“Also, they may not be open yet, but either they are already up and running and can be booked, but they just aren’t open yet, so those are important gaps that need to be filled,” she said.

“Our curated list ensures that we use our information to identify properties that are not included in our ratings,” Fraser said. “There are 100 destinations with star ratings, but we know there are many more destinations that we haven’t gotten into, so we wanted to make sure that, using at least a basic level of what we might qualify as criteria, a great property – even if it doesn’t have a star rating yet, even if it’s in a destination that we haven’t officially launched – there are still some great options that you could consider where you might want to go.”

Fraser emphasizes that the objects in the curated and debut collections do not have star ratings. “We haven’t sent out any of our inspectors yet for obvious reasons for unopened properties, but we are keeping an eye on them and at some point soon they may want to move on to their star rating list.”

“We have thousands of properties on our interest list that we haven’t had a chance to schedule or review, and some of them are moving to the curator list because they’re in places that we haven’t launched yet in terms of star ratings because maybe there isn’t enough cohesive volume, and in Debut’s case it’s because it hasn’t opened yet,” she said.

Currently Debut collection consists of 18 luxury hotels, 14 of which are part of the Mandarin Collection worldwide, as well as Belmond, Conrad, Autograph Collection and The James Hotels, which will launch later this year. Taking into account that Curated collection has a portfolio of 17 hotels and resorts, consisting primarily of independent brands and/or members of such companies as JW Marriott, Relais & Châteaux, Grand Hyatt and MGallery Collection.

How does Forbes Travel Guide use AI?

Meanwhile, Forbes Travel Guide is also taking advantage of artificial intelligence in its daily operations, but has no intention of implementing AI into its actual star ratings and reviews.

“From a company perspective, we’re using artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, much in the same way that many companies are doing now,” Fraser said. LATTE. “This is a people business. We have people who evaluate other people, so we can understand the emotional impact of the guest experience,” she added.

“We as a company have a big focus on AI, not only to improve the efficiency of our own business, but also how we use it to define what the standards should be when it comes to what guests should experience when interacting with AI. We have standards that don’t tell hotels they have to use AI, but if they’re using digital technologies, our digital service standards really require the guest to feel like it enhances their experience rather than detracts from it.”

Main image: Hanok Legacy, member of the Curatorial Collection.