travel awards

7 Houston hotels and spas earn stars in 2025 Forbes Travel Guide

The Post Oak Hotel earned Houston's only five-star rating.

Photo courtesy of The Post Oak Hotel

The prestigious Forbes Travel Guide, a global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas, and ocean cruises, has recognized 28 Texas properties on its 2025 awards list, including seven in Houston.

The 67th annual list spans nearly 2,200 properties around the world, with three levels of ratings: Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended. To determine the ratings, inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant, spa, and cruise ship in person, visiting anonymously as a typical guest to review the quality and condition of each property and its overall guest experience. Participants pay a fee to be considered, but no one can buy a rating.

Two Houston properties earned five stars this year: The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston and the Post Oak's luxurious spa.

The other Houston honorees include:

Hotels:

Four Seasons Hotel Houston, 4-star
Hotel Granduca Houston: 4-star
The Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa: 4-star
The St. Regis Houston: 4-star

Spas:

Trellis Spa at the Houstonian Hotel, Houston: 4-star

New for 2025, Forbes Travel Guide unveiled its inaugural cruise restaurant ratings.

"Behind every Forbes Travel Guide Star Award lies a thousand small gestures: the concierge who tracks down a hidden café beloved by locals, the chef who sources ingredients from a generations-old farm, the spa therapist who crafts custom aromatherapy blends from native flowers," the report said.

The 2025 list has many repeat honorees from 202 4.

The Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel was the only other five-star Texas property, and the singular new Texas property in this year's guide is The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas in Irving, which earned a Recommended rating.

Congrats go to the Ritz-Carlton Dallas. Ritz-Carlton, Dallas

Other (non-Houston) Texas properties that made the 2025 list, by category:

Restaurants:

Garrison, Austin: 4-star
Fearing's, Dallas: 4-star
The Mansion, Dallas: 4-star

Hotels:

Archer Hotel, Austin: 4-star
Austin Proper Hotel, Austin: 4-star
Commodore Perry Estate Auberge Resorts Collection, Austin: 4-star
Fairmont Austin, 4-star
Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 4-star
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas: 5-star
The Joule, Dallas: 4-star
Hall Arts Hotel Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton: Recommended
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, Dallas: Recommended
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas: Recommended (new)
Hotel Emma, San Antonio: Recommended
Mokara Hotel & Spa, San Antonio: 4-star

Spas:

Fairmont Spa Austin: 4-star
The Spa at Four Seasons Austin: 4-star
Verbena Spa at Austin Proper Hotel: 4-star
The Ritz Carlton Spa, Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at the Joule, Dallas: 4-star
Mokara Spa, San Antonio: 4-star

The Forbes Travel guide started in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, a guidebook for US motorists. They created the original Five-Star rating system for hospitality in the US.

hotels forbes forbes travel guide restaurants spas houston

grab and go and fly

New United Club Fly provides a quick respite for travelers at IAH

Photo by Jef Rouner

Welcome to the United Club Fly at IAH.

A new kind of lounge is now open in Terminal B at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). United now offers access to United Club Fly, a unique grab-and-go lounge that is designed to give travelers a premium experience even when they're in a rush.

"At United, we really strive to meet diverse travel needs," said Kay Jackson, senior manager of clubs and loungers for United at a press review held on Monday, February 24. "We know not everyone travels in the same way, and we want to offer different United Club products for different travel be needs. Club Fly specifically is one way that we intend to meet the needs of the on-the-go traveler. It is really unique and that is for that traveler that is pressed for time, whether they have a tight connection or just don't have a lot of time in the airport. They can quickly stop in, refuel, recharge, and be on their way."

Club Fly has a bright, Space City feel, with light-colored walls and beveled surfaces at odd angles that make it look ever-so-slightly like a public space from a Star Trek episode. Amenities include a full-service coffee bar staffed by baristas, to-go pre-packed snacks like chips, warm pastries, and a variety of small meals like pre-made sandwiches and salads that can be eaten at the nearby counters or taken into the terminal. Departure times are displayed on the wall to make sure no one misses their flight. Notably, Club Fly does not serve alcohol.

All items in Club Fly are complimentary for United Club members, United Club Infinite cardholders, Star Alliance Gold members, and United customers traveling internationally in a premium cabin. Entry is achieved simply by scanning a boarding pass or United Club card. The area is open from 5:30 am to 8 pm daily.

This is the second United Club Fly location. The first opened at Denver International Airport (DEN) in 2022. This one has a few extra Houston flourishes. In addition to the spacey aesthetic, the coffee bar serves a Galaxy Latte (blueberry acai) that was a hit with all the touring visitors in both hot and cold forms. Freshly-squeezed orange juice was available as a healthy alternative.

"We're certainly very excited with how the space has turned out," said Jackson.

Club Fly continues the overall IAH trend toward streamlining the speed with which travelers pass through the airport. Earlier this year, the airport completed its long-awaited traffic congestion relief plan, including additional open lanes for drop-offs and a new international arrivals terminal. Even during peak hours, getting into and around the airport is now nearly seamless with low waiting times and less overall travel stress. Club Fly's quick recharge philosophy is another way the airport keeps things moving briskly, a necessity as IAH sees more and more travel thanks to increased routes.

Photo by Jef Rouner

Welcome to the United Club Fly at IAH.

george bush intercontinental airport iah united airlines