Philadelphia’s skyline just cashed in on some serious bragging rights. Jean-Georges Philadelphia, the fine-dining spot perched on the 59th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel at Comcast Center, and the hotel’s sky-high spa have both landed Forbes Travel Guide’s coveted Five-Star rating in the 2026 Star Awards. The back-to-back honors add to a recent wave of national attention for Philadelphia’s luxury stays and help cement the city’s rising profile with high-end diners and wellness travelers.
Forbes Rolls Out Its 2026 Star Winners
In its freshly released 2026 Star Awards, Forbes Travel Guide lists Jean-Georges Philadelphia among this year’s Five-Star restaurants and names the Spa at Four Seasons a Five-Star spa, according to Forbes Travel Guide. The annual list covers more than 100 countries and highlights hotels, restaurants, spas and ocean cruises that are vetted by anonymous inspectors against hundreds of stringent criteria.
Four Seasons Celebrates a Double Win
Four Seasons is not exactly playing it cool about the news. In a company statement, it framed the twin Five-Star ratings for Jean-Georges Philadelphia and the Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center as a major milestone, pointing to the spa’s infinity pool and the restaurant’s lofty, skyline-facing dining room as signature calling cards. In a press release shared through Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the brand tied the Philadelphia wins to its broader track record of leadership within the Forbes program.
What the Honors Mean for Philly
These latest Five-Star nods land during a steady run of high-profile travel accolades for Philadelphia. The new awards put more wind in the sails of Center City’s luxury market, which has increasingly been a selling point for tourism officials. Marketing materials and local travel coverage have spotlighted The Rittenhouse and other upscale hotels for their own Forbes recognition, highlighting how those badges of honor help pitch the city to visitors from outside the region, per Visit Philadelphia.
Inside the Forbes Scorecard
Getting one of those little gold stars is not exactly a casual process. Forbes inspectors grade properties on as many as 900 objective standards, with service weighing in at roughly 70 percent of the final score, and they always pay their own way, according to Forbes Travel Guide. That heavy emphasis on day-to-day service means the work of front-line staff, from reception desks to dining rooms and spa treatment rooms, often becomes the deciding factor when scores are close.
Local business media have already seized on the story. The Philadelphia Business Journal broke down the city’s placements on the 2026 list, calling out Jean-Georges Philadelphia’s Five-Star status and the strong overall showing for the city. For locals and visitors hoping to check out the views, the food or the spa circuit, the practical guidance is straightforward: plan ahead, because those sky-high seats and treatment slots are not staying open for long.
