Forbes Travel Guide (formerly known as Mobil Guide or Mobil Travel Guide) is a star rating service and series of travel guides for hotels and restaurants, now known as Forbes Travel Guide [1].
Founded by Mobil in 1958, it was the oldest travel guide in the United States. Ratings were given by anonymous, paid staff members in stars, from one to five (with no half-stars or zero stars), based on objective criteria. A four or five-star rating was a considerable honor, with only 60-70 hotels and restaurants receiving the top rating. The ratings served as a Certification mark, in that Mobil had registered trademarks for the phrases and designs indicating each star rating level, and allowed only rated establishments to display them.
Although less exclusive than the Michelin guide, Mobil employed a similar system of recommending and rating only approved establishments. For example, it only listed 9,000 of the 50,000 hotels in the United States.
Initially guides were regional, and limited to the United States and Canada. Later, Mobil began introducing city and state guides and, in 2007, guides to international cities. Published in print by ExxonMobil Travel Publications, as of 2005 the guide is published online by HowStuffWorks.com.
In October, 2009, ExxonMobil licensed the brand to Forbes Magazine, which retitled the guide's various designations, e.g. Forbes Travel Guide, Forbes Five Stars, and so on. Forbes launched revised versious of various guides in late 2009, with plans to complete the change-over in early 2010.[2][3]
Star ratings for restaurants
The guide awards one to five stars. According to the guide, "Every restaurant that has a Mobil Star Rating is recommended -- those with a higher Star Rating have passed a rigorous inspection and service evaluation and are among an elite group of restaurants, known for exceptional cuisine, service, décor, and presentation." As of 2009 twenty restaurants in the United States that are rated at five stars. Per the Guide, "An elite group, Mobil Five-Star restaurants deliver a flawless dining experience, consistently providing exceptional food, superlative service, elegant décor and exquisite presentations. Every detail that surrounds the experience is attended to." [4][5]
External links
References
- ^ http://static.howstuffworks.com/pdf/2010FTGAnnouncement.Final.Revised.2.pdf
- ^ "Mobil Travel Guide to become Forbes Travel Guide". Associated Press. 2009-08-04. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2009-08-05-mobil-forbes-guide_N.htm.
- ^ Carly Zinderman (2009-12-03). "Hotel Rankings: Forbes Merges with Mobil". International Business Times. http://www.ibtimes.com/contents/20091203/hotel-rankings-forbes-merges-with-mobil.htm.
- ^ About Mobil Star-Rated Restaurants mobiltravelguide.howstuffworks.com Retrieved on February 7, 2009
- ^ Mobil Travel Guide's 2009 Star Ratings stars.mobilinternationalratings.com Retrieved on February 7, 2009
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