Travel News

2 San Antonio hotels and spas made the exclusive 2024 Forbes Travel Guide

Mokara Hotel and its spa were each rated 4-stars.

Photo courtesy of Mokara Hotel & Spa

Forbes Travel Guide, a global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas, and ocean cruises, has unveiled its 2024 Star Awards, with 30 properties from Texas making the list.

The 66th annual list spans more than 2,000 properties around the world, with three levels of ratings: Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended.

Dubai made the biggest gain with five new Five-Star hotels. Other high-ranking cities included Doha, Kuwait, and Macau, plus notable newcomers Rwanda and Kenya, although a release notes that smaller metro areas like Nashville, Charleston, and New Orleans all made good showings in the hotel and spa categories.

In Texas, the list included five restaurants, 17 hotels, and eight spas.

In a reprise of 2023, only three properties in Texas earned five stars: Carte Blanche restaurant in Dallas, Post Oak Hotel in Houston (and its spa), and the Ritz-Carlton Dallas hotel.

San Antonio's Hotel Emma is riding a high from being named the best hotel in Texas by US News and World Report, and it is "recommended" on the Forbes list.

These are the properties in Texas that made the 2024 list, by category:

Restaurants:

Carte Blanche / Dallas: 5-star
Fearing's / Dallas: 4-star
Garrison / Austin: 4-star
The Mansion / Dallas: 4-star
French Room / Dallas: Recommended

Hotels:

Adolphus / Dallas: Recommended
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
Four Seasons Hotel Houston: 4-star
Hall Arts Hotel / Dallas: Recommended
Hotel Emma / San Antonio: Recommended
Hotel Granduca Houston: 4-star
The Houstonian Hotel Club & Spa: 4-star
The Joule / Dallas: 4-star
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek / Dallas: Recommended
Mokara Hotel & Spa / San Antonio: 4-star
The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston: 5-star
The Ritz-Carlton Dallas: 5-star
The St. Regis Houston: 4-star

Spas:

Fairmont Spa Austin: 4-star
Mokara Spa / San Antonio: 4-star
The Ritz Carlton Spa Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at Four Seasons Austin: 4-star
The Spa at the Joule / Dallas: 4-star
The Spa at the Post Oak Hotel Houston: 5-star
Trellis Spa Houston: 4-star
Verbena Spa at Austin Proper Hotel: 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.

To determine the ratings, Forbes Travel Guide's inspectors visit every hotel, restaurant, spa, and cruise ship in person, visiting anonymously as a typical guest. Participants pay a fee to be considered, but no one can buy a rating.

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Better Days, Same Burgers

Shuttered San Antonio burger joint stages surprising comeback

Teddy B's/Facebook

Teddy B's has made a surprise comeback.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of Teddy B's life. In October, the popular burger joint shuttered its decade-old location on Babcock Road, grieving a loss of foot traffic and rising costs. On November 20, the spot revealed a plot twist. The owners are now slinging patties at 9903 Fredericksburg Rd.

"Dear Teddy B's customers, we have good news," the restaurant posted on social media. "We are back in business...We are waiting for our new sign, but we are up and running."

The unexpected comeback is the culmination of a tumultuous year for the business. As the restaurant marked its 10-year milestone this summer, the outlook was much darker. On August 4, the restaurant took to social media to warn that closure could be imminent. A traffic decline affected Teddy B's ability to maintain its affordable price point.

The messaging worked, at least in the short term. Days later, the restaurant reported an increase in business. The marketing language was hopeful until October 13, when the restaurant abruptly announced it was closing for good.

The news of Teddy B's rebirth came just as suddenly. After a month-long social media silence, the restaurant announced it had taken over the former home of Burger Haven. The latter restaurant was little known, appearing to operate mainly as a ghost kitchen.

Assumably, burgers will be back on the menu, but it is unclear whether other favorites will be eliminated to streamline the operation. The business has not posted any revisions, and its website is down at press time.

The burger joint's comeback manifests as other shuttered legacy restaurants like The Lion and Rose and Fratello's have staged their own returns. While Teddy B's has offered no reasoning for getting back into the game, it is a testament to the resiliency of San Antonio's culinary community.

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