The One&Only Portonovi resort on the Bay of Kotor has been awarded five stars in the 2026 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards, earning Montenegro a place on the map of the world’s most elite luxury hotel destinations. This accolade positions One&Only Portonovi as the only resort in the region to receive the highest Forbes hospitality rating this year, underscoring its service excellence, bespoke experiences, and high standards of luxury accommodation and guest care.
Forbes Travel Guide, recognised globally as one of the most authoritative and independent hospitality rating systems, awards its coveted five-star designation only after rigorous anonymous inspections measuring hundreds of criteria across service quality, guest experience, facilities, design, safety and personalised attention. Properties that attain this level are considered among the top tier of global luxury hotels.
One&Only Portonovi’s achievement reflects the resort’s commitment to delivering a service model that blends contemporary elegance with the natural beauty and cultural richness of the Adriatic coast. Located in Montenegro’s UNESCO-protected Boka Bay, the resort offers spacious guest rooms, suites and private villas with premium amenities, direct access to a private beach, and a curated selection of dining, wellness and cultural experiences tailored to international luxury travellers.
A distinguishing feature of the resort is Chenot Espace, an expansive wellness facility that combines advanced health diagnostics, personalised treatment plans and scientifically grounded programmes focused on preventive health, vitality and longevity. This wellness proposition was itself recognised with a separate four-star rating from Forbes, reinforcing the resort’s holistic approach to luxury hospitality.
The Forbes Travel Guide designation is widely regarded within the global travel and hospitality industry as a benchmark of extraordinary service consistency and guest satisfaction, and its inclusion of Montenegro among the elite 2026 list — which spans more than 100 countries — reflects shifting patterns in luxury tourism towards smaller, immersive destinations beyond traditional capital cities and coastal hubs.
For Montenegro, the five-star status of One&Only Portonovi is not just a quality certification but also a strategic tourism signal. It enhances the country’s competitiveness in the high-end travel segment, potentially attracting affluent global visitors whose spending patterns contribute significantly more per guest than average tourists. As luxury travel continues to diversify and travellers increasingly seek bespoke experiences in scenic and culturally rich settings, Montenegro’s foothold in this niche — anchored by internationally accredited properties — could translate into higher average revenue per available room (RevPAR) and broader uplift for hospitality, service and related tourism sectors.
As global tourism markets recover and refine their segmentation strategies, Montenegro’s ability to showcase properties that meet stringent global luxury standards like those of Forbes Travel Guide augurs well for inbound investment, brand positioning in upscale travel channels, and the country’s overall appeal as a premium destination in Europe’s southern tourism landscape.
