Forbes Luxury Summit & 2020 Star Awards : Feel Good & Do Good

By Kim Collier – Blu Spas, Inc | Collier Concepts
Verified, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit 2020 was an event to remember!

Held at the beautiful  ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on 18 & 19 February 2020, here are five takeaways from this glamorous event.

#1. And The Winners Are….

Congratulations to the Star Award winners around the globe. Honored to be part of the celebration during Verified, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit 2020. We honored the hard work and dedication and measurable success, as rated by Forbes star rating systems and metrics.

Stephanie Rest - Forbes Travel Guide

Special thank you to Stephanie Rest,  Founder of Caribbean Wellness & Education and a Forbes Verified Spa & Wellness Consultant. Stephanie states:
“Forbes rating standard is calculated with 20% facilities & 80% service, staff delivery of experience. For this reason education, training and empowering staff wellness are key to achieving Forbes standards rating”
Besides achieving Forbes Five Star rating, Twin Farms achieved the coveted ‘Hotel of the Year’ via Forbes Verified 2020.
Blu Spas was honored to be part of Twin Farms pre-opening support to include operational review, spa planning and staff training with Lisa Jacobs of Blu Spas and The Collective Well.

#2. Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Dr. Sanjay Gupta

It was a pleasure to meet Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Staff Neurosurgeon, Emory Clinic; CNN Chief Medical Correspondent. Dr. Gupta moderated a wellness panel with a powerhouse roster of travel, hospitality and health insiders, including hotel expert Tiffany Dowd; Gharieni CEO/founder Sammy Gharieni; vegan chef Leslie Durso; Sharecare president Dawn Whaley; and Dr. Jeremy Edwards, chair of the National Medical Advisory Council for Make-A-Wish America.
Kim took the opportunity to thank Dr. Gupta for publicly stating his support for cannabis as medicine, and he sees possibilities with cannabis in healthcare, spas & wellness.
We are excited for his upcoming show “Life Itself” produced in partnership with CNN, and featuring Dr. Gupta and Marc Hodosh (Co-creator of TEDMED).

#3.Sustainable Hospitality

H2 presentation Forbes Travel

Herve Houdre of H2 Sustainability Consulting delivered an environmental “wake-up” call on topic of Sustainable Hospitality, with resources and valuable reminders.
“..by traveling, we are managing to destroy the planet that we all love. It is our responsibility to travel sustainability and consciously. We now have plastic continents in the ocean, the size of the state of Texas. And we have solutions, to activate today. Examples : Oceanic Global, renewable energy and new business models for triple bottom line of planet, people profit. Look to United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG’s) & start implementing within your hospitality experience, today…”
The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice.

#4. Forbes Brand Official Pavilion

Face massage at Forbes Travel Guide event

The Brand Officials Pavilion showcased a ballroom filled with premier purveyors of everything from fine chocolates (Valrhona) and travel fashion (Anatomie) to eco-friendly oral care (WooBamboo) to integrated energy technologies for green operations (Mode:Green) and high-quality linens (Frette). It was the place to “pre-glam” before the gala and AFTERGLOW dance party.

Additionally, we enjoyed getting pampered by Dazzle Dry which provided nail polish changes and manicures. Gharieni offered 30-minute wellness experiences on its cutting-edge spa equipment. Natura Bissé gave complimentary 20-minute neck and hand treatments. The services were perfect pampering detours to prep for the evening fun.

#5. The Evening Gala

Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit

The last event of the evening belonged  to the Five-Star, Four-Star and Recommended winners, Forbes Travel Guide issued five inaugural honors as well: hotel of the year, restaurant of the year, spa of the year, employees of the year and best hotel Instagram account. (Find out who won these special awards here.)

Gorgeous friends and colleagues in glam, fresh flowers, crystal healing table setting, illuminating conversations on wellness. We celebrated excellence in global and sustainable hospitality and danced into the wee hours.

A very memorable end to VERIFIED, The Forbes Travel Guide Luxury Summit 2020.