For the second year running, Ashford Castle is the only Irish hotel to receive a ‘Five-Star’ ranking in Forbes Travel Guide’s (FTG) annual Star Ratings. A separate company to the global media giant, FTG has been reviewing hotels since 1958, when it first launched as a guidebook for US motorists, and is widely seen as a gold standard in the industry. “After a tremendously difficult year for the hospitality industry, the team couldn’t have asked for better news at this time," said Ashford Castle's General Manager, Niall Rochford. “This is arguably the most coveted accolade for any hotel,” he added, congratulating his team.