Visit Napa Valley partners with Forbes Travel Guide

Visit Napa Valley has partnered with Forbes Travel Guide to launch a destination-wide training program for the region’s hospitality professionals who work at luxury properties, the tourism bureau recently announced.

Forbes Travel Guide is known for its five-star ratings system. Although it uses the Forbes name, Forbes Travel Guide operates as a separate entity under a licensing agreement.

The first group of Napa’s nearly 200 hospitality workers recently completed Forbes Travel Guide’s training sessions, each earning certification as a “Napa Valley Hospitality Ambassador,” Visit Napa Valley announced Dec. 12.

“Our partnership with Forbes Travel Guide is a strategic investment in Napa Valley’s hospitality workforce that will have a far-reaching impact on both the local economy and the quality of life for our residents,” Linsey Gallagher, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley, said in the release. “By equipping our community to deliver world-class, authentic experiences, we enhance Napa Valley’s global reputation, drive economic growth and support local businesses.”

Under the certification program, Napa’s hospitality workers learn property-specific standards and a deep understanding of the region’s assets — including its wines, geography and history — so they can consistently provide “memorable” experiences for visitors, according to the announcement.

Gallagher first announced the partnership in September during Visit Napa Valley’s annual destination symposium.

Megan Torrance, senior vice president of Forbes Travel Guide, spoke during the symposium.

“We really want to go in and help (Napa’s stakeholders) understand what exceptional service is, what it looks like and how to achieve it,” said Torrance, who also said she is a Napa resident.

Torrance said Napa Valley has five properties that are at the highest five-star level — the most in the geographic area.

Those properties are the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley, Auberge du Soleil, Meadowood Napa Valley and Meadowood Spa. The fifth is The French Laundry, for its status as a “fine-dining institution,” according to Torrance and Visit Napa Valley.

Visit Napa Valley is set to host additional training sessions next year with Forbes Travel Guide, each tailored to specific sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry, which also includes wineries, restaurants and more, according to the announcement.

Forbes Travel Guide’s five-star ratings system extends beyond the hospitality industry to other service-oriented businesses, including luxury retail, residential, health care and private clubs.

“No one can buy a rating under any circumstance,” the Guide states on its website. “Every star rating is earned through our objective, independent process.”