US hotel rating program Forbes has launched a new website which allows visitors to browse the hotels and experiences it rates online.

Announcing the launch with its 54th annual listing of five and four star hotels, restaurants and spas, Forbes said that the site would provide a new, interactive way for users to access its content and plan journeys.

Travelers using Startle.com are able to access Forbes reviews, along with content uploaded by the hotels themselves and a Quora-style question-and-answer platform where users can ask questions and request answers from industry experts.

The Mandarin Oriental opened its doors in Paris on Tuesday, becoming the third top-end Asian hotel brand in less than a year to put out its shingle and woo rich visitors to the French capital.

Newly built behind a 1930s facade, the eight-story property on fashionable Rue Saint Honore boasts 99 rooms and 39 suites going for an average of 950 euros a night.

“We absolutely wanted to be in the best arrondissement, the best location for leisure travellers,” said Christoph Mares, director of operations for Europe.

Hotel chain Mandarin Oriental will open its first Paris branch on June 28, the latest of several Asian firms to enter the competitive French luxury hospitality market.

The 138-room hotel is in the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in central Paris, not far from traditional French rivals such as the Meurice and the Ritz.

French tourism authorities last month launched a rare new hotel classification, crowning eight of the most chic with “palace” status, which goes beyond five stars to reward what they call “French-style excellence.”

In a bid to stand out among the host of deals marking Prince William’s wedding, London’s luxury hotels are offering guests the chance to live like a royal for a night.

A red carpet and champagne reception awaits customers buying the “royal opulence” package at the Hyatt Regency London, which includes four nights in the royal suite, measuring 368 square metres (3,960 square feet).

For £36,000, the clients are promised a glimpse of “the ultimate royal lifestyle”; a chance to relax in marble bathrooms, a fully equipped gym and a baby grand piano.

To celebrate its fifth anniversary, the five-star Mandarin Oriental Tokyo hotel is offering the opportunity to rent the entire property for one night for $670,000.

Under the plan, the entire hotel – 178 guest rooms, all nine restaurants and all spas — would be reserved from 3:00 in the afternoon to noon the next day.

There will also be the option to have a cocktail party for 500 people featuring pastries from an award-winning Japanese pastry chef.

A luxury penthouse in London has sold for a record-breaking £140 million ($220 million), as the market for “trophy homes” bucks the wider property slump.

The two-floor apartment at the One Hyde Park development in Knightsbridge features bullet-proof windows, an air purifying system and a panic room.

The new owners will have access to 24-hour room service from the neighbouring Mandarin Oriental hotel, and protection from SAS-trained security guards.