One Dallas hotel checks in with the highest marks in the new Forbes Travel Guide.

Forbes' rating system, which dates back to 1958, breaks down properties into three categories: five-star, four-star, and recommended. The guide bills itself as the only independent global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, and spas.

To determine the number of stars, the travel guide sends anonymous inspectors to every property to evaluate up to 900 objective criteria. The inspectors, who pay for their own rooms, stay a minimum of two nights and grade both the facilities and the experience/service.

“It is difficult to earn a Forbes Travel Guide rating, and all our star-rated winners have shown how incredibly deserving they are of their accolades by demonstrating sheer dedication in their passion for service,” Filip Boyen, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, says in a release.

The 2020 edition of the guide, published February 12, assigns a five-star rating to The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas. It's the only Texas hotel to earn the prestigious accolade.

The Ritz, the guide notes, “showcases Texas pride with its ‘guacamologist,’ who doles out guacamole and margaritas in the lobby daily.”

Another Dallas-Fort Worth hotel, the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, collected four stars. "Inspector's Highlights" of the hotel include the Outlaw Taproom with antique pool table and its Hall of Champions, featuring memorabilia from the family of Byron Nelson, of course.

Elsewhere in Texas, the Houston metro area scooped up the most four-star hotel ratings in the guide — four. Those hotels are Four Seasons Hotel Houston; Hotel Granduca; The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa; and The St. Regis Houston.

Austin claims three four-star properties in the 2020 guide: Archer Hotel Austin, Fairmont Austin, and Four Seasons Hotel Austin.

In San Antonio, Mokara Hotel & Spa is the lone four-star hotel.