Located about an hour from the heart of Northern Virginia lies Salamander Resort & Spa, a seven-year-old luxury hotel owned by businesswoman and powerhouse Sheila Johnson. Here in the DMV, the site is recognized as an affluent escape from city life, home to company retreats, weddings and quick weekend getaways too.
As of Feb. 12, people from across the globe are embracing that recognition as well, as the resort has earned a five-star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide for a second consecutive year.
Receiving a Forbes five-star rating—based on professional, anonymous inspections—has been considered a gold standard in the hospitality industry since 1958. This year, 164 properties in the United States received the award, with four located right here in Virginia, including The Inn at Little Washington, The Jefferson Hotel and Williamsburg Inn. Salamander made history by becoming the first destination resort in the DC region to achieve the five-star designation in 2019.
“It is a continued honor for our resort to achieve this rating,” said Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of the resort, in a recent press release. “Retaining a five-star rating is as important as receiving the designation for the first time. The resort’s entire team of service professionals, led by General Manager Reggie Cooper, continues to exceed our guests’ expectations on a daily basis.”
Johnson developed the Salamander in 2013, turning it into a 168-room escape located on 240 acres of land in Middleburg that has since received worldwide accolades. Plus, Johnson is the only African American woman to wholly own a five-star resort, according to a press release from Salamander.
For more information on recipients of the five-star rating from Forbes, or how the winners are chosen, click here. // Salamander Resort & Spa: 500 N. Pendleton St., Middleburg
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