Preferred by name, preferred by nature, or so it seems.
TripAdvisor has today released its eighth annual global list of “Most Excellent” hotel chains, with independent boutique brand Preferred Hotel Group claiming top spot among the Large Hotel Chains category of 500 properties or more.
The casual yet prestigious ranking of “Most Excellent” is awarded to large, medium and small hotel groups around the world which consistently receive glowing guest reviews on the site and achieve its Certificate of Excellence. The certificate factors in not just the quality, but quantity, relevancy and recency of reviews for properties which have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least twelve months during the qualifying period for that year.
A minimum number of reviews must be met as well as an overall ranking of at least four out of five. Most Excellent rankings are based on how many Certificates of Excellent a hotel group obtains for the number of properties in its network, with at least one-third of the network requiring attainment of the digital accolade.
Other big name groups among the large groups to have been ranked among the Most Excellent for the year include Hyatt Hotels Corporation (2nd), Hilton (3rd), Marriott International (5th), Best Western International (6th) with Radisson and InterContinental also earning a place.
Among the medium size chains – which qualify based on a network of between 50 and 500 hotels globally – included Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, which took out the top prize for the category. Also appearing on the list were The Indian Hotels Company (3rd), Shangri-La Group (5th) and Kempinski Hotels (8th).
The smaller end of the scale – representing groups with between 20 and 50 hotels in their respective networks – was claimed by Belmond Group. Brands also ranking highly on the list included The Oberoi Group (2nd), Mandarin Oriental (4th), Jumeirah Group (6th) and Pan Pacific Hotels (9th).
TripAdvisor Asia-Pacific spokesperson Grant Colquhoun issued his congratulations to all brands mentioned in the highly-sought guest review barometer.
“The Certificate of Excellence is widely recognised by travellers as an indicator for consistent, high quality service and experience, a recognition you will find proudly displayed in hotels all around the world.”