In the lofty sunlit halls of the Orange County Convention Center representatives from some of North America’s most noteworthy and remarkable luxury properties like Trump International Hotel, The Four Seasons and The Langham Chicago met to discuss the current state and the future of the industry. All gathered were a little anxious — yet excited — to learn if they would receive the recognition of excelling as the best in their nominated category at the 2015 North American Guest Experience Award Ceremony.
At 5:00 the doors opened and everyone filed into the beautifully lit conference room. Hues of the International Luxury Hotel Association’s (ILHA) signature color, purple, illuminated the stage setting the mood for the Inaugural 2015 Ceremony. The awards were part of ILHA’s Fast Forward 2020 Luxury Hotel Conference and Hospitality Wellness Expo, which took place September 27th – 29th.
This year, ILHA partnered with TrustYou, the leading provider of online reputation management and the inventor of the Meta-ReviewTM. TrustYou powers Google hotel reviews and aggregates over 100 travel sites. Meta-Reviews allow travelers to make the best possible informed decisions based on a summary of other reviews from across the web. TrustYou, calculated the top five hotels in each category and the winners were presented at the award ceremony on the evening of Monday, September 28th.
Among the greatest challenges currently facing the hospitality industry is the dawn of the user review. In the past, a guest who may have had a notable experience — either positive or negative — may have only shared their story with a handful of friends and family. Today, this same guest can have the same experience and post it across the internet mostly in anonymity. The guest’s voice has become a huge platform that other potential guests will take into account.
“Reviews and guest feedback are increasingly important for travelers as they make their booking decisions. TrustYou is pleased to partner with ILHA to honor hotels that receive constant praise from millions of travelers worldwide, across hundreds of review sites,” said Margaret Ady, Vice President of Marketing.
TrustYou takes thousands of user reviews from all over the internet and collects them into Meta-Reviews. More than 12,000 hotels use TrustYou to analyze benchmarks and respond to reviews, tweets and other user generated content. TrustYou took these reviews and analyzed them to establish the seven most relevant categories for Luxury Properties across all of North America. These include: Best Food and Beverage, Best Grounds, Best Lobby, Best Rooms/Housekeeping, Best Service, Best Spa and Best Overall.
“The awards are based on the only expert opinions that truly matter today, the guests who have actually stayed at the hotel,” said Barak Hirschowitz, President of the International Luxury Hotel Association. “Online transparency has changed the way travelers book rooms and created a seismic shift in consumer buying trends. A hotel’s online reputation has become the single most important factor when making their final purchasing decision between similar hotels in any location.”
The ceremony was kicked-off by Steve Tipton from Simmons Hospitality, who sponsored the event. Tipton then introduced Barak Hirschowitz, a familiar figure who has become synonymous with the luxury hospitality industry, who acted as host and master of ceremonies for the event. Hirschowitz then named the winners for each category individually as they each came to the stage to collect their awards.
In the category of Best Overall, The Langham Chicago (US) and The St. Regis Punta Mita, (MX) tied for first place. A second tie occurred in the category of Best Food and Beverage between the Four Seasons Biltmore (US) and the El Dorado Maroma (MX) while Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk (US) swept in the two categories of Best Service and for Best Rooms/Housekeeping. Best Grounds were awarded to the Ventana Inn and Spa (US), Best Lobby was awarded to the Willard Continental (US) and Best Spa was awarded to The Regent Palms (TC).
Here is a complete list of all hotels nominated by TrustYou:
Best Overall: The Langham Chicago (US) & St. Regis Punta Mita (MX)
Nominees:
- Auberge Saint-Antoine (CA)
- Harbour House (CA)
- Mokara (US)
- Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens (CR)
- Rosewood Hotel Georgia (CA)
- The Arrabelle at Vail Square (US)
- The Whiteface Lodge (US)
Food and Beverage: Four Seasons Biltmore (US) & El Dorado Maroma (MX)
Nominees:
- Grand Velas Riveria Maya (MX)
- Park Hyatt Washington (US)
- Zoetry Villa Rolandi (MX)
Best Grounds: Ventana Inn and Spa – a Joie de Vivre Boutique Hotel (US)
Nominees:
- Excellence Playa Mujeres (MX)
- Garza Blanca Preserve Oceanfront Resort and Spa (MX)
- Montage Laguna Beach (US)
- Willows Lodge (US)
Best Lobby: The Willard Continental (US)
Nominees:
- Hotel Andaluz (US)
- Hotel Monaco Portland: A Kimpton Hotel (US)
- The Davenport Hotel (US)
- The Pfister Hotel (US)
Best Rooms/Housekeeping: Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk (US)
Nominees:
- Grand Velas Rivera Nayarit (MX)
- Hotel Iberostar Grand Paraiso (MX)
- Hyatt Zilara Cancun (MX)
- Nayara Hotel Spa and Gardens (CR)
Best Service: Trump International Hotel Waikiki Beach Walk (US)
Nominees:
- El Dorado Seaside Suites (MX)
- Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit (MX)
- Hotel Encanto (MX)
- Nayara Hotel and Spa Gardens (CR)
Best Spa: The Regent Palms (TC)
Nominees:
- Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa (US)
- Le Blanc Spa Resort (MX)
- The Peninsula Chicago (US)
- The Peninsula New York (US)
