Online travel agency Expedia.com has recognized 500 hotels with its 2011 Insiders' Select award, which identifies the world's top hotels based on "quality and value" rather than pure luxury, it announced today.
Determined primarily by Expedia customer reviews — every year, more than 500,000 reviews are submitted, verified and analyzed to compile the Insiders' Select list — this year's top 10 Expedia.com Insiders' Select properties are:
1. Cedarbrook Lodge (Seattle, Wash.)
2. iQ Hotel Roma (Rome, Italy)
3. Hotel Antiche Figure (Venice, Italy)
4. Hotel Berchielli (Florence, Italy)
5. Hotel Monterey Kyoto (Kyoto, Japan)
6. The Nines (Portland, Ore.)
7. Les Terres M Barka (Marrakech, Morocco)
8. K&K Hotel Central (Prague, Czech Republic)
9. Hotel Teatro (Denver, Colo.)
10. Sofitel New York (New York, N.Y.)
Expedia considers three components when it's ranking a hotel: customer reviews, market manager input and value rating, which is based on the property's average daily rates compared to those of similar properties. Hotels that "routinely exceed customer expectations" — in their customer service, amenities, competitive pricing, etc. — achieve the highest rankings. The 2011 winners are the top 500 hotels globally, out of the more than 135,000 properties offered on Expedia sites internationally. Hotels that made the list received an average review score of 4.7 and a 98.2 percent recommendation rate.
"When it comes to hotels, opulence is a fairly easy thing to measure," said Edward Nevraumont, Expedia's vice president of customer loyalty. "What's more difficult to measure is value — those hotels that regularly deliver a quality experience night in and night out. Insiders' Select features the world's top hotels for value. Insiders' Select scores are primarily determined by our customers. Every year, hundreds of thousands of travelers take the time to share their experiences with Expedia and with one another. The 2011 Insiders' Select List reflects that collective wisdom."
For the complete list of 500 Insiders' Select hotels, visit www.expedia.com/insidersselect.