PHOENIX, Ariz., May 28, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via PRWEB - Best Western International, the World's Biggest Hotel Family®, announced 1,606 Best Western hotels globally received TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence. The figure places 40 percent of Best Western's global hotel portfolio in the upper echelon of businesses listed on TripAdvisor, the World's Largest Travel Site.
The highly coveted TripAdvisor award is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor.com. To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of a possible five.
The award numbers are even higher for Best Western hotels in North America, where nearly half (49 percent) of the properties received Certificates of Excellence. This total includes 933 Best Western hotels in the U.S., 104 hotels in Canada and one property in the Caribbean. Overall, the number of North American brand hotels receiving awards represents a 17 percent increase over last year's total and a 58 percent increase over 2012.
The high percentage of hotels earning the Certificate of Excellence reflects the brand's commitment to provide superior customer care and dedication to responding to guest reviews online. Best Western's award-winning I Care – Reflections tool, developed with the brand's customer experience management partner Medallia, allows hotel operators to authentically engage consumers who respond to 1.3 million guest surveys and post more than 150,000 online hotel reviews each year.
"We are proud of all the Best Western properties that earn the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence each year," said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president, marketing and sales, Best Western International. "This prestigious award represents the candid feedback of travelers and is a testament to the amazing experiences we offer our guests."
Seven hundred fifty-six Best Westerns worldwide, including 435 in North America, received Certificates of Excellence for the third consecutive year. The brand total includes hotels across all three descriptor categories - BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS®, BEST WESTERN PREMIER® - indicating guests are delighted with the offerings and amenities at each type of hotel.
In addition to the Certificates of Excellence, two Best Western hotels also won TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards earlier this month. The BEST WESTERN PLUS Elm House Inn in Napa, Calif. was recognized with a TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice award for the top U.S. hotels with exceptional service, and the BEST WESTERN PREMIER C Hotel by Carmen's in Hamilton, Ontario won exceptional service in Canada.
ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Best Western International, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., is a privately held hotel brand made up of more than 4,000* BEST WESTERN®, BEST WESTERN PLUS® and BEST WESTERN PREMIER® hotels in more than 100* countries and territories worldwide. Now celebrating 68 years of hospitality, Best Western welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests nightly. Best Western provides its hoteliers with global operational, sales, marketing and promotional support, and online and mobile booking capabilities. More than 20 million travelers are members of the brand's award-winning loyalty program Best Western Rewards®, one of the few programs in which members earn points that never expire and can be redeemed at any Best Western hotel worldwide. The brand's partnerships with AAA/CAA and Harley-Davidson® provide travelers with exciting ways to interact with the brand. In 2013, Best Western earned our highest level of brand recognition, including our fifth AAA/CAA Hotel Partner of the Year award, second Compuware Best of the Web Gold award, fourth No. 1 ranking in Brand Keys Consumer Loyalty Engagement Index for midscale hotels and seventh TTG Asia Best Mid-range Hotel Brand. Forty-one percent of Best Western hotels worldwide won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence for customer satisfaction.
For more information or to make a reservation, please visit bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and may fluctuate.
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