TripAdvisor’s 2012 Certificate of Excellence Awards honor top businesses around the world

We are excited to announce the 2012 Certificate of Excellence Awards, given to highly rated hotels, restaurants and attractions around the world.

“From exceptional accommodations in Beijing to remarkable restaurants in Boston, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience,” says Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

How are the winners determined?

The winners are determined by those who matter the most – your guests. The key to winning the award is consistently excellent service: properties had to maintain an overall ranking on TripAdvisor of four out of five. The volume of reviews in the past 12 months was also a determining factor.

Is this award different than the Travelers’ Choice Awards?

Yes. The Certificate of Excellence Award is an extension of Travelers’ Choice. While Travelers’ Choice recognizes the top 25 properties or destinations in different categories and geographical locations, the Certificate of Excellence award focuses on hotels, restaurants and attractions that provide exceptional customer service and consistently receive positive reviews from their guests.

How can I find out if I won a Certificate of Excellence?

In addition to receiving the certificate in the mail, winners will receive an e-mail notifying them that they have won the award. A 2012 Certificate of Excellence widget will also appear in the Management Center under the “Online Marketing tools” section.

Congrats to all of the winners! Check back here tomorrow for tips on how to promote your Certificate of Excellence Award! 

TripAdvisor Quick Stats: United Kingdom

From March 2011 to 2012, U.K. accommodations saw a substantial increase in page views on TripAdvisor, as well as growth in consumer and hotelier engagement.

Page views

In March, accommodations in the United Kingdom were viewed almost 66% more when compared to the same time last year.

Reviews

53% of U.K. accommodations on TripAdvisor have been reviewed in the last 90 days.

Average rating

87% of U.K. accommodations reviewed on TripAdvisor have a rating of 3.5 or higher (out of 5).

Registered Owners

55% of U.K. accommodations listed on TripAdvisor now have at least one registered owner, with a 28% year-over-year increase in registrations.

To see U.S.-specific stats, go here.

Source: TripAdvisor internal data, March 2012

TripAdvisor Quick Stats: United States

We’re pleased to report that both U.S. consumers and hoteliers are even more engaged on TripAdvisor so far this year compared to last, with both property page views and number of registered owners on the rise.

Average rating

Almost 80% of U.S. accommodations reviewed on TripAdvisor have a rating of 3.5 or higher (out of 5).

Page views

In March, accommodations in the United States were viewed 110% more when compared to the same time last year.

Reviews

Over half of U.S. accommodations on TripAdvisor have been reviewed in the last 90 days.

Registered Owners

Almost 55% of U.S. accommodations listed on TripAdvisor now have at least one registered owner, with an 18.8% year-over-year increase in registrations.

To see U.K.-specific stats, click here.

Source: TripAdvisor internal data, March 2012

Hoteliers share their top tips for promoting a TripAdvisor award

►

 

Chosen based on the candid feedback of millions of TripAdvisor travelers, our 2012 Travelers’ Choice award winning-hotels were recognized in a number of categories, from most luxurious to best B&Bs and Inns. We recently chatted with some of the newly-awarded hotels to find out how they celebrate their win and attract guests in the process. In the video above, discover the top six ways to promote your Travelers’ Choice award – straight from the winning hoteliers themselves.  If you’ve won a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, or any other industry award, these tips will give you some great ideas to spotlight those accolades, as well!

Also see our Tip Sheet for more details on promoting your award.

Hotel brand La Quinta introduces mobile innovations

We’ve seen more and more evidence that hotels are starting to pay attention to the mobile lifestyle of today’s travelers. And now one brand is taking new leaps into the digital world, with innovations aimed at making it easier to choose and book a hotel room. The first brand to ever do so, La Quinta now allows you to hold a hotel room reservation via your smartphone…using only your telephone number. No other identifying information is initially required. The room will hold for up to four hours, during which period – whenever you choose – you can enter credit card information to confirm your stay.

The new mobile site also integrates TripAdvisor reviews for its hotels, letting travelers browse comments and ratings before booking. This makes La Quinta the first hotel brand to ever add TripAdvisor reviews directly to its mobile site. According to USA Today, these features will also be added to La Quinta’s regular website in the next few months.

La Quinta introduces this “Instant Hold” technology and other new mobile features here:

We’ll be watching for what other on-the-go travel innovations emerge this year for savvy travelers.

 

One in Two UK Accommodation Owners/Managers Expect to be More Profitable in 2012

TripAdvisor’s Industry Index 2012 survey results were released today in the UK, U.S., Spain, Italy and France. The Industry Index survey is one of the world’s largest hotel business surveys incorporating responses from more than 9000 accommodation owners and managers from around the world, of which 1,100 were from the UK.

The Index gauges the industry’s outlook for the year ahead. From the survey results, we discovered that:

• 85% of UK accommodation owners report being profitable in 2011, making the UK the third most profitable region surveyed
• 50% percent of UK respondents are also optimistic about their businesses’ profitability in 2012, expecting their business to be more profitable this year, as compared to a global average of 58%
• Only 12% of UK respondents are planning to create new jobs due to the current economy

UK accommodation owners were less optimistic about the general economy with only 19% of respondents believing the economy will improve in 2012, with 65% of respondents stating that concerns about the economy have influenced financial planning for 2012.

In addition, less than 50% of the UK’s hospitality industry plans to engage with travellers using mobile devices in 2012, one of this year’s emerging travel marketing trends, putting them behind the global response of 53%.

“The TripAdvisor Industry Index reveals scepticism among UK accommodation owners. Despite being one of the most profitable regions in 2011, they are cautious with their business plans for 2012 due to concerns over the country’s economic recovery,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

See the coverage of this on Tnooz, Caterer and Hotelkeeper and MSN Money.

For more data from the TripAdvisor Industry Index, please download the report here.

U.S. Accommodations are Industry’s Most Optimistic about the Economy and Profitability in 2012

TripAdvisor’s Industry Index 2012 survey results were released today in the UK, U.S., Spain, Italy and France. The Industry Index survey is one of the world’s largest hotel business surveys incorporating responses from more than 9000 accommodation owners and managers from around the world, of which 1,276 were from the U.S.

The Index gauges the industry’s outlook for the year ahead. Among the survey’s key findings, we have discovered that:

• 65% of U.S. respondents are optimistic about the prospect of an economic recovery in 2012, which is 27% higher than the global average of 38%
• 76% of the U.S. respondents expect their businesses to be more profitable in 2012 than they were in 2011
• 27% of U.S. respondents are planning to create new jobs in 2012

In addition, the TripAdvisor Industry Index also reveals the hospitality industry’s top trends, ranging from hotel representatives’ economic outlook and plans to engage travelers using mobile devices to property investments and the top deals hoteliers plan to offer their guests.

“The TripAdvisor Industry Index reveals an economic optimism among U.S. accommodation owners which reflects data showing one-third of U.S. travelers are planning to increase travel spending in 2012***,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business.

For more data from the TripAdvisor Industry Index, please download the report here.