
New study ranks 2023's best luxury hotel brands in the world
Mandarin Oriental (one of my personal favourite brands) was recently named the best luxury hotel brand in the world.Source: LTI — Luxury Travel Intelligence.
Our congratulations to Mandarin Oriental and all the nominees!
There are rankings of the best hotels in the world, but this list, released by the members-only group LTI – Luxury Travel Intelligence,
ranks hotel brands rather than individual properties. The ranking analyses many hotels within a brand in “granular detail,” using more than
100 “touch points” to evaluate “a brand’s ability to deliver,” ranging from its ethos to staff, according to a press release.
When announcing the rankings, LTI noted that "Mandarin Oriental has always performed well in LTI's ratings. This year, they have
improved further across all our touch points, placing them at No1.
It is an engaging brand with a loyal and growing following, who appreciate its commitment to excellence" (including us - it
is a long-term favourite), "...the
much-anticipated opening of their London Mayfair property could be a pivotal moment for them."
Luxury Travel Intelligence memberships cost $700 per year and grant access to the group’s travel research. It doesn’t sell advertising,
and research is independent and funded by subscriptions, according to its website.
The best luxury hotel brands
Mandarin Oriental was recently named the best luxury hotel brand in the world by LTI — Luxury Travel Intelligence. There are other
rankings of the best
hotels in the world,
however,this list, released by the members-only group LTI – Luxury Travel Intelligence, ranks hotel brands rather than individual
properties.
The ranking analyzes many hotels within a brand in “granular detail,” using more than 100 “touch points” to evaluate “a brand’s ability to
deliver,” ranging from its ethos to staff, according to a press release. Luxury Travel Intelligence memberships cost US$700 per year and grant access to the group’s travel research. It doesn’t sell advertising, and research is independent and funded by
subscriptions, according to its website.
2023's best luxury hotel brands
Here are this year’s results, reflected as percentages, with last year’s positions in brackets:
- Mandarin Oriental 81.4% (2)
- Oetker Collection 81.3% (6)
- Auberge 79.6% (4)
- Six Senses 79.0% (1)
- Aman 78.8% (5)
- Belmond 76.3% (8)
- Four Seasons 76.1% (9)
- One&Only 75.1% (7)
- Rocco Forte 73.8% (11)
- Rosewood 72.1% (3)
- Peninsula 69.8% (New Entry)
- Raffles 68.5% (New Entry)
Mandarin Oriental took the top spot for the first time, — topping Oetker Collection by a very narrow margin, despite Ortker's ranking rising by 4 places. Oetker Collection operates 12 hotels across the globe, including the icons Le Bristol in Paris, Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France, and The Lanesborough, London.
In 2022, Six Senses was ranked No. 1, followed by Mandarin Oriental (No. 2) and Rosewood (No. 3). So two of last years leaders have fallen a surprising number of spots - Six Senses has dropped 3 places and Rosewood has dropped 7 positions.
Auberge Resorts Collection — ranked third on the list — operates hotels like Mauna Lani in Hawaii, The Lodge at Blue Sky in Park City, Utah, and The Vanderbilt in Newport, Rhode Island. Those are just three of the 27 hotels and resorts under the Auberge brand.
Two well-known brands are new to the list this year: Peninsula Hotels and Raffles Hotels & Resorts.
Other recognized brands
LTI also highlighted other brands that it said “rated sufficiently” enough to be monitored. The brands are: 1 Hotels, Alila, Anantara, Banyan Tree, Como, Dorchester Collection, Firmdale, Jumeirah, Leela, Oberoi, Park Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La, Soho House, Red Carnation, St. Regis, Taj, The Luxury Collection and Viceroy.
Additionally, brands that have fewer than 10 properties — the minimum required to make the list — but were rated highly are: Airelles, Althoff Collection, Bulgari, Capella, Cheval Blanc, JK Place, La Reserve, Maybourne, Montage, Nikki Beach, Pendry, Soneva, Ultima Collection and Virgin Limited Edition.
Our associated Travel Agency - Rewarding Travel has a preferred relationship status with 10 of the top 12 brands and over half of the brands that rated special mentions. To see what makes them so special and how we can make your stay even more luxe at no additional cost, contact Rewarding Travel to discuss your preferences.
The scoring system
Luxury Travel Intelligence uses an algorithm to assess hotel brands, which has a maximum of 4,663 points, said Crompton.
This year, it measured 130 “touch points,” evaluating factors like in-room dining, guests’ pre-arrival process and a brand’s social media engagement, Crompton told CNBC Travel. The group uses a points-based system to remove “inevitable emotiveness and personal opinion” from the ranking, he said.
Crompton also noted that brands’ investments — either in new hotels or in the renovation of existing ones — was a major factor this year.
Crompton did not reveal how touch points are weighted, but said that “each year we tweak the touch points and the weighting.” .