What does luxury mean? Recent findings of a luxury survey polling U.S. travelers with incomes of $150,000 or more found that a few brand names keep filtering to the top of the A-list.
The Luxury Institute research firm, in its 2015 Luxury Hotels Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey found their targeted affluent respondents citing names like Aman and Ritz-Carlton as their preferred properties when they travel. The survey had respondents evaluate 37 global luxury hotel brands and share whether they felt a hotel deserves premium pricing, whether they would recommend it to family and friends, and how likely they are to book each brand for their next hotel stay.
LBSI scores (1-10) were based on each brand’s perceived quality, exclusivity, social status and overall guest experience.
The survey put Aman Resorts on top of the list with an LBSI score of 8.32. The brand is renowned for its exclusive properties in Asia, Europe and other destinations like Jackson, Wyoming, and the Turks and Caicos.
The Ritz-Carlton (8.23) ranked closely behind Aman Resorts on overall LBSI score, but it earned top honors as the luxury hospitality brand that delivers consistently superior quality, and makes guests feel special across the entire customer experience. Rounding out the top five brands were Como Hotels and Resorts (8.19), Firmdale Hotels (8.17) and Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts (8.17).
“Wealthy U.S. travelers spend an average of twenty-one nights a year in a hotel room, and the competition to serve to this demanding demographic group for three weeks of their lives is understandably intense,” says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. “In this environment, brands must understand how their guests perceive them, what they do well and where improvement is needed.”
Wealthy travelers reviewed 37 luxury hospitality brands: Aman Resorts, Armani Hotels, Banyan Tree, Club Med, Como Hotels and Resorts, Conrad Hotels and Resorts, Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Firmdale Hotels, Four Seasons, Grand Hyatt, InterContinental, Jumeirah, JW Marriott, Kempinski Hotels, Le Meridien, Langham, Leading Hotels of the World, Loews Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Mandarin Oriental, Oberoi, Orient-Express Hotels, Pan Pacific, Park Hyatt, The Peninsula Hotels, Raffles Hotels and Resorts, Regent, The Ritz-Carlton, The Rocco Forte Collection, Rosewood, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Sofitel, St. Regis, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, W Hotels and Resorts, and Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts.
Respondents reported an average net worth of $3.1 million and $318,000 average income.
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