In the recently released Luxury Brand Status Index, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) has once again been named the number one luxury hotel brand, beating more traditional brands such as Peninsula and Ritz-Carlton. Adding to this glory is the top ranking for the first time for the luxury hotel brand that offers the “Best Customer Experience”, based on the views of actual customer experiences in Small Luxury Hotels of the World properties.

Both surveys are conducted annually by the independent researchers at the New York-based Luxury Institute.  The Luxury Brand Status Index included 23 luxury hotel brands, while the Luxury Customer Experience Index surveyed 15 hotel brands.

“We are thrilled to be named the number one luxury hotel brand for the second consecutive year,” commented Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer at Small Luxury Hotels of the World. “To be ranked top in terms of ‘best customer experience’ is also a tremendous honour for us as we pride ourselves on our hotels’ ability to deliver the highest level of personalised service and outstanding experiences. A hotel is so much more than somewhere for people to sleep, and our properties are aware of this. This recognition is therefore the best type of ‘thank you’ we could receive and all our individual hotels do a great job,” he added.

In the Luxury Brand Status Index, Small Luxury Hotels of the World was named the luxury hotel brand most worthy of a price premium and also the brand that people would be most willing to recommend to someone they care about.  SLH also scored the highest out of all 23 hotels surveyed for providing consistently superior quality, for being unique and exclusive and for making customers feel special.

In the Luxury Customer Experience Index, Small Luxury Hotels of the World scored the highest out of all 15 hotels surveyed for effectiveness in terms of meeting guests’ needs, for having staff who are enthusiastic, polite and knowledgeable and for having an environment that is well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing. 96 percent of respondents said that they would recommend an SLH hotel to people they care about.
 

Key Findings of the Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI):

• SLH was ranked 1st out of 23 luxury hotel brands with an overall score of 8.38 out of 10 (against a benchmark of 7.54). 
• SLH scored significantly above the benchmark average on each component index of the LBSI
• SLH received the highest score of 8.53 (against a benchmark of 7.78) for providing consistently superior quality
• SLH received the highest score of 8.41 (against a benchmark of 7.29) for being unique and exclusive
• SLH received the highest score of 8.58 (against a benchmark of 7.75) for making the customer ‘feel special’
• Highest score, with 79 percent of people surveyed saying that Small Luxury Hotels of the World was the hotel brand most worthy of a price premium (against a benchmark of 51 percent)
• Highest score, with 86 percent saying that Small Luxury Hotels of the World is a brand they would be most willing to recommend to someone they care about (against a benchmark of 72 percent)

Key Findings of the Luxury Customer Experience Index (LCEI):

• SLH was ranked 1st out of 15 luxury hotel brands with an overall score of 9.28 out of 10 (against a benchmark of 8.69)
• SLH received the highest score of 9.18 (against a benchmark of 8.64) for effectiveness in terms of meeting guests’ needs
• SLH received the highest score of 9.27 (against a benchmark of 8.65) for having staff who are enthusiastic, polite and knowledgeable
• SLH received the highest score of 9.39 (against a benchmark of 8.77) for having an environment that is well-maintained and aesthetically pleasing
• 95 percent of respondents stated they would stay at a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property
• 96 percent of respondents stated that they would recommend a Small Luxury Hotels of the World property to someone they care about

These findings were based on responses from a sample size of over 1,600 wealthy consumers with a minimum annual household income of US$150,000. Those who rated Small Luxury Hotels of the World most favourably, and who had stayed at one of the brand’s properties within the last year, tended to be an average age of 51 (with a fairly even split between men and women); with an average household income in excess of US$401,000, out of which 42 percent earn over US$300,000. Those who rated SLH hotels most favourably also had a net worth of over US$5.2 million, of which 23 percent are worth over US$5.0 million.