Apartments and other vacation rental properties lead the perfect-10 pack as 70% of travellers say they have the best time when they can make themselves at home*
AMSTERDAM – 17 JANUARY 2017 – Today Booking.com, the global leader in connecting travellers with the widest choice of incredible places to stay, is honouring its accommodation partners that consistently deliver great guest experiences with a 2016 Guest Review Award. Based on over 110 million reviews, this year 355,535 properties in 205 countries and territories are being recognised with Italy (53,005), the United States (24,761), France (23,003), Germany (18,221), Spain (18,037), the UK (16,514), Austria (12,659), Greece (12,439), Croatia (12,219), and Poland (10,399) taking home the most awards.
Vacation rental options such as apartments, holiday homes and villas top the list of properties earning a highly-coveted perfect 10 review score this year, making up more than 70% of the 486 accommodations to receive the distinction. This is not surprising as according to recent research from Booking.com, 70% of people say they have the best time while travelling when they can make themselves at home, with 59% sharing that they like to feel a personal connection with their host or the staff at the accommodation*.
As travellers are increasingly expecting a more personalised and home-like stay experience, having professional and helpful staff is of utmost importance for the vast majority of people (91%). Nearly half (49%) say that it improves their experience significantly with another 42% declaring that it’s absolutely essential and wouldn’t stay at an accommodation without it**.
“With more than 110 million guest reviews on our platform, we not only help guide travellers to find their perfect stays, but empower our accommodation partners to stay up-to-date with evolving customer expectations, including what travellers appreciate most about their property, as well as what can potentially be improved,” said Remco van Zanten, Global Director of Partner Services as Booking.com. “With our guest review awards, we congratulate, thank and honour the incredible dedication of our partners to create great guest experiences for our customers, time and time again.”
Regardless of where they stay, travellers don’t just need a place to lay their head. A truly memorable stay lies in the details. From the first picture a guest sees online, to the welcome they get at check-in, the food they eat and the ambience they find, their experience of a property is made up of dozens of vital little details. The Booking.com Guest Review Awards recognises those properties that get all those details right.
Top 10 accommodation requirements by global travellers*:
A comfortable bed
80%
A picturesque view
60%
Free Wi-Fi
52%
Nice toiletries
39%
Soft pillows
35%
Great room service menu
28%
Waterfall shower
25%
Complimentary bottle of wine on arrival
21%
Coat hangers and wardrobe space
17%
Mood lighting
13%
Notes to editors:
To be recognized with an award, properties had to have an average review score of 8.0 or higher based on at least 10 reviews as of 11:59pm (CET) on October 31, 2016. Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. After they have checked out of the property, they are invited to rate their accommodation experience against six categories: cleanliness, comfort, location, facilities, staff and value for money. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travellers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real guest experience is like at every place to stay on Booking.com.
More information on the Booking.com Guest Review Awards can be found by visiting https://guestreviewawards.booking.com/en-gb/
*Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people from each of the 17 markets who had taken at least 1 domestic or international holiday in the past year. In total, 17,157 respondents (18yrs +) were surveyed from the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Croatia, Russia, USA, Canada, Brazil, China, Japan, India, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand. Data was collected from 9 September to 4 October 2016.
**According to data collected by Booking.com with 12,781 respondents across 13 markets in September 2016. Respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in 2016 and had to be planning at least one trip for 2017. All respondents had to consider themselves part of their travel decision-making process.
