IF I HAD TO PICK a single word in the English language most abused when related to the tourism industry, it would be luxury.
Over my five decades in the sector as a travel agent, tourism director, tour operator and to a lesser extent, hotelier, I have been privileged to have stayed in some of the world’s finest hotels.
Often at highly subsidised rates, or in may cases, as part of my work with no direct cost to me. Therefore, it’s not difficult to remain relatively objective and fair.
When a major brand boasts “undeniable luxury” then it comes as a surprise to be offered a single type of red wine at one of the hotel’s restaurants that insists on advance booking, with controlled availability, which in practice meant we could only dine on a single evening for our four-night stay.
Frankly, I am not a great fan of the all-inclusive concept because over the man years I have been disappointed more times than I have been pleasantly surprised. In all too many experiences, even when accommodation is booked on an all-inclusive basis, niggling piecemeal supplements are added if you wish to maintain normal standards, as if you were at home, let alone a self-proclaimed luxury property.
What prompted these thoughts at this time is the publication of a new league table of luxury hotel brand rankings by British-based international strategic consulting firm Luxury Branding. The results or conclusions are certainly going to rattle a few within the industry, but as they rightly state, “social media has revolutionised the role of consumers in shaping brand reputations”.
The new league table of luxury hotel brands is based on a study of 2.25 million TripAdvisor guest reviews covering nearly 1 600 properties. Of the 59 global brands included, Ritz Carlton “won by a landslide margin and was nearly twice as popular as its closest rival Oberoi’. Third was Raffles, with Sir Rocco Forte of Rocco Forte Hotels living his father’s lifetime dream at No.5. Four Seasons came in at 13 with an average rating nearly five times poorer than that of The Ritz Carlton and even more suprisingly, Fairmont at No.49. There are many other interesting comparisons, too numerous to detail in this column, but any interested party can download the full report free of charge by logging on to www.luxury-branding.com.
On a recent trip to the United States, which had severe budget restrictions, the various lodgings used were anything but luxury, but I could not help feel that many of the larger hotel groups are in serious danger of over-branding, risking potential severe reputation damage by including a huge and differing standard of accommodation offerings. For the first time in my life, I stayed at a Super 8, Country Inn by Carlson, Howard Johnson Express and Quality Inn. Each of these are associated with brands at a much higher level and it’s perhaps natural to conclude that while the facilities would not be the same, the level of cleanliness and service would be similar.
Despite paying around the same nightly rate at each of the four, with all having an included breakfast, this was far from the reality and it’s a lesson learnt, even at my advanced age.
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