NEW YORK — The Luxury Institute has released its 2018 Global Hotels Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI), featuring annual rankings and ratings of 40 global luxury-hotel brands by affluent consumers from the world’s richest countries.
In creating the annual index, the Luxury Institute surveyed 3,900 consumers from seven countries who represent the top 10 per cent of households by annual income. The survey was conducted in China, Japan, U.K., Germany, France, Italy and the U.S.A. A special Mexico survey was also conducted. Respondents rated each hotel brand on quality, exclusivity, social status, and the ability to make guests feel special. In addition, affluent travelers weighed in on whether they were willing to recommend specific brands to friends and family, whether a hotel brand is worth the premium pricing, and which hotels they are most likely to choose for upcoming travel.
This year, The Ritz-Carlton earned the highest overall rating with an LBSI score of 7.95 out of 10.
“Today, top-rated brands in the luxury-hotel category are those that are able to ensure consistent execution on the four pillars of value: quality, exclusivity, social status, and making guests feel truly special,” says Milton Pedraza, CEO, Luxury Institute. “When you are dealing with a global hotel brand that has dozens of worldwide locations, success is the result of intensive training and education of people in mastering emotional intelligence, complemented by the smart application of technology to run the business more efficiently and to market itself to consumers more effectively. Compelling and unique brick and mortar today are table stakes.”
