LTI Unveils the World’s Best Luxury Hotel Brands 2019

LTI’s algorithm, amended slightly from last year, now encompasses 123 touchpoints relevant to the luxury hotel sector (up from 118).

LTI – Luxury Travel Intelligence has just released the list to top all list for luxury hotel brands. Using an amended algorithm that aggregates the past twelve months to apply the perfect assessment process, hotels are now rigorously defined via an algorithm that measures the performance and values of luxury hotel brands.

LTI’s new algorithm now encompasses 123 touchpoints relevant to the luxury hotel sector (up from 118). Each has its own weighted score value with a total maximum accumulative score of 4494. In addition, the 123 touch points relate to overall brand performance, rather than the performance of individual properties. It’s all about a brand’s ability to deliver: its passion, commitment, ethos, and values, as well as the quality of its management and staff. Michael Crompton, Founder of LTI, offered this comment:

“No other organization connects with the global luxury hotel industry as LTI does. We are out there 365 days a year, with our researchers engaging with everyone from CEOs of the brands we have rated to hundreds of management, staff and guests. Primarily, this is all part of the process for creating our destination led reports for our members (affluent discerning travelers) but it also allows us to utilize our findings to create this unique report. Every year the process starts again – the results from previous years have no bearing on the following year. This will no doubt lead to some volatility in each year’s results (such as this year), but this is a dynamic sector and we want to reflect what is really happening out there.” 

Continuing investment and how well it is executed is also a major factor, particularly in regard to new properties and the refurbishment of existing ones. This year’s results are reflected as percentages, with last year’s positions in brackets. The current list of top luxury hotel brands is as follows:

1. Belmond 83.1% (4)
2.  Mandarin Oriental 81.4% (5)
3.  Four Seasons 79.4% (7)
4.  Aman 78.9% (1)
5.  Oetker Collection 78.6% (2)
6.  Auberge 76.8% (6)
7.  Rosewood 76.1% (11)
8.  Six Senses 74.3% (3)
9.  St. Regis 73.1% (10)
10.  COMO 71.4% (-)
11.  One&Only 69.3% (9)
12.  Anantara 67.1% (-)

Other brands that rated sufficiently to be monitored throughout the year are (in alphabetical order) Alila, Banyan Tree, Dorchester Collection, Fairmont, Firmdale, Jumeirah, Oberoi, Park Hyatt, Peninsula, Raffles, Ritz Carlton, Rocco Forte, Shangri-La, Soho House, and The Luxury Collection.

Brands that currently have less than ten properties (LTI’s minimum requirement) but rate highly when applying its algorithm are (in alphabetical order) – Bulgari, Capella, Cheval Blanc, Maybourne, Montage, and Soneva. 

This is an annual survey, announced in early September each year.