For years, many upscale American tourists were glad to stick to a handful of famous and predictable luxury chains or brands as they made their way around the world, names like 4 seasons, Peninsula or Ritz-Carlton. More “adventurous” travels might have opted for a vetted boutique association such as Relais & Chateaux, but for the most part, luxury travelers were fairly predictable while making room reservations.
Notable exceptions to this rule usually protected famous grand motels synonymous with the cities they have been located in, like the Ritz in Paris, the Hassler in Rome or several in London, including the Savoy, Claridge’s or the Lanes borough.
Darren Huston Priceline tops on hotel bookings.
The Top Hotel Brands are:
Aman Resorts
While now well-known by everyone who enjoys luxury travel, this
acclaimed luxury boutique chain is barely 30 years old and didn’t leave
its birthplace of Indonesia until the early Nineties.
It has grown from
specializing in tropical villa resorts in Bali to ski properties in the
Alps and Japan, Caribbean golf resorts and urban hotels in places like
Tokyo and later this year, New York. From its humble Indonesian roots,
Aman has grown to operate hotels and residences in more than 20 nations.
Anantara
The flagship Anantara hotel in the heart of
Bangkok actually was a Four Seasons, but its owner, pizza-mogul and
inveterate entrepreneur William Heinecke, thought he could do a better
job. Today his Minor Hotel company has nearly 600 properties in several
tiers of brands, with Anantara being the top.
It has existed for less than two decades but has about 40 hotels, mostly
across Asia, the Indian Ocean and Middle East, but Anantara just
notably expanded into Africa and Europe, with important new resorts in
Spain and Portugal, its first Western beachheads.
Oberoi
Oberoi is a name well known in the luxury
travel industry, mainly because it wins so many awards and annually has
so many of its hotels named to various World’s Best Lists. But because
the Indian-born chain has existed largely in a vacuum in its home county
and the Middle East, travelers who do not go to these destinations have
not had the opportunity.
Red Carnation Hotels
One of the biggest challenges in
the hotel world is to market a group of seemingly independent properties
that are owned and managed by a company that does not use its name.
That is the reason why you may not have heard of Red Carnation, since
the words are not found on its canopies, but the family owned company
has some great hotels in really interesting places.
Langham Hotels
This is another one you have likely
heard of, but probably don’t really know much about. Its certainly time
tested - the original Langham in London opened in 1865 and many consider
it Europe’s very first grand hotel.
Langham
also operates Forbes 4-Star hotels in New York, Boston and Pasadena as
well as international properties in key cities such as Munich, Sydney
and Melbourne.
