- Italy emerges as customer service hotspot -

LONDON, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia.co.uk, the UK's leading online booking site, today unveils the world's best hotels, according to its customers. Insider Select 2011 is a global programme that identifies the top hotels based on quality and value, from Expedia's portfolio of 135,000 hotels worldwide.

The programme reflects Expedia's commitment to helping customers make the right travel choices and sharing their experience with others, with Insider Select rankings primarily determined by customer reviews. Every year, more than 500,000 reviews are submitted by travellers around the world, verified and analysed to compile the winners of Insider Select.

USA earns its stars

The US, with its reputation for world class customer service, not only tops the list but also features heavily in the top ten, with four of the top ten hotels located across the pond. The number one hotel in the world is Cedarbrook Lodge in Seattle, thanks to its unparalleled customer service and stunning scenery.

The great Italian job

The US' main competitor this year is Italy, which has three hotels in the top ten. All three hotels have an unbeatable 100% recommendation rate from reviewers, showing that Italians deserve to be known as much for their brilliant customer service as their good food and excellent weather.

Italy has experienced a renaissance recently, with a 16% year on year increase in hotel bookings from UK travellers, according to Expedia.co.uk site data. With its gastronomy, art and culture, Italy is a consistently popular destination, but the release of films such as Eat, Pray, Love, and the recent beatification of the Pope in Rome, have certainly attracted more tourists to the country. With some of the world's best hotels, Italy is setting the standard for other European nations to live up to. Top Italian destinations visited by Brits are Rome, Venice, Campania, Milan and Florence.

"The good weather and wealth of things to do and see ensure that Italy remains a popular destination. Travellers can use the activities section on Expedia.co.uk to take advantage of discounts, guided tours and skip the queues at popular attractions like the Vatican or the Uffizi. Whether you prefer to explore the ghosts and legends of Venice, take advantage of Italian style at bargain prices at the outlet shops in Rome, or sample the best Italian wines, Italy offers something for all tastes. Plus, the high quality of service keeps people coming back to Italian hotels time and again," says Mel Stonier, Expedia.co.uk.

"When it comes to hotels, luxury is a fairly easy thing to measure, and many travel companies do so. What's more difficult to measure is value – those hotels that regularly deliver a quality experience for a reasonable cost. Insider Select does exactly that and features the world's top hotels for value, setting it apart from any other industry league table. Every year, hundreds of thousands of travellers take the time to share their experiences with Expedia and with one another. The 2011 Insider Select List reflects that insight", continues Stonier.

The Insider Select programme launched in 2007 and the 2011 winners' requirements have been more rigorous than ever. This year each hotel required more reviews per property and higher scores per review to make the list. The 2011 winners are the top 500 hotels globally. Hotels that made the 2011 list received an average review score of 4.7 out of 5 and a 98.2% recommendation rate, demonstrating the standard of excellence required to make this prestigious list.

Three components are considered when ranking a hotel:

• Customer Reviews: Reviews are the most powerful testament to the quality of a hotel. Travellers submit reviews after completing a stay at a given hotel. Expedia verifies that each review is legitimate. The company has a comprehensive method of identifying fake reviews. More than 500,000 hotel reviews were analysed over the past year.
• Market Manager Input: Expedia employs hundreds of market managers in cities across the globe. These market managers work closely with Expedia's hotel partners to maximise the value the hotels get from Expedia's global online travel marketplace.
• Value Rating; Expedia compares each property's average daily rates to those of similar properties, to assess the hotel's relative value. This makes it easy for busy travellers to identify hotels that deliver an excellent experience at a comparatively good price. Hotels that routinely exceed customer expectations – in their customer service, amenities, competitive pricing and more – see that emphasis reflected in their rankings.

To see the complete list of winning hotels and for more information on Insiders' Select, visit press.expedia.co.uk

About Expedia, Inc.

Expedia, Inc. is the world's leading online travel company, empowering business and leisure travellers with the tools and information they need to easily research, plan, book and experience travel. Expedia, Inc. also provides in-destination concierge service and activity desks for travellers. The Expedia, Inc. portfolio of brands includes: Expedia.com®, hotels.com®, Hotwire®, Egencia™ (formerly Expedia Corporate Travel), TripAdvisor®, Expedia Local Expert™, Classic Vacations® and eLong™. Expedia, Inc.'s companies operate more than 70 global points of sale in more than 40 countries, with sites in North America, South America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. Expedia, Inc. is a component of the S&P 500 index. Expedia, Inc. partners with loyalty programme Nectar in the UK enabling its customers to collect 200 Nectar points on stand alone flight, hotel or car hire bookings and 1000 points on package purchases through www.expedia.co.uk. For more information, visit http://www.expediainc.com/ (NASDAQ: EXPE).

SOURCE Expedia.co.uk

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