Zagat Surveys 23,409 Travelers to ID World's Leading Lodgings; New Guide Covers 1,287 Great Places to Stay and Play in 103 Countries; Surveyors (Including 1,626 Travel Agents) Report Rises in Spending

Amanresorts and Four Seasons Hotels are the World's Best Chains

Four Seasons George V (Paris) Wins as Top Large Hotel; Singita (South

Africa) -- Top Small Hotel; Four Seasons Hualalai (Hawaii) Scores Both Top

Resort and Top Spa

    NEW YORK, May 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Zagat Survey today released the results
 of its 2007/2008 World's Top Hotels, Resorts and Spas survey. The guide is
 based on the experiences of 21,783 frequent travelers and 1,626
 professional travel agents who averaged 36.9 hotel nights per year. It
 includes rates and reviews of 1,287 of the best places to stay and play in
 the world as well as 48 leading hotel chains.
     "This guide is designed to help travelers make informed decisions about
 the best places to stay around the world," said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat
 Survey. "Whether it's business or pleasure -- the guide should be an
 essential resource for any savvy traveler."
     Winners: The Top-Rated large hotel (i.e., 100 or more rooms) in this
 year's survey is the "creme de la creme" Four Seasons George V in Paris.
 The "absolutely flawless" safari compound, Singita in Kruger Area, South
 Africa is a double winner, as Top Small Hotel with Top Rooms. The Four
 Seasons Hualalai (Hawaii) and its "gorgeous rooms" won for both Top Resort
 and Top Spa. And rising to the occasion, is No. 1 for Dining, the renowned
 La Maison Troisgros (France), which is "worth a visit," just for dinner.
     The following lists show the leading chains, hotels, resorts and spas:
 
     Hotel Chains:
      1.  Amanresorts                      6.  Ritz-Carlton
      2.  Four Seasons                     7.  Rosewood
      3.  Mandarin Oriental                8.  Orient-Express
      4.  Raffles                          9.  Oberoi
      5.  St. Regis                       10.  Shangri-La
 
     Top Destination Spas:
      1.  Four Seasons/Hualalai, Hawaii    6.  Amandari, Bali
      2.  Esperanza, Baja Peninsula,       7.  Four Seasons, Carmelo,
           Mexico                               Uruguay
      3.  Four Seasons Wailea, Hawaii      8.  Phoenician, Phoenix/Scottsdale
      4.  Las Ventanas, Baja Peninsula,    9.  Brenner's Park, Baden-Baden,
           Mexico                               Germany
      5.  Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay,      10. Schloss, Buhlerhohe, Baden-Baden,
           Bali                                Germany
 
     Large Hotels (100+ rooms):
      1.  Four Seasons George V, Paris     6.  Four Seasons, Chicago
      2.  Peninsula, Chicago               7.  Four Seasons, Budapest
      3.  Peninsula, Bangkok               8.  Mandarin Oriental, Miami
      4.  Peninsula, Hong Kong             9.  Peninsula, Los Angeles
      5.  Oriental, Bangkok               10.  Four Seasons, Las Vegas
 
     Resorts (100+ rooms):
      1.  Four Seasons/Hualalai,           6.  Four Seasons Resort,
           Hawaii                               Guanacaste, Costa Rica
      2.  One & Only, Baja Peninsula,      7.  Halekulani, Hawaii
           Mexico
      3.  Four Seasons Wailea, Hawaii      8.  Ritz-Carlton, Cayman Islands
      4.  Four Seasons, Canadian           9.  Four Seasons Resort,
           Rockies                              Provence
      5.  Burj Al Arab, Dubai, United     10.  Four Seasons, Punta Mita,
           Arab Emirates                        Mexico
 
     Small Hotels, Resorts & Inns (less than 100 rooms):
      1.  Singita, Kruger Area, South      6.   Oberoi Udaivilas,
           Africa                                Rajasthan, India
      2.  Amanjiwo, Borobudur,             7.   Amankila, Bali
           Indonesia
      3.  Four Seasons Tented, Golden      8.   Gidleigh Park, Devon, U.K.
           Triangle, Thailand
      4.  Como Shambala, Bali              9.   Four Seasons Sayan, Bali
      5.  Four Seasons, Chiang Mai,       10.   Blanket Bay, Queenstown, New
           Thailand                              Zealand
 
     Rooms (based on Rooms score):         Service (based on Service score):
      1.  Singita, Kruger Area, South
           Africa                           1.  Como Shambala, Bali
      2.  Amanjiwo, Borobudur,              2.  Amansara, Siem Reap, Cambodia
           Indonesia
      3.  Four Seasons/Hualalai,            3.  Four Seasons Tented, Golden
           Hawaii                               Triangle, Thailand
      4.  Amankila, Bali                    4.  Amanusa, Bali
      5.  Oberoi Udaivilas,                 5.  Inn/Little Washington,
           Rajasthan, India*                     Washington, DC
      * Indicates a tie with the property above
 
     Dining (based on Dining score):       Facilities (based on Facilities
                                            score):
      1.  La Maison Troisgros, Loire,       1.  Amanjiwo, Borobudur, Indonesia
           France
      2.  Michel Bras, Aveyron,             2.  Singita, Kruger Area, South
           France                                Africa
      3.  Inn/Little Washington,            3.  Oberoi Udaivilas, Rajasthan,
           Washington, DC                        India
      4.  L'Eau a la Bouche, Montreal       4.  Four Seasons/Hualalai, Hawaii
      5.  Hastings House, Vancouver         5.  Blanket Bay, Queenstown, New
                                                 Zealand
     The Reeling Dollar: American travelers agree their wallets are being
 hit harder than ever as the value of the dollar continues to drop against
 the euro. Countries such as France, Germany, Italy and the U.K. have become
 more expensive for U.S. visitors and vice versa for travelers to the USA.
 As a possible result, surveyors both American and foreign report doing more
 U.S. travel within the last year.
     Favorite Cities: Expenses aside, when asked what international cities
 they most like to visit, Paris takes the cake with 26% of the vote,
 followed by London (19%) and Rome (8%). As for Surveyors' favorite U.S.
 destination, New York came in first with 25% of the vote, followed by
 Washington, D.C. (20%), and San Francisco (17%).
     The Economics of Travel: With the increase in transportation and
 lodging prices, it's no wonder that 29% of our surveyors report an increase
 in their business travel budgets as opposed to 16% who report a decline,
 and 43% report a rise in their leisure travel spending, vs. 9% reporting a
 decrease. In an effort to save money, 70% turn to the Internet to book
 their trips, with 95% of that group purchasing airline tickets, 89%
 reserving their hotel rooms and 71% making car rentals reservations online.
     Paper Chase: While overall global travel has increased significantly
 since 2000, travel to the U.S. from abroad declined. This is partly due to
 visa problems. Travelers from China, Eastern Europe, India, parts of Latin
 America and the Middle East especially report difficulty of getting a U.S.
 visa. Surveyors by a 71% vote say they would be glad to undergo background
 checks and pay a yearly fee to speed up trips through security if the U.S.
 were to implement a type of "Easy Pass" system.
     Hook Me Up: Zagat surveyors (23%) say the amenities offered have the
 greatest impact on their choice of hotel, with their favorite in-room
 feature -- the now nearly ubiquitous WiFi access (66% of business travelers
 say it's most important, followed by the morning newspaper -- 46%, and
 plasma flat screen TV's -- 20%). But electronics aren't the only amenities
 in high demand. Bed-sheet menus at Mexico's Las Ventanas al Paraiso and
 soap offerings, such as the 15 varieties available at the Rome Cavalieri
 Hilton, typify the lengths that the world's top hotels will go to satisfy
 high-end clients.
     Irritants: On the other hand, when asked what irritates them most about
 the places they visit, 66% of surveyors cited "poor service" as their
 biggest complaint. "Dirty, small, bad" rooms were named by 12% of surveyors
 while 11% were bothered by noisy fellow guests; Cost, smoking, and
 uncomfortable beds registered a mere 2-3% each.
     Looking Ahead: On the hotel horizon there's lots of action in China. In
 anticipation of the 2008 Olympics, China is seeing an unprecedented level
 of development -- and not just in Beijing. From the just-opened Shangri-La
 in Guangzhou and Le Royal Meridien in Shanghai to planned outposts from
 Kempinski in Wuxi and Huizhou, Mandarin Oriental on Hainan Island, Park
 Hyatt in Beijing and Ritz-Carlton in Beijing and Guangzhou. Tourism to
 China is expected to grow an astounding 10%, taking in more than $128
 billion, in 2007. And the Chinese government hopes to keep up that torrid
 pace in coming years.
     Under the Hood: The 2007/08 Survey not only covers top hotels and
 resorts around the world, it also features lists of Hotel Types such as
 All- Inclusive, Bed and Breakfast, Boutique, Cottages/Villas, Ski Resort,
 and Special Features lists including Casinos, Dramatic Design, Fishing,
 Noteworthy Newcomers and Romantic. The guide also features top discount
 travel websites and a number of Travel Tips designed to stretch the travel
 dollar. In addition, there's a page of key Dialing Codes, Useful Web Sites
 and Toll- Free Numbers.
     The 2007/08 World's Top Hotels, Resorts & Spas guide ($15.95) was
 edited by Donna Marino Wilkins and David Downing and is available at
 bookstores and other retail outlets, through ZAGAT.com or by calling
 888/371-5440.
     About Zagat Survey, LLC
     Zagat Survey is the world's leading provider of consumer survey-based
 leisure content. With more than 300,000 surveyors, Zagat Survey rates and
 reviews restaurants, hotels, nightlife, movies, music, golf, shopping and a
 range of other entertainment categories. Zagat content is available in
 print, on the Web, on the Palm and Windows Mobile operating systems, on
 BlackBerry, on mobile phones, and on TV. For more information, visit
 ZAGAT.com
 
 

SOURCE Zagat Survey