International Travel Awards

Hotel Awards

International recognition for luxury, business, budget, boutique, beach and wellness hotels, with a category built for every kind of property.

21Award Categories
6Hotel and Resort Categories
6World Regions
Hotel Recognition

How the International Travel Awards Recognise Hotels

A hotel earns its reputation one stay at a time. The International Travel Awards recognise hotels and resorts that get the guest experience right consistently, whatever their size, style or price point. Each property enters the category that matches how it is positioned, so a budget hotel is reviewed on what a budget hotel promises and a luxury resort on what a luxury resort promises.

Not sure which category fits? The hotel and resort categories guide compares them side by side, the guide for independent and smaller hotels covers entries without a large team, and the budget hotel awards guide explains what value-focused properties can show.

Award Categories

Hotel Award Categories

The six accommodation categories are below. Hotels with a new guest service or tool can also consider the Travel Innovation Award, properties with measured responsible-travel actions the Sustainable Travel Award, and general managers and owners Travel Leader of the Year. The full list is on the award categories page.

Best Luxury Hotel category
👑

Best Luxury Hotel

For luxury hotels and resorts where personal service, design, dining and attention to detail shape every stay. Entries show how the team anticipates guests' needs and keeps standards consistent.

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Best Business Hotel category
💼

Best Business Hotel

For hotels built around corporate and conference guests: reliable connectivity, workspaces, meeting facilities, efficient arrivals and departures, and support for travel managers and event planners.

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Best Budget Hotel category
⭐

Best Budget Hotel

For economy, limited-service and value-focused hotels that deliver a clean, comfortable and reliable stay at an accessible price, with honest pricing and helpful staff.

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Best Boutique Hotel category
🏡

Best Boutique Hotel

For smaller, design-led properties with a distinct character and a personal style of service, often rooted in their neighbourhood, building or local culture.

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Best Beach Resort category
🏖️

Best Beach Resort

For beach and island resorts that combine their setting with well-run facilities, activities and dining, and care for the coast and the community around them.

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Best Spa & Wellness Resort category
🌿

Best Spa & Wellness Resort

For resorts and hotels where spa, wellness and restorative programmes are central to the stay, with qualified practitioners and thoughtful guest programmes.

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Nominations Open

Put Your Hotel Forward

Choose the category that matches how your property is positioned and lead with what every guest can rely on. The nomination page shows the current deadlines.

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Evaluation Focus

What a Strong Hotel Entry Shows

🛎️

Guest Experience

How guests are welcomed, looked after and remembered, from booking and arrival to checkout, with examples of the team going beyond the expected.

🧹

Consistent Standards

The routines behind clean rooms, well-maintained facilities and dependable service on the busiest nights, not only on the best ones.

👥

Team and Training

How staff are recruited, trained and supported, and how the property recognises the people who make each stay work.

🌱

Responsible Operations

Measured actions on energy, water, waste and local sourcing, and how the hotel supports the community around it.

⭐

Guest Feedback

Feedback, repeat stays and direct bookings the hotel genuinely tracks, together with examples of improvements made in response.

🏆

Recognition You Can Reference

Winners can use the winner title with the Winner Package, which activates the title and grants the right to use the award name on websites, booking pages and communications with guests and partners.

How It Works

How to Enter the Hotel Awards

01

Choose Your Category

Match your property to the category that fits how it is positioned and who it serves. The award categories page lists every option.

02

Gather Your Evidence

Collect guest feedback, service and housekeeping routines, staff training records and examples of improvements. Include only figures you can verify and photos you own.

03

Submit Your Nomination

Use the nomination page and choose a plan from the nomination price page. The how to nominate guide walks through each step.

04

Evaluation and Results

Nominations are evaluated by the Jury team or the Management of Golden Tree against the criteria for each category. The judging process page explains how evaluation works.

FAQs

Hotel Awards: Frequently Asked Questions

The Hotel Awards are the hotel and resort categories of the International Travel Awards. They recognise properties of every type, from luxury and boutique hotels to business, budget, beach and wellness properties. Each property enters the category that matches how it is positioned, and each entry is reviewed against the criteria for that category.
The accommodation categories are Best Luxury Hotel, Best Business Hotel, Best Budget Hotel, Best Boutique Hotel, Best Beach Resort and Best Spa & Wellness Resort. Hotels with a new guest service or tool can also consider the Travel Innovation Award or the Sustainable Travel Award, and general managers and owners can consider Travel Leader of the Year.
Choose the category that matches how your property is positioned and priced and who most of your guests are. A design-led independent property usually fits Best Boutique Hotel, a property built around corporate guests fits Best Business Hotel, and a value-focused property fits Best Budget Hotel. The hotel and resort categories guide explains the differences in more detail.
A hotel can be nominated by its management, owners or team through the nomination page. The entry describes the property, its guests and the evidence behind its strengths, such as guest feedback, service routines, staff training and improvements made. Nomination is free — there is no nomination fee and no registration fee. The Free plan covers one award programme in one category at City level, with a mandatory Winner Package order if you are selected as a winner; optional paid plans start with Silver at USD 140.
Entries are reviewed against the criteria for their category. The most useful evidence usually covers the guest experience, service standards, the condition of rooms and facilities, how the team is trained and supported, responsible operations, and guest feedback the hotel genuinely tracks.
Nominations are evaluated by the Jury team or the Management of Golden Tree against the criteria for each category. The judging process page explains how evaluation works.
Yes. Every entry is reviewed on its own evidence, so size and brand affiliation are not the measure. Independent properties can present strong entries by showing how they know their guests and keep their standards consistent. The guide for independent and smaller hotels covers this in more depth.
Yes, when each category describes a separate strength with its own evidence. A beach property with a strong spa might enter Best Beach Resort and Best Spa & Wellness Resort, for example, with a separate entry written for each.
Hotel Awards — Nominations Open

Nominate Your Hotel for International Recognition

Whether you run a luxury resort, a busy city business hotel, a value-focused property or a small boutique hotel, put it forward in the category that fits it best.

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