24
| Hospitality Today | June/July 2016
Independents
& B&Bs score
highest, says
TripAdvisor
Independent B&Bs drive
a 10 year surge in average
UK guest ratings . . .
The UK hotel and B&B industry is
now one of the best-rated in the
world having previously lagged
behind other major international
rivals, a new in-depth analysis of
a decade’s worth of TripAdvisor
review ratings has revealed.
The study, conducted by TripAdvisor,
analysed millions of traveller ratings
given to hotel and B&B properties on
TripAdvisor over the last ten years in 15
major tourism markets around the world.
The study found that in 2015 UK hotels
and B&Bs enjoyed an average review
rating of 4.16 out of 5, placing them
second out of the 15 major tourism
markets analysed and above the overall
global average of 4.12. Only Italian
accommodations scored higher in 2015
with an average of 4.20.
The UK hospitality industry’s
strong performance last year was
the culmination of a decade-long
improvement in average review ratings
given to UK properties on TripAdvisor, a
trend that outpaced other rival tourism
markets around the globe.
In 2005, the average review rating for
UK hotels and B&Bs was just 3.57 – the
lowest of the 15 markets analysed.
However, in the ten years that followed,
the UK’s average rating rose above other
competitor markets, including Spain,
France, United States and Thailand.
B&Bs are rated 8.8% higher
than hotels
The study also found that smaller,
independent accommodations in the UK
were providing the biggest boost to the
UK’s overall average rating – with B&Bs
scoring an average review rating that
is 8.8% higher than for hotels – B&Bs
scoring 4.48 out of 5 (ie 89.6%) compared
to 4.04 (80.8%) for hotels in 2015.
Even within the hotel sector, smaller
properties were shown to have a ratings
advantage over larger properties, with UK
hotels that accommodate less than 25
rooms scoring an average of 4.40 (out of
5) in 2015 compared to those with 26-100
rooms, where the average is 3.97.
Average Accommodation Review Ratings on Tri