The report, conducted by global brand analyst Heardable and sponsored by The International School of Hospitality (TISOH), gives each hotel chain a ‘brand health score’ based on its online presence, looking into areas such as mobile readiness, social network participation and search engine optimization (SEO).
A final list, entitled The World’s 10 Best Hotel Chains, was then produced. Notable brands such as Westin Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Inter-Continental Hotels, Radisson, Starwood Hotels and The Four Seasons did not make it into the top 10.
The Top 10 Hotel Chain Brands Online, ranked by Brand Health Score (1000 points possible):
1. Marriott - 706
2. Best Western - 702
3. Hyatt - 679
4. Iberostar - 679
5. Hilton - 653
6. Relais & Châteaux - 632
7. Ramada - 630
8. Holiday Inn - 627
9. The Ritz-Carlton - 608
10. Jumeirah - 601
"Our top hospitality industry faculty takes brand management very seriously,” said Timothy M Lam, executive director of TISOH. "Many of our students are would-be entrepreneurs so we teach the importance of building a robust online strategy to help manage their overall brand vitality.
“We help them navigate through all the social media networks and show them how to maximize their marketing dollars. After all, no matter how well we prepare our students to become world-class event planners, wedding coordinators, concierge, or hotel operators - if their brand is not at optimal health, then they cannot realize their success potential.”
Heardable's brand health scores are like credit scores for brands. The higher your score, the better a hotel is doing. Each brand health score is comprised of six sub-score categories, each focusing on a unique element of a brand's online effectiveness: Portable, Searchable, Sociable, Measurable, Actionable, and Shareable.
The full report is available here