Known for its recognition of restaurants, as of next year the red book will also hand out awards - as keys rather than stars - to hotels based on five criteria.
Its rating criteria includes excellence in interior design and architecture; individuality; quality and consistency in service, comfort, and maintenance; how much the hotel contributes to the local experience; and an ability to deliver an extraordinary experience for its price.
The guide says it has already created a selection of some 6,000 accommodations in more than 130 countries ‘with options for every style and budget’. These include ‘lively hotels and quiet hotels. Hotels in metropolises and hotels in the middle of nowhere. Hotels at the leading edge of modern design and hotels that celebrate the achievements of the past. There are castles, hostels, tents, and ryokans. Hotels in caves, in deserts, and even in ghost towns. There are places with two hundred rooms atop a city skyscraper, and with two rooms tucked inside an ancient watchtower’.
The news follows the launch of The World’s 50 Best Hotels list, which was first announced in January this year.
Celebrated last month at an awards ceremony held in London, luxury boutique hotel Passalacqua, located the on the shores of Lake Como, took the top spot on the list.
