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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Australia's Most Welcoming Places


Today Booking.com, one of the world’s leading digital travel platforms, is honouring its accommodation partners who consistently deliver great customer experiences with a prestigious Guest Review Award. For the seventh annual edition of the popular awards, 759,845 properties across 219 countries and territories are being given an award, with 3,394 properties receiving awards in Australia.

Based on the share of properties receiving an award in 2018, for the first time ever, Booking.com has revealed the most welcoming places in Australia according to customer reviews.

Most welcoming places in Australia

The top 10 most welcoming destinations in Australia include*:
  1. Bendigo, Victoria (71 winners)
  2. Hervey Bay, Queensland (65 winners)
  3. Halls Gap, Victoria (61 winners)
  4. Ballarat, Victoria (67 winners)
  5. Townsville, Queensland (71 winners)
  6. Hobart, Tasmania (154 winners)
  7. Launceston, Tasmania (70 winners)
  8. Margaret River Town, Western Australia (88 winners)
  9. Warnambool, Victoria (65 winners)
  10. Canberra, ACT (84 winners)

This is especially relevant for nearly two thirds of Aussie travellers (69%) that say friendly and interesting locals are one of their top considerations when selecting a destination for their next trip.**

When it comes to the most welcoming types of properties, globally the winners were all from the alternative accommodation segment, which highlights the ongoing traveller appreciation for unique stay experiences, including Bed and Breakfasts, ApartHotels, Motels, Apartments and Holiday Homes.***

Apartments and unique places to stay remain firm traveller favourites

For the second year in a row, apartments were the top-awarded accommodation type, making up more than a third (36%) of the award-winning properties globally in 2018. In fact, while hotels came in as the second-awarded accommodation type, nearly three quarters (73%) of all the winning properties are homes, apartments and other unique places to stay, including everything from boats and igloos to homestays and country houses.

The ongoing appreciation and interest from global travellers to experience a wide variety of unique stay experiences is also reflected in recent research by Booking.com which asked 21,000 travelers across 29 countries about their travel habits – this highlighted that more than a third of Aussie travellers (33%) would prefer to stay in a vacation rental (holiday home or apartment) over a hotel in 2019.

In addition, almost 17% said that they would consider listing their own home on a travel accommodation site over the coming year. With over a third of Australians also wanting to stay in an accommodation type they’ve never experienced before in 2019, the consumer demand in this segment is growing.

“No matter the type, size or location of the property, what we see from our customers is that they value a human connection when they travel, whether it’s some extra attention to detail or a truly individualized approach to service,” said Olivier Grémillon, Vice President at Booking.com.

“With these awards, we celebrate and thank all of the amazing accommodation providers who create special travel experiences for our customers on a daily basis.”

A SELECTION OF OUTSTANDING PROPERTIES IN AUSTRALIA RECEIVING A 2018 AWARD

Grand Hotel and Apartments, Townsville, QLD
Avenue Hotel, Canberra, ACT
Hotel Grand Chancellor, Hobart, TAS
Somerset on the Pier, Hobart, TAS
Vintages Accommodation, Margaret River Town, WA
Hervey Bay Colonial Lodge, Hervey Bay, QLD
Salamander Bay Bed and Breakfast, Salamander Bay, NSW
Southview Guest House, Wollongong, NSW
The Playford Adelaide – Mgallery by Sofitel, Adelaide, SA
Best Western Olde Maritime Motor Inn, Warrnambool, VIC


To be recognized with an award, properties had to have an average review score of 8.0 or higher based on at least 5 reviews as of 11:59pm (CET) on October 31, 2018. Only customers that have actually stayed at an accommodation can leave a review of their experience on Booking.com. After they have checked out of the property, they are invited to rate their accommodation experience against six categories: cleanliness, comfort, location, facilities, staff and value for money. As these reviews are never edited or adjusted in any way, travelers can reference them for an authentic account of what the real guest experience is like at every place to stay on Booking.com.

*Cities were sorted by the total share of 2018 Guest Review Award winners when compared to the total amount of eligible properties in that city. Cities also had to have an above average amount of winners to be included on this list (60 award recipients or higher)

**This is defined as the percentage of respondents who rated this aspect a 7 out of 10 or higher. Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a sample of 53,492 respondents across 31 markets. In order to participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 years of age or older, had to have travelled at least once in the past 12 months and be either the primary decision maker or involved in the decision making of their travel. The survey was taken online and took place between October 16 and November 12, 2018.

***Accommodation types were sorted by the total share of 2018 Guest Review Award winners when compared to the total amount of eligible properties globally in each property type.

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The Expeditionist

The Expeditionist
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