Last week we celebrated the amazing achievements of two of our customers – Hotel Clark Budapest, and Sligo Park Hotel – who were placed in the Top 25 Hotels in Europe and Top 25 Hotels in Ireland, respectively.
This week we continue admiring the accolades earned by 3 more of our customers in Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best awards for 2022!
Rated 21 in the Top 25 Romantic Hotels💕 in Europe
Maison Bistro & Hotel
“Charming ambiance with a bit of history; 17 unique designer rooms; Cellar a’la Maison; personalized services”
Budapest, Hungary | Website
Rated #9 of 405 hotels in Budapest
Ranking 5.0 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 based on 535 verified reviews
Set in a building dating back to 1464, and with a two-storey cellar beneath it, it’s little wonder that Maison Bistro & Hotel has been named in the Top 25 Romantic Hotels in Europe!
We asked Viczkó Attila, the Hotel Operations Manager for Maison for his thoughts about being bestowed one of the Best of the Best.
“As we all know the pandemic had devastating effects on our industry; we also suffered a lot, but we managed to reopen in July 2021. This award is the perfect recognition of the hard work of our team. We literally emerged from our ashes, but we kept our heads high and delivered a truly professional performance”, he stated.
“I believe Tripadvisor has a huge power on the customers’ decision-making process, and being in the top 25 of their European listings is like a dream come true for us. I hope that more and more people looking for an unforgettable, romantic hotel experience will find us in the near future.”
When asked how the award might continue to bolster the hotel’s reputation, Attila said “Being amongst the Best of the Best in Europe is a chance we cannot miss when it comes to our communication. The listing is for a whole year, so we plan to make it visible on our booking engine not to mention our social channels. This award will be communicated periodically, we will mention it wherever we can.”
We were curious to know what Attila thought set Maison apart from other properties that resulted in them being listed as a Best of the Best property. He immediately spoke highly of his staff: “I believe that we have a team of true professionals who seek to deliver a perfect hotel experience. The overall attitude and our common goal is that our guests shall be happy and taken good care of throughout the entire stay.
“There is no secret in this, it is a question of passion and devotion I think.”
Attila concluded with some comments about his partnership with GuestJoy:
“I also would like to thank Guestjoy for playing a vital role in our guest experience. We have been using it for years, and Guestjoy has proven that it is great tool of Guest communication.
“The back-end is very easy to configure, provides a loads of data for decision-making, and guests are also happy with the letters and announcements they receive, they are happy to respond and engage. Our pre and post stay communication via Guestjoy opening and closing the guest journey are the icing on the cake.
“I would also like to emphasize the world-class support of Annika and Andrew; thank you guys
“.
Well we certainly appreciate the kind words – but the real test is to see what guests thought. Here are some of the most recent comments on Tripadvisor:
“The staff was very friendly, professional and helpful on all levels. The interior design was absolutely stunning everywhere in the building. Our room had a private little terrace which was an absolute unexpected surprise and a great hit! The level of cleanliness in the room and the building was flawless.
We are very grateful to the staff for making our stay so very comfortable and enjoyable”
“Their aim is very simple: All they want to do is make you happy and smiling during the stay.
And boy, they do succeed; from the first step in hotel till check out – everything was fantastic.
First, the location in heart of Buda district – cosy little gem – not an ordinary hotel in building full of history.
Breakfast was superb, and definitely you shouldn’t stop here – try their bistro menu – a curated choice of dishes to die for! Definitely a place to return. A must choice to consider for everyone who wants to spend some quality time in Budapest.”
“We couldn’t praise the Maison Hotel more highly. A great choice for the Castle Hill/Buda area. Sound and soft night’s sleep in the peaceful courtyard room and every amenity we could wish for. Breakfast was fresh and tasty with a good variety of nice hot dishes to choose from (special shout out to the Hungarian scrambled eggs) along with the buffet. We ate dinner here too, which was delicious and a great wine menu. What made Maison stand out for us are the lovely members of staff who were gracious, friendly, and made the stay a ‘home away from home’. Thank you.”
Clearly, Attila was right when he praised his staff; it seems nothing is too much trouble and guests love the care and attention the receive. Congratulations!
Heading from one continent to another, but maintaining the romantic theme, we find ourselves on the west coast of Canada…
Rated 3 in the Top 25 Romantic Hotels💕 in Canada
Abigail’s Hotel
“Life is too short to be conventional; discover a splendour and charm that has been lost to the ages and uniquely exists at Abigail’s.”
Victoria BC, Canada | Website
Rated #1 of 44 hotels in Victoria
Ranking 5.0 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 based on 1,487 verified reviews
Located in romantic downtown Victoria, British Columbia, Abigail’s is a boutique bed-and-breakfast hotel that blends historic accommodation with a distinctive and charming guest experience.
It is an adult-only, intimate 22-room property that is housed in a 1930s heritage Tudor mansion. Its special atmosphere blends the romance and charm of the past with the comfort and convenience of modern accommodation. Known internationally for its cozy ambiance, dynamic three-course breakfasts and personalized, professional and courteous service, interwoven with elegantly appointed guest rooms.
Here, we have a property that is no stranger to being featured as one of the top properties in its market for many years, and this isn’t their first Best of the Best 😲
We spoke with Allison Fairhurst, General Manager of Abigail’s, about what this year’s award meant for them.
“It is an honour to be recognized by TripAdvisor again this year”, started Allison.
“We have been included amongst the top 10 hotels in Canada for Romance and Small Hotels for the past 10 years and it means so much to us. TripAdvisor is a valuable hotel partner and is an important contributor to our success, we are so thankful to our guests who take the time to provide such lovely feedback. Many guests comment that they booked us based on the positive reviews.”
That is a powerful message on the value of good reviews, indeed!
Allison continued: “Our staff look forward this award every year, they have such a vested interest in the hotel, it’s like a second home for many and we all treat it as our own. I think the quality of service is what sets us apart, the small size of the hotel allows us to go above and beyond to exceed the expectations of our guests.
“Our core values are exceptional service, respect and integrity, teamwork and passion and continuous improvement, these are what drive the team and are the backbone of the hotel. We are a unique property in Victoria in that we are a cross between a small luxury hotel and B&B, so we are able offer more personal service to our guests, they are like family and many have been staying with us for years.
Absolutely wonderful to read. Without a doubt, when you have great staff, they enable great experiences.
When we asked how Abigail’s will use the award in a promotional sense, Allison replied “We have already posted the award on our website, it will go out in our next newsletter and we will also display a copy in our lobby once we receive it.”
Finally we asked Allison what, if any impact GuestJoy has had in their operations and impact in being awarded Best of the Best.
Said Allison: “Guestjoy has played a huge part in securing the award, the number of reviews we are receiving has dramatically increased and we are once again ranked the #1 hotel in Victoria as a result.
“Guestjoy is so easy to use and has greatly improved guest relations and communication, we have found the announcement feature to be especially useful in advising guests of construction notices while we are expanding the hotel.
“The upsell feature has greatly increased add-on revenue and promote our complimentary services.
“Overall, switching to Guestjoy has been one of the best decisions in improving customer relations.”
Such pleasing words from such a well-respected hotel are indeed great to hear; we’re glad that we could have a positive impact!
But the real positive words come from the guests – let’s have a look at some of them now:
“Abigail’s hotel was just a lovely stay to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary. Super cute rooms and the breakfast was better than I was expecting. Would recommend for anyone wanting a unique, romantic, or quaint visit to Victoria”
“We loved Abigail’s. It looks great and is clean and well-maintained. The room was spacious and pretty — and it had a fireplace! They serve an amazing breakfast, and when you sit down at the table you can see the menu and a weather forecast — so helpful.
I cannot say enough about the friendliness, helpfulness and pleasantness of the staff from the second we got there to the moment we left. They did everything they could to make us feel special and enjoy our stay.”
“Judy and the entire staff from the front desk, to the kitchen staff and the housekeepers were very courteous, kind and just wonderful. Chef Gerald’s breakfast were some of the best we ever had. My wife and I were here for our honeymoon and we will definitely be back. this will be our home away from home, we felt like family and they treated us like royalty.”
Wow – absolutely glowing endorsements from many which really paint the picture as to why Abigail’s is so highly coveted! An incredible achievement!
Finally, we’re back in Europe to discover bigger isn’t always better when it comes to hotels!
Rated 4 in the Top 25 Top Small Stays – The Netherlands
Luxury Suites Amsterdam
“One of the finest Five-star boutique hotels in Amsterdam, where guests enjoy a luxurious and tailor-made stay.”
Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Website
Rated #10 of 419 hotels in Amsterdam
Ranking 5.0 🟢🟢🟢🟢🟢 based on 747 verified reviews
Luxury Suites Amsterdam, an exclusive luxury hotel based in an excellent location, is an earthly paradise with a breath-taking lavish interior and a delightful canal view.
Featuring 25 uniquely-styled suites, ranging in size from 50 and 90 square metres; all of which provide the perfect amenities to guarantee a luxurious stay.
We asked Wladimir Schrijver, General Manager of Luxury Suites what it meant to be listed as Best of the Best:
“First, I am extremely proud of my team! Being rated as the “Best of the best” is an honour and a challenge, but we are extremely grateful to our guests who made this happen.
“We are a small team and most of the team members are friends with each other.
“As a General Manager, I know all my staff by name and most private backgrounds. We have a very open working structure with short lines. This makes it a special place to work.”
Wladimir also talked about the value of supporting his team: “I believe in training and supporting my staff where and whenever I can. This way everyone is more flexible in connecting with our guests so guests experience the best stay in Amsterdam.”
When we asked how it felt, Wladimir replied “The Award really means a lot to us. In Dutch we would say: dit is de kers op de taart (it is the cherry on the pie). We work hard so some acknowledgment of that hard work is always nice to receive.
“Guests look and read the reviews. I also do the same before I travel somewhere. You always get a good impression of the property you will be staying.
“Of course, we will use this Award to promote ourselves on our own website, Facebook and Instagram.
About the partnership with GuestJoy, Wladimir stated “GuestJoy can make sure that guests enjoy a fast and speedy check-in. Also packages can be pre-booked to make their stay even more unforgettable. The whole package makes part of the great feeling our guests enjoy before arrival. We call it “pre-holiday-fun”.”
“Pre-holiday fun” – We love it! But so to do the guests love Luxury Suites. Take a look at some comments;
“I have traveled the world and found this to be the best hotel and staff I have ever experienced. Wonderful stay. Beautiful neighborhood. Excellent service and overlooking the canal. I would stay here anytime I am in Amsterdam. Thanks to the staff.”
“I’m thrilled to write this absolutely glowing review. I’ve travelled all over the world including Amsterdam a half dozen times. Luxury Suites is one of my favourite hotels anywhere. Everything about it is perfect. The location is ideal: on a quiet “island” close to the action yet calm. The staff could not be friendlier and more attentive. I almost feel they are like family. Peter the concierge is both super friendly and very professional. My room is spectacular: very large with double French doors opening to the sunshine. The cleaning staff does such an uutstanding job. Etc etc. You get the point. Just book this place and you will be happy.”
“We loved our short visit to Amsterdam, in part due to our wonderful stay at Luxury Suites. The breakfast was delicious and the staff went above and beyond with their helpfulness. Extra compliments to Olga who was so kind and helpful in selecting great restaurants for us to try. And, we were surprised coming back one night when birthday balloons and chocolates had been placed in our room, as we were celebrating a birthday during our stay. Excellent hotel”
This is indeed what it looks like when hotels go above and beyond. Huge congratulations to Luxury Suites Amsterdam for such stunning results!
Are Tripadvisor reviews like these important to your property?
Reading the reviews of other guests is still one of the biggest influences on a guest’s decision to book their stay at a property.
Good quality reviews are critical to your property’s reputation and performance!
Did you know?
All the Tripadvisor reviews / review excerpts published in this article were collected via GuestJoy!
With GuestJoy’s Feedback module, you can effortlessly boost the number of quality Tripadvisor reviews listed for your property. Watch your ranking and rating skyrocket, and you too can be a potential winner of a Traveller’s Choice award – maybe even Best of the Best!
Our Feedback module is just one part of the GuestJoy CRM for hotels.
If you want to know how we can transform your property, get in touch with us today 😉