Showing posts with label TripAdvisor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TripAdvisor. Show all posts

Thursday, 25 June 2015

Two Turkish destinations are in TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice 2015

The top 25 TripAdvisor destinations in the world for 2015 include three in Muslim countries.

Source: TripAdvisor website. Istanbul.

Turkey is the only country with two locations listed, Istanbul (no. 3) and Goreme (no. 14) while no. 24 is Dubai, UAE.

If visiting Istanbul, TripAdvisor recommends visiting the Suleymaniye Mosque, the Kariye Museum, and the Sultanahmet District.

Goreme is well known for the Goreme National ParkZemi Valley and the Goreme Open-Air Museum.



And for Dubai, TripAdvisor reviewers say not to miss the Dubai FountainsSheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, and the Burj Al Arab.

Interested?

Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Visit Langkawi for some of the best hotels in Malaysia

Four of the top 10 hotels that received TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards in 2015 for Malaysia are on the island of Langkawi, while two of the top 10 are Shangri-La properties (a third ranks no. 11). Here's a look at the top 10:

Source: TripAdvisor website. The Danna Langkawi Malaysia.

  1. The Danna Langkawi Malaysia, Pantai Kok, rated 5 out of 5 in 1,777 reviews. It is rated 'excellent' by 1,508 of those reviews, with a further 203 calling the hotel 'very good'.
  2. Casa Del Mar Langkawi, Pantai Cenang
  3. The Datai Langkawi
  4. The Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
  5. Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu
  6. Traders Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
  7. Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur
  8. Sama-Sama Hotel, Sepang
  9. Four Seasons Resort, Langkawi
  10. The Majestic Malacca, Melaka
Interested?

View the TripAdvisor top 25 hotels for Malaysia

Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Taj Mahal, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre and Hagia Sofia Museum among top landmarks globally

TripAdvisor's Travelers' Choice for the top 25 landmarks include three with Islamic history:

Source: Taj Mahal website.

Ranked no. 3 is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. The memorial, built by the 5th Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666) to house the grave of his wife Mumtaz Mahal (also named Arjumand Banu Begum, 1593 - 1631), is considered the best of example of Mughal architecture, which combines elements from Persian, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It received an 'excellent' rating from 8,807 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,329 reviewers, out of a total of 10,515 reviews.

Source: the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre website.

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre in Abu Dhabi, the UAE is no. 4. The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque is visible from the three main bridges connecting Abu Dhabi island to the mainland, and aims to highlight the heritage of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The late Sheikh, first President of the UAE, is buried beside the mosque. It received an 'excellent' rating from 7,269 TripAdvisor  reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 1,037 reviewers, out of a total of 8,476 reviews.

Source: Hagia Sophia Museum website.

At no. 15 is the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul, Turkey. This building was first used as a church for 916 years, then converted into a mosque following the conquest of Istanbul by Fatih Sultan Mehmed. The Hagia Sophia remained a mosque for 482 years and was turned into a museum by the order of Atatürk and the Council of Ministers in 1935. It received an 'excellent' rating from 1,302 TripAdvisor reviewers, and a 'very good' rating from another 3,821 reviewers, out of a total of 17,957 reviews.

Interested?

View TripAdvisor's top 25 landmarks

Thursday, 4 June 2015

Holiday Inn Dubai - Al Barsha enters TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame

The Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha has been recognised as a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame winner. The Certificate of Excellence award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.

The Hall of Fame was created to honour those businesses that have earned a Certificate of Excellence for five consecutive years. While the hotel was recognised this year, two of its restaurants have also won TripAdvisor awards: The Royal Budha for Fine Dining – Thai and the Gharana  for Casual Dining – Indian. 

Roxana Jaffer, CEO at Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, thanked all past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence,” she said.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honourees that takes into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

Need context?

Read the Suroor Asia blog post about other hotels in Muslim countries which have won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence.

Monday, 1 June 2015

TripAdvisor accolades single out the best hotels

Source: TripAdvisor website.

A number of hotels in Asia Pacific and the Middle East have received accolades from their visitors via TripAdvisor. The Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers has received a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence award this year, for instance.

“Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for the entire team at Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers and we’d like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor,” said Akhmad Fadholi, General Manager at Sheraton Bandung Hotel & Towers.

“There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by one’s customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.”

A TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence has also been awarded to the Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel, recognising its popularity with guests and quality product and service.

According to Hartmut Grauel, General Manager of the Coral Beirut Al Hamra Hotel, the Certificate of Excellence reflects a team effort and demonstrates the commitment of staff to the true spirit of hospitality. “Our major objective is to make every guest feel welcome, and the high level of positive comments received on TripAdvisor demonstrates how much they appreciate this warmth, as well as other benefits of the hotel such as a convenient central location in Beirut, spacious rooms, private parking and free Internet access,” he said.

Now in its fifth year, the award celebrates excellence in hospitality and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve great reviews on TripAdvisor. An establishment that receives a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for the fifth consecutive year is inducted into the travel website’s Hall of Fame.

The Grand Millennium Dubai has just entered the Hall of Fame, one of only 9% of restaurants, attractions and accommodation providers in 2015 to do so. According to General Manager of the Grand Millennium Dubai, Peter Mansourian, this latest accolade from TripAdvisor was a bonus during a busy year for the team at the hotel: “With a revamp of our restaurant offerings, plus further competition from new accommodation opening up in Dubai, we have had to strive to be at the top of our game,” he said.

“Winning the 2015 Certificate of Excellence for the fifth time – and joining the Hall of Fame – is excellent news and demonstrates we are providing service with a smile for our guests as well as a product that delivers everything they require, whether visiting Dubai on business or leisure.”

Certificate of Excellence winners include accommodations, eateries and attractions located all over the world that have continually delivered a superior customer experience.

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that take into account the quality, quantity and recency of reviews and opinions submitted by travellers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period as well as business’s tenure and ranking on the Popularity Index on the site. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and must have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.

"TripAdvisor is pleased to honour exceptional hospitality businesses that have received consistent praise and recognition by travellers on the site,” said Marc Charron, President, TripAdvisor for Business. “By putting a spotlight on businesses that are focused on delivering great service to customers, TripAdvisor not only helps drive increasing hospitality standards around the world, it also gives businesses both large and small the ability to shine and stand out from the competition.”

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel website with 45 sites in 28 languages. It features more than 225 million reviews and opinions on nearly five million hotels and other accommodation, restaurants and attractions.

Monday, 15 September 2014

Museum of Islamic Art is no. 1 attraction in Qatar for 2014

The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha has announced that it is the number one attraction in Qatar on Tripadvisor. The organisation has received a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for another year. 


Source: MIA.

According to the museum, there have been over 1,200 reviews written by visitors since the museum opened in 2008. The vast majority of visitors have scored the museum as either 'Very Good' (308) or 'Excellent' (806), complimenting both the architecture and the collections on display.

Some quotes from August have included "a pleasure for the heart, eyes, and mind," and "breathtaking view, artifacts stunningly displayed".

The Visitor Services staff at the MIA welcome feedback in person or on Tripadvisor.

Thursday, 19 June 2014

TripAdvisor identifies top Islamic landmarks through Travelers' Choice awards

Two of the world's top 10 landmarks in the top three have an Islamic background, according to TripAdvisor, the travel site.

The company has announced its Travelers’ Choice awards for Attractions, highlighting the top landmarks and parks around the globe. In the second year of the awards for these categories, 929 winners were identified.

Top 10 World Landmarks:
2. Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE
3. Taj Mahal, Agra, India

"Grand is an understatement. The architecture, the white marble and the beautifully maintained green gardens are stunning," reads a comment on the Tripadvisor site about Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, rated the no. 2 attraction in the world and the top attraction in the Middle East.

No. 4 on the top ten list for the Middle East is Masjid an-Nabi in Medina, Saudi Arabia, and at no. 8 is the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman. 

Sultan Qaboos mosque, or the Grand Mosque, in Muscat, Oman has one of the
largest carpets in the world.

Travelers’ Choice awards honour top travel spots worldwide based on the millions of valuable reviews and opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined using an algorithm that took into account the quantity and quality of reviews for landmark and park attractions worldwide, gathered over a 12-month period.

"TripAdvisor travelers have helped identify some of the best attractions around the globe,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “These award-winning landmarks and parks are an ideal starting point for taking in the world’s must-see sights.”

See the full list of Travelers' Choice awards here.