The Leading Hotels of the World

PHOTO: The Leading Hotels of the World branding courtesy of The Leading Hotels of the World

Other than coming up with the funds for travel, the biggest concern for most travelers seems to be "Where am I going to stay?" After all, the flights to far-flung destinations focuses less on airline loyalty; the service in business class; or even the free amenities such as in-flight entertainment. The bottomline for booking flights inevitably focuses on "What is the cheapest flight?"

Yet, one area of travel ripe for exploration is over-night accomodations.

When in college, the accomodations were focused on staying with friends or at hostels. Life, back then, was easier and simpler and freer. Everything was just a grand adventure -- plus, there was less concern about personal safety and individual liberty. It was all about exploring!

Then, as time brought forth bigger paychecks, i.e. budgets, and bigger expectations, over-night accomodations became the easiest arena to move up in price-points. Heavenly beds. Grand anchor restaurants. Expensive toiletries. Quadruple-head showers. Two person bathtubs. After all, one night at the Four Seasons won't kill a budget as much as First Class on Korean Air.

Still it's incredibly difficult to wade through the copious data and online reviews to find consistent metrics for analysis. A hotel brand, like the Mandarin Oriental, can vary widely depending upon the age of the property. Whereas, other hotel brands such as the Rosewood sits at a price-point even beyond the most extraordinary travel. Therefore, it is always helpful to be able to rely upon a company to assist in identify what hotels in the world are worth going to -- and spending all those precious currencies.

In this connundrum steps in my newest travel resource : The Leading Hotels of the World.

LHW is comprised of over 400 hotels in 80 countries each with a flawless reputation for exceptional service. Elegant and luxurious, any hotel under this umbrella is synonymous with breathtaking architectural beauty. I am particularly looking forward to working with LWH to identify hotels in one of my newest assignments: identify all the forgotten cities of Europe. This will be a fun assignment!

Here's to 365 days of beautiful living!