On October 30th we were invited to the World Boutique Hotel Awards 2015 in London where we won the award for South Asia’s Best Honeymoon Villa. The journey up to the ceremony was challenging, however nevertheless it was worth it. The following notes are by Edward Gabbai, Director and Founder of the World Boutique Hotel Awards.

The philosophy behind the Boutique Hotel Awards

Many decades ago, luxury travellers preferred to stick to the safety that a global hotel chain provided. The decision is understandable since certain standards would be guaranteed: the standard of food, number of square feet in a suite or swimming pool, even the interior design. All would be repeated exactly, no matter where the location. Whilst this had its advantages, it left little room for imagination or flair.

The advent of the Internet has provided transparency in standards. This, together with the increasing discernment that luxury travellers have developed, has led many to seek hotels that offer integrity, individuality and character to their guests in addition to the standards of luxury they desire. Our Awards are the world’s first and only accolades dedicated exclusively to luxury boutique properties, providing a global arena in which hotels can showcase their unique excellence. Above all, the World Boutique Hotel Awards looks for hotels that are undeniably, irrefutably unique.

How we judge our award winners

We start by conducting a thorough interview with a hotel’s manager or owner. The questions are tailored to each hotel, since most (or the good ones at least) are very different. We have a collection of well-traveled judges, often with expertise in a field closely linked to the award category they review, that visit each shortlisted hotel. We believe it is of the utmost importance that each hotel shortlisted for one of our awards is reviewed in person, with the judge staying exactly as a guest would do.

No matter how detailed your research, there’s no substitute for personally experiencing what a hotel has to offer and meeting the people behind it. Elements of design and concept, dining, facilities, location and service are included in the review they perform. That said, we primarily look to gauge the emotional journey, focusing more on the feel achieved by a hotel rather than using strict quotas or standards in our judging. Our panel then meets once all the hotels have been evaluated to pour over the reviews and other research gathered by our team to decide upon the winners.

Edward Gabbai
Director and Founder
World Boutique Hotel Awards