SYDNEY, Australia – May 22, 2014 - TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the 2014 Certificate of Excellence award recipients. A total of 5,514 hospitality businesses across Australia have been awarded this year. Now in its fourth year, the award celebrates hospitality excellence and is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website. As of this year, vacation rentals are now eligible to receive the Certificate of Excellence.

The Certificate of Excellence award is given to outstanding hospitality businesses that have received praise and recognition in reviews by TripAdvisor travellers. Winners of the prestigious award include accommodations, eateries and attractions of all sizes. 

The ranking of Australia’s states with Certificate of Excellence Winners is as follows: 

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honour exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence,” said Avril Carter, TripAdvisor Territory Manager, Business Listings Australasia. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers. From Australia to Zimbabwe, we want to applaud exceptional hospitality businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”

“Mantra Group is honoured that so many of our Peppers, Mantra and BreakFree hotels have earned the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Kent Davidson, Executive Director – Sales, Marketing & Distribution at Mantra Group. “There is no greater seal of approval than being recognised by our customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our continued business success and commitment to service excellence.”

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honourees that takes into account reviews ratings.  Businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five. Volume and recency of reviews, as well as a business’ tenure and popularity ranking are also factored into the algorithm.

According to a recent PhoCusWright study of 12,225 respondents from around the world, TripAdvisor awards can tip the scale for businesses and help set them apart from their competitors: 65 percent of respondents are more likely to book hotels that receive awards from TripAdvisor.

Winning properties can showcase their success a number of ways, including displaying the Certificate of Excellence at their establishment, displaying the award on their website or by promoting the achievement locally.

For more information on the Certificate of Excellence program as well as access to promotional services and tips for successful PR campaigns, please visit the TripAdvisor Management Center.

*According to PhoCusWright’s “Custom Survey Research Engagement,” prepared for TripAdvisor. December 2013.