Three lesser-known Spanish hotel chains are favoured among guests as the best international hotel brands, beating out some big names such as Hilton and Holiday Inn, a new Which? survey has revealed.
Iberostar, Paradores and RIU came joint-first in a table ranking international hotel brands based on a survey carried out by 2,000 Which? members.
The lowest-scoring brand overall is French-owned Campanile, which received an overall customer score of just 57 per cent.
The survey asked people about their experiences staying at international hotel brands in the past year, receiving responses for 37 chains.
Respondents were asked to rate their stays out of five stars across 10 criteria, including cleanliness, bed comfort, customer service and value for money.
A customer score was then calculated based on overall satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the brand.
While Iberostar was originally founded by a family of artisan shoemakers from Mallorca, today the hotel chain has more than 100 four and five-star hotels across Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Iberostar offers beachfront, city and heritage hotels, as well as their own luxury line JOIA, with the brand receiving four or five stars across all categories, culminating in an 85 per cent customer score.
Many respondents said they would be eager to return and praised the hotels’ “first class” customer service and “beautiful” grounds.
Also with an 85 per cent customer score overall was RIU, another family business with roots in Mallorca.
RIU received five stars for its locations, which range from a private island in the Maldives to an all-inclusive family resort in Gran Canaria.
Its food and drink offerings also received five stars from guests, and the entire experience was described as “fabulous”, “exceptional” and “excellent”.
The third hotel brand to tie in first place in Paradores, with a score of 85 per cent. It provides state-run Spanish hotels in some impressive buildings, including restored castles, palaces and monasteries.
The brand received a run of five and four-star ratings, with visitors noting the “excellent service, excellent food, and fantastic buildings”.
At the other end of the Which? list is Campanile, whose hotels are often found near airports…
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