NEWTON, Mass., May 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the 2014 Certificate of Excellence award recipients. Nearly 58,000 U.S. hospitality businesses 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 traveler 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.

Winners of the prestigious award include accommodations, eateries and attractions of all sizes. As of this year, vacation rentals are now eligible to receive the Certificate of Excellence.

Top 10 U.S. Cities with the Highest Number of Certificate of Excellence Winners:

"TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence," said Marc Charron, president of TripAdvisor for Business. "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 travelers a great customer experience."

"We are proud of all the Best Western properties that earn the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence each year," said Dorothy Dowling, senior vice president, marketing and sales, Best Western International. "This prestigious award represents the candid feedback of travelers and is a testament to the amazing experiences we offer our guests."

When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees 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 more than 12,000 respondents from around the world, TripAdvisor awards 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 hospitality businesses looking for more information about 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.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching nearly 260 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 4 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 39 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 22 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, Q1 2014

**Source: Google Analytics, average monthly unique users, Q1 2014; does not include traffic to daodao.com

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SOURCE TripAdvisor