NEWTON, Mass., May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced that it is awarding highly rated accommodations, restaurants and attractions with the 2012 Certificate of Excellence Award. The accolade, which honors hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Approximately 10 percent of accommodations listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award.

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To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

"TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional businesses for consistent excellence, as reviewed by travelers on the site," said Christine Petersen, President, TripAdvisor for Business. "The Certificate of Excellence Award gives highly rated establishments around the world the recognition they deserve. From exceptional accommodations in Beijing to remarkable restaurants in Boston, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travelers a great customer experience."

Certificate of Excellence honorees can showcase their achievement in multiple ways, including prominently displaying their certificate that they will receive in the coming weeks, exhibiting an award widget on their business's website, and celebrating their award with a press release. The array of promotional items can be downloaded through the TripAdvisor Management Center.

"Best Western is honored that so many of our hotels have earned the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence," said Dorothy Dowling, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales, Best Western International. "We're proud to have more than 1,000 winning hotels around the world. TripAdvisor awards are highly regarded by travelers and our staff alike, because they reflect the opinions of the people who matter most: our guests."

The Certificate of Excellence program does not replace the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® Awards, but is an extension of TripAdvisor's recognition of highly rated businesses, as reviewed by travelers on the world's largest travel site.

For more information and materials on the Certificate of Excellence program, as well as other resources to help businesses engage with travelers, please visit the TripAdvisor Management Center at http://www.tripadvisor.com/Owners.

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, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 69 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor's travel media brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com,
www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, January 2012

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, January 2012

©2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor