Traveller Review Awards: over 1 million global partners recognized in 2021

Despite a challenging year for the entire industry, Booking.com partners demonstrated their dedication and resilience by consistently providing superior travel experiences for global travellers. This year, the ninth edition of our annual partner recognition awards recognised 1,147,344 partners - including accommodation and transport - across 220 countries and territories for their outstanding hospitality.

With so many incredible winners to highlight, the countries with the most winners in 2021 include Italy (151,801), Spain (81,341), France (77,687), Germany (63,829), Croatia (52,992), United Kingdom (48,649), Russian Federation (47,188), Poland (46,272) and the United States of America (43,572).

“As trips became fewer and further between, each and every trip meant more to travelers than ever before, and it has become even more important to celebrate the outstanding service that the Traveller Review Award winners displayed during a year like no other,” said Arjan Dijk, SVP and Chief Marketing Officer for Booking.com. “On our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, our partners play such an impactful role in delivering amazing experiences to travellers, and I know that with their tenacity, partnership and passion, we can rebuild travel together, and help more and more travelers to rediscover our beautiful world over time.”

Essential attributes of a great stay

Revealing insights into traveler preferences throughout the past year, this year’s awards uncovered that global travelers appreciate staff, cleanliness and location most when reviewing award-winning properties on the platform, with those attributes scoring highest among the categories that travelers rate following their stay. 

On average, winners had a cleanliness score that was 17% higher than the average cleanliness score for non-winners, highlighting that hygiene is a key component to great guest experiences, now more than ever. 

Homes, apartments and unique places remain top traveler favorites

Hotels remained the second most-awarded accommodation type globally for 2021, while, for the fourth consecutive year, four out of the five top-awarded accommodation types are unique places to stay: apartments (484,243), hotels (175,748), holiday homes (123,145), guesthouses (94,003), and bed and breakfasts (78,903). 

Bed and breakfasts, farm stays, country houses, inns and guest houses accounted for the most welcoming accommodation types, signalling just how memorable unique stay experiences are for travelers across the globe. With alternative accommodations making up 30% of all new bookings in the third quarter of 2020, unique stays is a trend that is likely to continue. 

Transport partners kept travelers moving

This year, 2,100 rental car pick-up locations available on Booking.com, which offers rental cars in 160 countries worldwide, have been awarded. The top-awarded car rental pick-up locations globally include Christchurch Airport (New Zealand), Coolangagtta Gold Coast Airport (Australia), Phuket Airport (Thailand), Queenstown Airport (New Zealand), Orlando International Airport (United States), Tenerife Airport North (Spain), Thessaloniki Airport (Greece), Santorini Airport (Greece), Paphos Airport (Greece) and Larnaca Airport (Cyprus). Airport taxis, which are available in over 800 destinations globally, are also being recognized for their outstanding service, with 2,830 drivers across 18 providers winning Traveller Review Awards.