Starwood Customers Pick Their Favorite Hotels

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.

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Starwood boasts a network of more than 1,200 hotels in 100 countries. Which are the most popular? Not necessarily those with the highest occupancy rate, although they could be. And not necessarily the best deals, although they might be that as well. Simply the most popular, in the sense that travelers would be most likely to return for another stay or recommend them to friends.

Starwood’s just-released “2015 Member Favorite Hotels & Resorts” has answers. The report lists the top 30 Starwood properties according to a combination of hotel-survey feedback, SPG Ratings and Reviews (Starwood’s own TripAdvisor-like rating system), and the popularity of hotels for Starwood Preferred Guest free-night redemptions.

Seven of the 30 are in the U.S.:

Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne, North Carolina
Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel, Pennsylvania
Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North, Texas
The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort, Florida
Four Points by Sheraton Midtown – Times Square, New York
The St. Regis New York, New York
The Canyon Suites at The Phoenician, Arizona

No surprise to see the two St. Regis hotels, in New York and Bal Harbor, and the Canyon Suites at The Phoenician getting the love. But the Element at DFW Airport? And the Aloft in Charlotte? Gems hiding in plain sight, apparently.

There are surprises elsewhere, as well. In Europe, there are two hotels in both Italy and Spain, but none in London, Paris, or Rome. In the Middle East, all four of the most popular properties are in Dubai. And in Asia, the list includes three hotels in China but none in Japan.

While obviously a self-serving project on Starwood’s part, the list is worth a look, especially for the lesser-known hotels in unexpected locations. Some of which might be not only popular, but good deals as well.

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This article originally appeared on FrequentFlier.com.

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