Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) is delighted to announce continued growth of the brand, with 21 new properties joining from July to September 2012, totaling 51 new properties in 2012 to date. These additions include nine new properties in Europe and the Middle East, seven in the Americas and five in Asia Pacific in the third quarter of 2012. The EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) region's Efendi Hotel in Acre's historic old town is the first hotel in Israel to join SLH. The region also saw three new properties in Portugal join the brand, highlighting the continued growth of member hotels here, with a total of ten Portuguese properties.
SLH has also experienced a strong third quarter 2012 in their online business. In addition to the brand's expanding collection, SLH has placed a specific focus on the online development portion of the business notably with a review section recently launched at www.slh.com. SLH reports revenues totalling nearly $80 million YTD, a 6% growth when compared to the same period in 2011, and a 6% increase in reservations.
"Summer business was buoyant for us, and I am confident that part of our success has been down to the importance we are placing on our website, social media and online business. Interestingly, the number of web visitors accessing the site through smart phones and iPads has doubled in 2012 YTD, from 18% in 2012 compared with 9% in 2011, showing a growing trend that we in the travel business must respond to," comments Paul Kerr, Chief Executive Officer, SLH.
Below is a sampling of the new properties in the SLH portfolio from July to September 2012:
• The Efendi Hotel, Israel
• Cordée des Alpes, Switzerland
• Antiqpalace Hotel & Spa, Slovenia
• Alentejo Marmoris Resort, Portugal
• Hotel El Lodge, Sierra Nevada, Spain
• Trout Point Lodge of Nova Scotia, Kemptville, Canada
• The Inn at English Harbour, English Harbour, Antigua
• Royal Isabela, Puerto Rico
• Mukul Luxury Resort & Spa, Playa Manzanillo, Nicaragua
• Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang, Vietnam
• Sankara Hotel & Spa Yakushima, Yakushima, Japan
• Princess D'An Nam Resort & Spa, Ke Ga Bay, Vietnam
• Unzen Kanko Hotel, Unzen, Japan
About Small Luxury Hotels of the World: The Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world's finest small independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World offers only the very best. Reservations can be made at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World property online at www.slh.com, via the free SLH iPhone app or by contacting your favourite travel agent. You can also call a Small Luxury Hotels of the World reservations office; to view a listing by country please click here: http://www.slh.com/contact-us/.
