The Research Library · Original Data
Hotel Research & Original Data
The studies we build from our own scored catalogue, gathered in one place. Evidence first, marketing language last.
The studies we build from our own scored catalogue, gathered in one place. Evidence first, marketing language last.
This page collects the research Hotels for Kings produces from its own data: a price index spanning 2,219 scored hotels across 293 destinations, a fact-checked record of hotel superlatives, and scored rankings by city and category. Each study links the scoring method behind it, so you can see how a verdict was reached rather than take it on faith.
Treat these studies as a second opinion, not a shopping list. Start with the price index to set a fair expectation for what a destination costs, then use a scored city or category ranking to see which properties clear our bar, and read the methodology if a verdict surprises you.
If you are setting a budget: the Luxury Hotel Price Index shows entry-level from-rates by destination, so you can tell a genuinely expensive city from a merely famous one before you start comparing hotels.
If you are choosing between properties: the scored city studies and the spa and safari rankings each give a verdict with the three sub-scores visible, so a strong location can't quietly paper over thin service.
If you want to check a claim: Hotel World Records sources every superlative, and Awards & Rankings Explained shows which accolades are earned and which are effectively paid placements.
Our data is a snapshot, not a live feed. Rates are entry-level from-prices verified at publication and exclude tax; they move with season and availability, so a figure here is a guide to order of magnitude, not the number you will see at checkout.
We score what editors can stand behind. The catalogue skews toward properties we have stayed in or assessed in depth, so a hotel's absence from a ranking is not a verdict against it. We also draw a clear line on wellness: a study can credit a spa's programme, practitioners and facilities, but we do not repeat medical or curative claims a property cannot substantiate. Where a number can't be verified, we leave it out rather than estimate.
Short answers to what readers and editors ask most about the research, how it is built, how current it is, and how to cite it.
Studies built from our own scored catalogue rather than re-summaries of press releases: a price index covering 2,219 hotels across 293 destinations, a verified hotel world-records page, scored city rankings, and category studies such as the world's best spa hotels and African safari lodges. Each links the scoring methodology behind it.
The Luxury Hotel Price Index draws on 2,219 scored hotels across 293 destinations, with entry-level nightly rates verified at publication and excluding tax. Figures change as the catalogue grows and seasons shift, so each study shows the date its data was current.
Every hotel is scored out of ten on three dimensions, Room and Design, Service, and Location, by editors who have stayed or assessed the property within the last 24 months for top-tier listings. The full method, including how conflicts are disclosed, is on our methodology page.
Yes. The research is published to be referenced. Please attribute figures to Hotels for Kings and link the specific study, since rate and tier data are dated snapshots rather than live numbers.
Data studies are refreshed when the underlying figures move materially, typically on a seasonal cadence, and each page carries a visible last-updated date so you can judge how current it is.
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