Well, it's that time of year again...ratings season. Mobil just released their four and five star assignments. You can read the entire list here. Here's a scorecard...
Five Star- 32 total
Indie's 15
Four Seasons 8
Ritz 5
Penninsula 2
Raffles 1
St. Regis 1
Four Star- 119 total
Indie's 64
Ritz 23
Four Seasons 15
Mandarin 5
St. Regis 4
Park Hyatt 3
Others 5
Overall, the indie's claimed 52% of the ratings...that's very impressive. The big franchise winner is Ritz at 39% of chain rated hotels. Although, if you're aiming for five star and are in love with chains, go with Four Seasons who earned almost half (47%) of the five star ratings for chain properties.
All in all, independents remain at the top. I dont think that's going to change. What say you?