The Luxury Institute unveiled the top-rated luxury hotel brands in the 2009 Luxury Brand Status Index survey.
For the third year in a row, consumers rated Small Luxury Hotels of the World the Best of the Best among 22 luxury hotel brands.
Small Luxury Hotels of the World swept top rankings in all four components of the LBSI and received the highest scores.
The LBSI asks consumers to rate luxury brands according to four equally weighted components: Consistently Superior Quality, Uniqueness and Exclusivity, Making the Customer Feel Special Across the Entire Experience and Being Consumed by People Who Are Admired and Respected.
The Best of the Best are Small Luxury Hotels of the World, 8.54 (out of 10); Peninsula, 8.31; and Ritz-Carlton, 8.26.
"A paradox is occurring in today's luxury marketplace," said Milton Pedraza, CEO of the Luxury Institute. "As wealthy consumers have cut back, many luxury brands have also cut back, unfortunately, on the great experiences they were known to deliver. Yes, economics are really important, but delivering an extraordinary customer experience is critical."
He said that all top-three brands in this year's survey have been consistently rated in the top three for several years.
"That kind of culture and consistency tells us that these three brands are committed to providing the optimal luxury experience long-term," said Pedraza.
Results were culled from an online survey -- a national sample of 1,505 U.S. consumers with average, weighted household income of $343,000 and $3.2 million in household net worth.
Visit the Luxury Institute website at www.luxuryinstitute.com.