TOP 25 HOTELS FOR MEETINGS IN 2013
This week, the Top 100 Hotels for Meetings and Events in 2013 were announced by CVENT – the online marketplace where meeting and event planners search for meeting and event hotels/venues. (AHR Site Selection does all this hard work for Meeting and Event Planners at no cost.)

The top three largest hotel groups  for meetings and events were Marriott Hotels, Hyatt Hotels and Hilton Hotels with  - a total of fiftyfour hotels on the Top 100 list. 

Florida has the largest number of hotels for meetings on the list, California has the second greatest number of meeting hotels and Illinois is next of the top states. 

Here are the Top 25 Hotels for Meetings and Events in 2013:
1. Hyatt Regency Chicago - Chicago IL

2. Hyatt Regency Orlando - Orlando FL

3. The Venetian & Palazzo Resort, Hotel & Casinos - Las Vegas NV

4. ARIA Resort & Casino - Las Vegas NV

5. Hyatt Regency Atlanta - Atlanta GA

6. Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center - Nashville TN

7. Hilton Anatole - Dallas TX

8. Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center - Grapevine TX

9. The Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa - Hollywood FL

10. Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile - Chicago IL

11. The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa - Scottsdale AZ

12. Sheraton Dallas - Dallas TX

13. Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers - Chicago IL

14. Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel - Denver CO

15. Swissotel Chicago - Chicago IL

16. Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego - San Diego CA

17. Hilton Baltimore - Baltimore MD

18. Bellagio Hotel & Casino - Las Vegas NV

19. Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel - Phoenix AZ

20. Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center - National Harbor MD

21. JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa - Phoenix AZ

22. Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek - Orlando FL

23. Atlanta Marriott Marquis - Atlanta GA

24. Palmer House Hilton Hotel - Chicago IL

25. Loews Miami Beach Hotel - Miami FL

Busy Meeting and Event Planners who don’t have time to sort through data, and need the help of a cheerful human to plan events and find locations can call AHR for free, expert hotel site selection for their next meeting. We help Meeting Planners determine the best cities and hotel properties for events and meetings 24/7/365 - that's all we've done for 22 years so we're pretty good at it. Our clients think so too - testimonials.

A new study shows dropping price won’t overcome bad online reviews at Trip Advisor, Yelp and other review sites; If your online reviews are negative - guests won’t even consider you. Period. 

New research from SAS and The Pennsylvania State University, shows that reviews trump price. In fact, negative reviews will eliminate hotels from consideration - regardless of any low prices.

The Top Observations:
Reviews and price are most influential
Hotel reviews contributed the most to consumer decisions, followed by price.

Negative reviews remove hotels from the running
Consumers will trade a lower price for a hotel with better reviews.

Dropping the price won't help
WIth negative reviews, your hotel is removed from the consumer's considerations, period

All other things equal, consumers still prefer a low price
Hotels need to pay attention to their reviews compared to competitors when setting rates.

Consumers only notice high ratings and rankings
The content and language of reviews doesn't matter – only that reviews are negative or positive.

In a nutshell, getting getting hotel guests is no longer just a matter of low prices. With the advent of social media, hotel reviews travel as fast as they're formed. Guest opinions are broadcast on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube, websites and message boards for the whole world to see and share.

See the whole article here.