NEEDHAM, MA - TripAdvisor, the leading travel research site, today announced the 2004 hotels included in its annual TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice list. Using its proprietary Hotel Popularity Index, each year TripAdvisor ranks the top hotels across six continents, based on the quantity and quality of information found on the Internet. A new category has been added this year to the list: Top Bed & Breakfasts in the United States.

The TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice list is based on the wealth of online travel information collected by TripAdvisor. Articles, TripAdvisor.com member reviews written by the over 10 million worldwide visitors each month, guidebook listings and web comments all factor into a hotel's ranking. The more positive information published on the web about a hotel, the higher the hotel's ranking.

"The Traveler's Choice list represents what savvy travelers and we at TripAdvisor recognize as key: having a great vacation is not just about price but about the right hotel - with the perfect location, service, amenities - at the right price," said Christine Petersen, VP marketing at TripAdvisor. "These are the hotels that our members say are simply the best."

The TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Overall Hotel List for 2004:

• United States: JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa & Golf, Las Vegas*
• Canada: Hotel Gault, Montreal
• Mexico: Ritz-Carlton Cancun, Cancun
• Caribbean: The Caves, Negril, Jamaica
• Europe: Hotel Lancaster, Paris, France
• Asia and South Pacific: Peninsula Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
• Central and South Americas: Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica, Prov. Of Guanacaste, Costa Rica
• United States Bed and Breakfasts: Nassau House, Key West, Florida

The TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice Hotel List for 2004 within Top Regions:

• Chicago: Sofitel Chicago Water Tower
• Honolulu: Halekulani Hotel
• Las Vegas: JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort, Spa & Golf*
• Miami Beach: Pelican Hotel
• New Orleans: Homewood Suites New Orleans
• New York City: Sofitel New York
• Orlando: The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes
• San Diego: Hilton San Diego Gaslamp Quarter*
• San Francisco: Mandarin Oriental Hotel
• Washington, DC: Willard InterContinental Washington*

United States Bed & Breakfasts:

• Charlottesville: Foxfield Inn
• Hilo: Waterfalls Inn Bed and Breakfast
• Key West: Nassau House
• Napa: Candlelight Inn
• New Orleans: 1896 O'Malley House Bed and Breakfast
• Santa Fe: Inn of the Five Graces
• Savannah: Ballastone Inn
• Seekonk: Historic Jacob Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast
• Traverse City: Country Hermitage Bed and Breakfast
• Williams: Legacies Bed and Breakfast

Canada:

• Montreal: Hotel Gault
• Niagara Falls: Renaissance Fallsview Hotel
• Vancouver: Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel

Mexico:

• Acapulco: Las Brisas Acapulco
• Cabo San Lucas: The Bungalows Hotel
• Cancun: Ritz-Carlton Cancun
• Guadalajara: Hotel Cervantes
• Playa del Carmen: Kailuum ii, Playa del Carmen
• Puerto Vallarta : Four Seasons Punta Mita
• San Miguel de Allende: Casa Luna Hotel

Caribbean:

• Havana: NH Parque Central Hotel
• Negril: The Caves
• Ocho Rios: Jamaica Inn
• Oranjestad: Golden Tulip Bucuti Beach Resort
• Paradise Island: One & Only Ocean Club
• Puerto Plata: Iberostar Costa Dorada
• St. Kitts: Marriott St Kitts Royal Resort

Europe:

• Barcelona: The Hotel Arts Barcelona
• Dublin: Merrion Hotel
• London: Cranley Hotel
• Madrid: Villa Real Hotel
• Munich: Mandarin Oriental - Munich
• Paris: Hotel Lancaster
• Prague: Four Seasons Prague
• Rome: Hotel Santa Maria
• Venice: San Clemente Palace

Asia & South Pacific:

• Auckland: Crowne Plaza Auckland
• Bangkok: The Peninsula - Bangkok
• Beijing: The Peninsula Palace Beijing
• Bora Bora: Hotel Bora Bora
• Hong Kong: Peninsula Hong Kong
• Sydney: The Observatory Hotel
• Tokyo: Park Hyatt Tokyo

Central & South Americas:

• Boquete, Panama: La Montana y el Valle, Coffee Estate Inn
• Buenos Aires: Alvear Palace Hotel
• Prov. of Guanacaste, Costa Rica: Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica
• Rio de Janeiro: Copacabana Palace Hotel
• Santiago: Hotel Orly
• *Also on 2003 Traveler's Choice List

Methodology

• TripAdvisor's proprietary search technology continuously scours the web for articles, reviews and opinions published on various travel topics including hotel properties
• TripAdvisor.com's 10 million members rate and write reviews on 100,000 hotel properties worldwide
• TripAdvisor assigns each hotel a "popularity index" based on the quantity and quality of data
• TripAdvisor then ranks the hotels in each city and then region based on their web popularity score

Full results