Traveler's Choice 2012

Belize’s Rainforest and Reef resorts are the Travellers’ Choice Having half its member resorts recently listed among the top 25 hotels in all of Central America by a major travel website shows how cooperation results in customer satisfaction, Rainforest & Reef Resorts of Belize member Lucy Fleming said. Ms Fleming and her husband Mick own The Lodge at Chaa Creek in Belize, one of the resorts selected by Trip Advisor readers as the Travellers’ Choice 25 Top Hotels in the Central America region for 2012. Trip Advisor

is a major travel website that posts reviews, opinions and news submitted by a large number of travellers from around the world. According to its website, “TripAdvisor's travel community has written millions of reviews describing their best and worst vacations, so you can decide where to go and what to avoid.” Ms Fleming said that because Trip Advisor’s content is primarily user-generated, it is highly trusted by travellers, and that the Travellers’ Choiceawards are respected by travellers worldwide and widely recognised and sought after in the global tourism industry. “To have three of our Rainforest & Reef Resorts selected as among 25 of the best hotels in the entire Central America region is a real honour, and goes to show that individual resorts cooperating to ensure customer satisfaction works, even in a highly competitive industry such as ours,” she said. The Lodge at Chaa Creek, Hamanasi Adventure and Dive Resort and the Phoenix Resort of San Pedro are members of Rainforest & Reef Resorts of Belize who made this year’s list. Ms Fleming said it was also significant that eleven of the 25 Top trip advisor hotels were Belizean resorts. “When you consider that out of all of Central America, encompassing Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rice, Panama and El Salvador, that close to half of the 25 best hotels are Belizean, and take into account Belize’s small size, well, that really says something about our tourism industry. “And then to have three of our small group of Rainforest and Reef Resorts included in that list makes us very happy and shows that, as a group, we’re doing something right.” Ms Fleming explained that Rainforest & Reef Resorts of Belize came together as a means to maximise visitors’ experience in Belize by making it easy to explore the inland rainforests with their many Maya temples and archaeological sites along with Caribbean Sea attractions in one visit. “At the end of the day it’s all about customer satisfaction, and by working together to match our guests with the right tour packages, resorts and locations we get a very high level of customer satisfaction. This is one reason why half of our members are in the top 25 resorts in all of Central America,” Ms Fleming said, adding that the Trip Advisor recognition is particularly important as world attention focuses on Central America’s rich Maya history and culture during 2012. “Great online word of mouth is invaluable with so many people becoming interested in our unique ability to combine rainforest, Maya and Caribbean beach experiences during 2012,” she said.