Cape Town, 8 June 2016 – Protea Hotels, which includes African Pride Hotels, announced today that its hotels have once again received Certificates of Excellence from travel site TripAdvisor® as well as a prestigious Travellers’ Choice Award.

Now in its sixth year, the Certificate of Excellence Awards celebrate hospitality businesses that have been consistently rated the best over the past year by travellers in reviews on TripAdvisor, which is the world’s largest online travel site.

“We are delighted that our customers continue to show appreciation for the hard work and dedication that management and staff at our properties put in to ensure that their stay with us is truly enjoyable,” says Nicholas Barenblatt, Group Marketing Manager, Protea Hotels and African Pride Hotels, part of Marriott International, a leading global hotel group.

“The customer feedback we get from sites such as TripAdvisor has helped us ensure that the quality of our service offering is constantly improving and always meets the expectations of our guests.

“We are particularly thrilled with the accolades for the Protea Hotel Hunters Rest in Rustenburg, North-West, this year. This hotel has achieved the highest honour that TripAdvisor can bestow: a Travellers’ Choice award, which identifies the hotel as one of the top 25 Hotels for Families in South Africa. Based on the reviews and opinions of travellers from around the world, this award represents the ‘best of the best’ for service, quality and customer satisfaction,” Barenblatt says.

“The excellent service delivered by Protea Hotels is acknowledged by more and more of our guests,” says Barenblatt. “It is inspiring to see the large increase in the number of our hotels that were recognised this year, as well as the fact that every Protea Hotel in Tanzania has been awarded a Certificate of Excellence.”

The full list of hotels that were acknowledged by TripAdvisor in 2016 follows:

South Africa
• African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel
• African Pride Mount Grace Country House & Spa
• African Pride Audacia Manor Boutique Hotel
• African Pride 15 on Orange Hotel
• Arabella Hotel & Spa
• African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa
• Protea Hotel Marine
• Protea Hotel Clarens
• Protea Hotel Willow Lake
• Protea Hotel Capital
• Protea Hotel Manor
• Protea Hotel Hilton
• Protea Hotel Hunters Rest
• Protea Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay
• Protea Hotel Kruger Gate
• Protea Hotel Witbank
• Protea Hotel Malaga
• Protea Hotel Franschhoek
• Protea Hotel Knysna Quays
• Protea Hotel Mossel Bay
• Protea Hotel Mowbray
• Protea Hotel North Wharf
• Protea Hotel Outeniqua
• Protea Hotel Ranch Resort
• Protea Hotel Saldanha Bay
• Protea Hotel Stellenbosch
• Protea Hotel Victoria Junction Waterfront

Malawi
• Protea Hotel Ryalls

Nigeria
• Protea Hotel Select Emotan Benin City

Tanzania
• Protea Hotel Amani Beach
• Protea Hotel Courtyard
• Protea Hotel Mbweni Ruins
• Protea Hotel Oyster Bay

Uganda
• Protea Hotel Entebbe Resort

Zambia
• Protea Hotel Livingstone
• Protea Hotel Lusaka Tower
• Protea Hotel Safari Lodge