Membership in Preferred is restricted to independently owned and managed, full-service luxury hotels, resorts and spas. Preferred considers top-caliber properties for membership that meet and exceed the high operational levels required by Preferred�s Standards of Excellence�, an award-winning, proprietary quality assurance audit that annually measures and monitors 1,600 aspects of a property�s service delivery and faculties.

Prospective Preferred member hotels are evaluated on such elements as geographic location, building architecture and design, grounds and landscaping, interior design, guest rooms and common areas, bathroom features, staffing levels, food and beverage facilities, room service, engineering and safety, health and fitness facilities, business services, and conference/meeting facilities.

�Preferred aims to stand apart from the large hotel chains by preserving and promoting the unique, independently owned and operated luxury hotels and resorts of the world,� said Rob Cornell, Managing Director of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. �With the addition of these three distinctive hotels to our membership portfolio, travelers to these resort destinations can now be guaranteed the superior quality and experience that they have come to expect from Preferred hotels.�

The newest Preferred member hotels are:

Swiss Diamond Hotel in Lugano, Switzerland:
 

Nestled on the enchanting shores of Lake Lugano, is the Swiss Diamond Hotel Olivella. Behind an elegant, modern façade is a truly deluxe hotel with 86 luxurious rooms, marble floors, columns in Sicilian Travertine, crystal chandeliers and elegant "Boiseries", creating refined, relaxing, and comfortable surroundings. Each guest room is combined of a bedroom and a cozy sitting area. Rooms facing south have full-length sliding windows overlooking the lake of Lugano and the village of Brusino. Amenities available to guests are in-room massages, in-room hairdresser & body treatments, and high-speed Internet access upon request. The hotel�s banquet and meeting facilities include four spacious �function rooms� equaling 170m2 of space with a 140 seat meal

Swiss Diamond Hotel 6921 Vico Morcote Switzerland

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island on Kiawah Island, South Carolina:

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, an ultra-luxury oceanfront resort, is scheduled to open in March of 2004. At $125 million, it is the most expensive resort or hotel ever constructed in South Carolina, and is the crowning jewel of a resort island, already recognized for world-class golf and natural beauty. Located just 21 miles south of historic Charleston, Kiawah is a barrier island with ten miles of secluded beach and five championship golf courses, including The Ocean Course - site of the 1991 Ryder Cup and this year�s World Cup.  The resort will feature some of America�s largest guestrooms and suites, which include custom-made furniture, five-fixture bathrooms and beautiful private balconies - 93% of which will have ocean views. It will also offer two oceanview restaurants, three bars, a nature-themed spa, a fitness center, an indoor pool and two outdoor, infinity-edge pools.  With 255 guestrooms and suites, but only four stories high, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island has been designed to respect the environmentally sensitive and spectacular oceanfront location. An avenue of Live Oaks, made possible by transplanting 150 fifty-feet high trees, greets guests as they arrive, while the building�s foundation was raised to 20 feet above sea level to allow views of the Atlantic Ocean from the lobby. The resort will incorporate the classical and historical flavor of nearby Charleston, combining the highest quality finishes of stone, stucco, wood, slate, ironwork and brick. The interior décor has been developed from the gracious elements of the South.  The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island will feature 18,000 square feet of meeting space, including several richly appointed and oceanview function rooms, and will offer fiber-optic technology in addition to the hotel�s wireless connectivity capability.  Guest services will include 24-hour room and concierge service, as well as twice-daily housekeeping, complimentary high-speed and wireless Internet access, and afternoon tea in the lobby. Guests can also enjoy a tennis program ranked among America�s best, renowned nature and children�s programs, and 30 miles of bike trails.

The Carneros Inn in Carneros, California:

Scheduled to open in September of 2003, the resort is positioned over 27 lush acres in the heart of the California Wine Country between the towns of Napa and Sonoma. The accommodations are located in 86 beautifully appointed private guest cottages, each with their own private garden. Entering via a private porch, guests will be greeted with vaulted ceilings, French doors and windows flooding the cottages with natural light. The cottages will be furnished with fireplaces, flat screen plasma televisions, DVD players, state-of-the-art sound systems and high-speed Internet access. Bathrooms will include limestone detailing, indoor alfresco showers and soaking tubs. The private and public gardens will be landscaped by world-renowned Olin Partnership, designers of the Getty Museum grounds. As a special amenity, each cottage will have an empty vase, gardening shears, and a floral guide, inviting guests to walk the grounds and fill their vase with their own unique wildflower arrangement. The ballroom at the Carneros Inn will provide 5,000 Square feet of meeting space. Guests can also take advantage of the sprawling gardens, orchards, and vineyard views to create truly memorable events. A 24 hour fitness center will be available along with a full-service Spa offering a wide array of services available in the privacy of the guests cottage if desired. Additionally, guests will enjoy the outdoor landscaped pool, nearby golf courses, winery tours, and excursions to Napa for shopping and gallery walks. Finally, the guest-only Hill Top Restaurant offering panoramic views over the undulating vineyards will offer a romantic evening of fine-dining while The Boon Café will offer an informal dining option for breakfast and lunch.

Founded in 1968, Preferred Hotels® & Resorts Worldwide is a global brand of 120 of the world's finest individually owned and managed luxury hotels and resorts. 

Headquartered in Chicago Preferred Hotels® & Resorts Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of IndeCorp Corporation, an organization dedicated to providing independent hotel brands with the resources needed to compete effectively with global hotel chains and preserve the diversity and distinctiveness of the world's independent hotels.