Traveller Review Awards 2026

For 14 years, the Traveller Review Awards (TRA) have set the industry benchmark for outstanding hospitality, serving as Booking.com’s way of thanking accommodation hosts, car rental companies and taxi operators whose passion turns travel into lasting memories.
Built on 360 million verified traveller reviews, TRA recognises the highest-rated partners worldwide. The programme builds traveller trust while giving partners a visible way to celebrate their achievements.
The challenge: scale without losing credibility. While awareness was strong, engagement needed to grow – especially in the US – and partners lacked a simple, consistent way to claim and share awards. We had to increase participation while preserving authenticity and reinforcing that people, not prizes, drive great hospitality.
We shifted from recognition to representation, focusing on the human stories behind the scores. Three strategic moves drove that change. First, a US-first creative approach elevated locally relevant partner stories, unlocking growth in our key market. Second, we launched a seamless, multi-vertical awards hub where partners can easily claim and share their awards. Third, we evolved our channel strategy: social moved to platform-native celebratory content that amplified partner stories, and email and owned channels drove partners to the awards hub.
Our hero film, ‘Where Hospitality Begins’, moved to human storytelling. It explored what motivates exceptional hospitality – local roots, life experience and everyday moments. We featured real partners, including Dave, whose lifelong connection to Joshua Tree shaped hosting into a chance for guests to reconnect and see the place through his eyes.
Results:
1.8 million+ winners
3 million+ branded assets downloaded
Partner satisfaction (PSAT) >90% across key markets
Awards hub PSAT rose to 75% – a 42-point year-on-year increase
Social sentiment ~78% positive (versus 30% benchmark)
~30% increase in positive TRA sentiment YoY vs 2025
In the US, PSAT hit 95.1% and the US hero film views grew 665%, with only a 25% budget increase
Social-first content expanded reach by 37.7%, driving 50,000 partners to the awards hub
With TRA 2026, we proved that recognition rooted in real human stories doesn’t just celebrate excellence – it inspires it at scale.