CAIRO / BERLIN — The global hospitality industry’s benchmark for customer-driven excellence—the “Starway” World Best Hotels Awards—has once again underscored Egypt’s growing stature as a premier tourism destination, with 14 Egyptian resorts securing positions among the world’s top 100 hotels.
The “Starway” Awards, organized annually by the Coral Travel Group, are widely regarded within the tourism sector as a credible indicator of hotel performance and guest satisfaction. Unlike traditional industry awards, Starway rankings are based exclusively on verified customer feedback and post-stay evaluations, ensuring a data-driven and impartial assessment of hospitality standards.
The 2025 edition evaluated 6,611 hotels across 25 international destinations, making it one of the most comprehensive benchmarking exercises in global tourism. The awards ceremony, held in Berlin, reflects not only service quality but also operational consistency, digital integration, and evolving guest expectations.
Industry observers note that the significance of the Starway Awards lies in their direct correlation with consumer experience—positioning them as a key reference point for tour operators, investors, and destination strategists alike.
According to data reviewed by The Middle East Observer from Coral Travel’s official release, Egypt delivered a standout performance, placing 14 properties within the global top 100 and securing the number one worldwide ranking in the “Adults-Only Hotels” category.
Notably, four Egyptian resorts entered the global top 10:
- Rixos Premium Magawish (4th globally)
- Pickalbatros White Beach (6th globally)
- Jaz Elite Amara (7th globally)
- Sunrise Grand Select Diamond Beach Resort (10th globally)
This concentration of high-ranking properties reflects a structural shift in Egypt’s tourism offering—from volume-driven competitiveness to quality-led positioning anchored in service excellence and guest satisfaction.
Additional Egyptian properties featured in the top 100 include Rixos Sharm El Sheikh, Steigenberger Alcazar, Jaz Solaya, and Xanadu Makadi Bay, among others—highlighting a broad-based improvement across multiple hospitality brands and destinations.
The results reinforce Egypt’s emerging leadership in niche tourism segments. In the “Adults-Only” category, Rixos Sharm El Sheikh secured the top global ranking, while several Egyptian resorts also ranked strongly in family-oriented hospitality offerings.
This dual positioning—luxury exclusivity and family tourism—demonstrates the sector’s diversification and its alignment with global travel demand trends.
From an economic perspective, the findings carry additional weight. Speaking at the event, representatives from the World Travel and Tourism Council highlighted that the global tourism industry contributes approximately $11.7 trillion to the world economy and supports 371 million jobs, underscoring the strategic importance of maintaining competitive service standards.
The awards also reflect broader structural changes within the hospitality sector. Coral Travel executives emphasized ongoing investments in artificial intelligence, automation, and digital guest experience platforms—technologies expected to redefine service delivery over the coming years.
Such advancements are increasingly critical as global travelers demand personalization, efficiency, and seamless digital interaction throughout their stay.
As The Middle East Observer notes, Egypt’s strong showing in the Starway rankings sends a clear signal to international markets: the country is no longer positioned solely as a cost-competitive destination, but as a high-quality, experience-driven tourism hub capable of meeting—and increasingly exceeding—global benchmarks.
With continued investment in service quality, sustainability, and technology integration, Egypt’s hospitality sector appears well-positioned to consolidate its gains and expand its footprint within the upper tiers of global tourism rankings.
