The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, February 2017 … BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, has announced that three of its luxury hotels and resorts have been named to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report “Best Hotels” list for 2017.  Included were Villas of Grand Cypress, located in Orlando, Florida, and a member of Benchmark's Gemstone Collection brand, which placed in the Gold Badge Winners category as a Best Hotel in the United States.  Also included were Mosaic Hotel, a Gemstone Collection-brand property located in Beverly Hills, California, that placed in the Silver Badge Category as a Best Hotel within its market, and Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort of the Caribbean island, Curacao, a member of the Benchmark Resorts & Hotels brand, which placed in the Silver Badge category as a Best Hotel within its region.  Alex Cabañas, CEO, made the announcement.

“It is truly an honor to be included on this distinguished list by U.S News & World Report,” said Mr. Cabañas.  “We are extremely proud of these properties, their leadership, and their remarkable employees, who make the difference and create memory-making experiences for our guests every day.  This is well-deserved recognition for three very extraordinary teams!"

The seventh annual U.S. News & World Report Best Hotels rankings evaluated more than 3,000 luxury properties across the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico. The Best Hotels methodology accounts for both expert and guest sentiment, in addition to industry accolades a hotel receives, the combination of which helps determine each hotel's rank.  Gold Badge Best Hotels in the USA winners represent the Top 10 percent of all ranked luxury hotels within the United States.  Silver Badge winners represent the Top 30 percent of all ranked luxury hotels within a destination.

U.S. News & World Report established the Best Hotels list to identify the top properties across North America and the Caribbean.  The U.S. News hotel ranking is updated annually.  For the complete list of top hotels and resorts in the United States, visit http://travel.usnews.com/Hotels/USA/.  For more information, please see the methodology.

About Villas of Grand Cypress

A hidden oasis tucked away in Orlando's Lake Buena Vista neighborhood (adjacent to Walt Disney World®), Villas of Grand Cypress presents a Forbes Four Star, AAA Four Diamond experience unique to the area. Tree lined roads weave through this 1,500-acre retreat that offers 146 elegantly appointed guest suites and villas framing 45 holes of Jack Nicklaus Signature-designed golf.  Following a recent $17 million renovation, accommodations at Villas of Grand Cypress range from oversized suites to 2,800 square-foot four-bedroom villas, complete with full kitchens, living and dining areas, fireplaces, and extended patios for lounging and grilling. A strong emphasis on luxury service culture adds to a comprehensive roster of amenities that rival that of a large-scale resort: golf enthusiasts can perfect their swing with state-of-the-art learning technologies at the Grand Cypress Academy of Golf while non-golfers explore an abundance of other offerings, including on-site dining, in-room spa services, a swimming pool, bicycle rentals, fitness center, fishing, and access to the Grand Cypress Racquet Club, jogging and walking trails, and watersports on Lake Windsong.

About Mosaic Hotel

Mosaic Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills. Following its recent redesign, guests are greeted by a classic doorman and a welcoming lobby complete with a medley of the world’s finest furnishings and fabrics.

The energetic and vibrant interiors of our luxury Beverly Hills hotel embrace natural tones and materials including Mosaic’s signature sage with fun injections of color throughout. Stylistic and functional, each of the creatively designed Beverly Hills hotel rooms feature distinctive low-slung clean-lined chairs, luxurious linens and whimsical wall art. The rooms at our boutique hotel in Beverly Hills come stocked with all today’s luxury-boutique must-haves including recessed lights, electronic “do not disturb” signs and Nespresso machines.

Mosaic Hotel’s Dining Room, with its fresh California cuisine, offers intimate indoor seating or al fresco dining nestled amidst the lush gardens. The refreshed pool area at our luxury Beverly Hills hotel with its sleek white furniture, cabanas and cozy fire pit delivers an inspiring setting to relax and unwind.

About Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort

Located at Santa Barbara Plantation, the 350-room Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort is Curacao's premier luxury resort. Managed by BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, the resort features sweeping water views, white sand beaches, a full-service Atabei Spa, a 24-hour fitness center, three pools, four restaurants and a dive and water sport facility. It is also home to Old Quarry – an 18-hole Pete Dye-designed championship golf course, and 38,000- square-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, the largest on island. Part of a 2,000-acre luxury resort community nestled along Spanish Water Bay; the resort is just 25 minutes from the capital city of Willemstad. For additional information and reservations, visit www.santabarbararesortcuracao.com or call +5999-840-1243 or 1.855.590.2266. To stay up to date on the latest news and happenings, follow on Twitter and Instagram at @SBRCuracao and Facebook at www.facebook.com/SBRCuracao. 

About BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company

BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, is a trailblazer in the development, management, marketing and owner-advisory services of resorts, hotels, conference centers and exclusive private clubs. In addition to the company’s iconic Benchmark Resorts & Hotels portfolio, the Gemstone Collection is a distinctive luxury portfolio of independent hotels & resorts in highly preferred destinations.  BENCHMARK’S distinguished and proven reputation is deeply-rooted in core values that are focused and aligned with exceeding ownership and stakeholder performance expectations. The combined portfolios feature nearly 70 unique and distinctive properties domestically and internationally. The company leadership and valued employees are passionately committed to delivering the industry’s most authentic, enchanted, soulful, vibrant, unrivaled and memory-making experience.  BENCHMARK’S progressive “Be The Difference” culture and values are a cornerstone to the company’s nearly 40 years of extraordinary achievement and prosperity. Many properties have been recognized with the Benchmark Conference Centers® mark of meeting excellence.  BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, is based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, and has regional offices in Park City, Utah; Miami, Florida; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Seattle Washington; and Tokyo, Japan.   www.benchmarkglobalhospitality.com To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels,  www.facebook.com/GemstoneHotelCollection.  Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels, www.twitter.com/GemstoneHotels , on Instagram at www.instagram.com/benchmarkresortsandhotels, www.instagram.com/gemstonehotels, and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/benchmarkhotels/gemstone-hotels .  At LinkedIn,  www.linkedin.com/company/benchmark-hospitality