RIVIERA MAYA, MEXICO -- (Marketwire) -- 01/29/13 -- Hotel Esencia has been a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) for seven years and is delighted to announce that after 21 years in the business, 2012 marks SLH's best year ever. Reporting an increase of 10% from last year, SLH delivered an unprecedented (in SLH's past) number of room nights at 341,000 and $119 million in revenue.

It's a good news story all round -- not only have reservations and room nights hit an all-time high but the recognition of The Club is also a great success story. This year SLH added 56,000 members to their loyalty club, a 46% growth compared to last year, making our club 190,000 strong. Our activation rate for our Club Members has also increased by 18% and Club Revenue by 38%.

The home website, slh.com, has had an impressive 4 million visits this year, a 19% increase on last year. Reservations through the site have gone up by 26% and slh.com increased its share of bookings by 15% compared to last year. iPad visits, totaling close to 500,000 improved by 167% this year and iPhone visits increased by 132% showing the growing trend towards new technology.

Philip Vidal, General Manager at Esencia, remarked: "In the last couple of years Esencia Estate has seen a marked upswing from our membership with SLH with increased reservations and a longer average stay with the benefit of increased revenues."

According to Paul Kerr, CEO for SLH: "It's extraordinary that after over 20 years in the business we're still managing to exceed the work we've done the year before, especially when you consider the current economic climate. The secret to our success is choice -- put simply. With over 520 INDEPENDENT LUXURY hotels in more than 70 countries and multiple means of booking, we give the customer the freedom to choose how, where, when and why. Our Club is also a big part of the reason we have so much to celebrate -- this year our Club has accounted for 22% of our bookings, which is significant compared to last year."

Hotel Esencia is looking forward to what the New Year will bring and already has some great plans for the year ahead, including a new trilogy of signature spa treatments: Massage Wiikil (anti-stress), Massage Tuukul (deep relaxation), and Massage Pixan (harmony & restoration). Also, the hotel is already seeing an exciting upturn in destination weddings for the Spring and Summer.

About Esencia Estate: The 50-acre luxury resort is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. Located 20 minutes south of Playa del Carmen and 20 minutes north of Tulum, Esencia is the essence of simplicity, elegance and beauty. Its 29 spacious suites and cottages include a range of features from private gardens to solariums and deep-soaking plunge pools. The estate is operated by Prohotel International of Houston, which also operates Casa Bonita in Barahona, Dominican Republic and The Lodge at Pico Bonito in La Ceiba, Honduras.

About Small Luxury Hotels of the World: The Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) brand is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world's finest small independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences that they offer, is exceptional. From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts, Small Luxury Hotels of the World offers only the very best. Reservations can be made at any Small Luxury Hotels of the World property online at www.slh.com, via the free SLH iPhone app or by contacting your favourite travel agent. You can also call a Small Luxury Hotels of the World reservations office; to view a listing by country please click here: http://www.slh.com/contact-us/.