Originally Posted by
stimpy
Wow, surprised no one mentioned R&S. This is far and away the best hotel chain when it comes to dining. Nothing else is close. Of course dining is one of the key aspects of this "chain". It's way more important than the hotel, although the hotel itself is usually excellent at most of these smaller properties.
I agree that Relais&Chateaux is by far the best when it comes to food, but the hotel is also important to be a Relais&Chateaux. If the R&C both has hotel & restaurant the hotel must still be up to a good standard to be a R&C. That is what I like about it and why it's my favorite hotel brand with independent hotels. LHW has disappointed me quite some times and there is too many of them. There is many R&C as well, but with an average size of 25 rooms it's possible to include a lot of small independent experiences around the world.
I'll have to thank FlyerTalk for telling me about Relais&Chateaux. It's changed the way I see hotel experiences and is the only thing I will travel for in the future.