With more than 750 hotels, resorts and residences in its portfolio across 85 countries, Preferred Hotels & Resorts offers a plethora of options when it comes to choosing a memorable property for a getaway.

If sorting through so many possibilities seems a tad overwhelming, the good news is that the world’s largest independent hotel brand has just announced the winners of its first-ever I Prefer Members’ Choice Awards. 

Designed to celebrate the best-of-the-best among Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the awards identify properties that deliver not only high-quality standards but also exceptional personalized experiences to members of the brands' I Prefer Hotel Rewards program.

A total of 40 hotels were selected as winners across four regional categories (10 hotels were announced as winners within each of the four regions).

But perhaps the most important name to remember is this one: Hotel Monteleone, in New Orleans. The property was voted the number one hotel globally, which is no small feat.

A literary landmark in New Orleans’ French Quarter since 1886, the four-star hotel received raves for its commitment to delivering an outstanding I Prefer experience to all new and existing members.

Opened by Antonio Monteleone after he arrived in New Orleans in the 1880s, the property has undergone several expansions and renovations over the years. In addition to being a member of Preferred Hotels, it's also part of Historic Hotels of America.

The property includes 570 guests rooms, among them 55 luxury suites. But perhaps even more noteworthy, Hotel Monteleone features several literary author suites. Over the years numerous famous and important literary figures and authors have used the hotel as a home away from home, among them such giants as William Faulkner, Richard Ford, Eudora Welty, and Sherwood Anderson. 

The hotel’s literary suites (The William Faulkner Suite; the Truman Capote Suite; the Tennessee Williams Suite) were created to pay homage to legendary writers.