IGC Hotel Award History
Why the The International Guest Certified Hotel Award Exists
A prestigious accolade reimagined with AI
Founded in Austria in 2004, the International Guest Certified Hotel Award began a new era in hospitality excellence, with its first awards presented in 2005. From the start, guest feedback has been the driving force behind this prestigious recognition.
Originally based on science-backed questionnaires, the IGC Guest Satisfaction Score © provided valuable insights into the guest experience. Today, with cutting-edge AI technology, we take this further—analysing thousands of organic guest reviews to unlock deeper, more accurate insights into what guests truly feel about your hotel. This evolution ensures the IGC Award continues to set the highest standard in hospitality, driven by real guest voices.
The first award-winning hotels – starting in 2005
These images show some of the very first hotels honored with the IGC Hotel Award for their genuine hospitality – a visible sign of a tradition that remains alive to this day.
Pontresina CH
Bad Pyrmont DE
Usedom DE
South Tyrol IT
Leipzig DE
St. Moritz CH
St. Moritz, Engadin CH
Dorf, South Tyrol IT
Otranto, Apulia IT
Lecce IT
Riezlern, Kleinwalsertal DE
St. Anton am Arlberg AT
Allgäu DE
Naturns, South Tyrol IT
St. Moritz CH
Before we look back, let's take a moment to reflect on what the IGC Hotel Award is truly about.
Is there a place you’ll never forget – without quite knowing why?
Sometimes it’s not the design, the comfort, or the facilities
that make a place unforgettable.
It’s something else. Something you can’t explain – only feel.
The IGC Hotel Award is the first recognition exclusively dedicated to genuine hospitality. Not for décor or design. Not for architecture or luxury. But for what lingers – because it touched something inside.
For sincere attentiveness. For true guest satisfaction. For outstanding service quality. For the feeling of having truly arrived.
It honors hotels where it’s not just the process that runs smoothly – but the people who stay in your heart. Where you don’t just feel served – but welcomed. Where service isn’t just provided – but guests are genuinely seen.
Hotels with character. With soul – and with heart. Oases of hospitality. Places that quiet the noise, because something just feels right.
The origin – the story behind the IGC Hotel Award
The roots of the Award go back to another time. Ortwin Oberhauser, who grew up in a family-run hotel in Austria, founded Hotel-Werbung.com in the late 1990s – a digital agency specializing in websites and booking systems for hotels and tourism destinations.
Together with his team, he developed tools that were used in platforms like the Mitsubishi Hotel Guidea, the ADAC hotel directory (published by Germany’s largest automobile club), and various tourism destinations.
Back then, it was all about hardware: stars, awards, certifications – all focused on the visible. But Ortwin knew from experience: Few people remember golden faucets or designer sofas in the lobby.
But nearly everyone remembers the one person who offered a genuine smile. The voice at the reception that recognizes you years later. The warm “Welcome back” at breakfast – spoken from the heart, not read from a guest sheet. The staff member who runs after you with the phone charger you forgot – because it mattered to them that you didn’t leave without it.
True hospitality doesn’t lie in amenities – but in human connection. In a look that isn’t rehearsed. In a gesture that wasn’t expected. That stays with you. That makes all the difference.
And so, in 2004, the idea was born to set a new standard – not for what can be bought, but for what can be felt.
For lived hospitality. For real guest satisfaction. For excellence in service. For human connection. For the feeling of truly arriving.
Because what remains isn’t the luxury – but the experience that moved you.
The evolution of the IGC Hotel Award
It all began with an idea.
Not a business model – but a conviction.
In 2004, Ortwin Oberhauser launched the IGC Hotel Award.
Not as a reaction to market trends,
but because a question kept growing louder:
And right after came the next question: How do you make those places visible – to people who are looking for exactly that?
At a time when review platforms didn’t yet exist, when algorithmic analysis was unheard of, the only real insight came from seeing through the eyes of a guest.
And so, the IGC Award began as a quiet gesture – a small sign, based on real mystery guest visits. Honest. Thorough. And clear in its goal: To make oases of hospitality visible – for those who seek them.
But because it never sought a spotlight, the award was rarely seen. And yet – it existed.
New generation – new possibilities
In 2025, a new generation took over the IGC Hotel Award –
with the goal of reimagining its purpose
and making it accessible to more hotels.
Since 2021, Victoria Oberhauser, the founder’s daughter, has led the agency bobdo.com GmbH together with entrepreneur and film producer Matthias König. She took over the company from her father, whom Matthias had already worked with for many years to build and shape the agency.
Although Victoria and Matthias had been leading the agency since 2021, it wasn’t until 2025 that the IGC Hotel Award was redefined in its current form. Because sometimes, an idea needs time – and the right constellation to unfold. Together, they gave the Award a new face – while preserving its spirit.
bobdo.com was founded in 2014 through the merger of two strong worlds: Ortwin Oberhauser’s hospitality-focused agency, and the renowned film production company of Matthias König – then known as “Königsfreunde.”
Over the years, König’s company became a leading name in Austria for the cinematic realization of the country’s most prestigious cultural and tourism events – including the Bregenz Festival, the Opera in the Quarry, and productions for Bregenz Tourism, Montafon, Brandnertal, and many more.
Today, the company combines technical expertise, creative storytelling, and deep industry insight.
Victoria Oberhauser – who herself grew up in a hotel in Lech am Arlberg – knew the IGC Hotel Award only as her father’s passion project. Then, in 2024, a conversation with Matthias König and the bobdo team sparked the idea to reimagine the Award from the ground up – free from the burden of complex mystery guest testing, which had repeatedly slowed its growth.
Hospitality – Made Measurable
An international team of AI specialists, developers, and data analysts created the foundation for a new, legally sound evaluation system based on modern standards of service quality.
Proven methodologies for assessing guest satisfaction and hospitality standards were paired with cutting-edge AI-based pattern recognition.
By combining broad data sets with intelligent analysis, the most guest-friendly hotels in any region can now be identified objectively, efficiently, and transparently – without the need for physical test stays.
What used to be recognized by mystery guests, is now detected by a system that reads genuine enthusiasm in the words of real guests – and highlights hospitality where it is authentically lived.
And so, a once quiet idea has grown into an award more powerful than ever – not because it shouts, but because it resonates deeply.
Visibility – with a difference
But one question remained: Once these places are identified – how do you make them visible?
Today, there is a clear answer. Victoria Oberhauser, Matthias König, and the creative team at bobdo.com bring everything needed to give these places a voice:
- Strategic performance marketing
- Attentive social media management
- Powerful cinematic storytelling
They give hotels that move people a stage – without requiring them to shout. They tell what is already there – not what needs to be sold.
This creates visibility that is quiet – but deeply effective. Honest. Real. Respectful.
Backbone and Foundation
Ortwin Oberhauser remains on board. Not in the spotlight – but as the backbone. As a source of ideas, direction, and strategic guidance. To ensure the IGC Hotel Award never forgets where it came from – and always knows where it belongs: in the hands of those who don’t just talk about hospitality – but truly live it.
To ensure all of this remains more than just a beautiful idea – and is implemented ethically, legally, and sustainably on a global level – the IGC Hotel Award is backed by a strong legal structure.
The IGC Hospitality Group Co., Ltd., based in Thailand, is the parent company and licensor of the Award. It oversees all legal, administrative, and quality-related foundations.
It is led by Fahmai Oberhauser – a jurist with an international background, the founder’s wife, and Managing Director of Oberhauser Law Group Co., Ltd., based in Jomtien (Chonburi), Thailand.
Together with her team, she manages: contracts, licenses, legal compliance – and ensures that as the Award grows, integrity and clarity remain at its core.
Because true hospitality is not just about feeling – but about trust, clarity, and responsibility.
What the IGC Hotel Award Represents Today
The IGC Hotel Award is not something you apply for.
Not a system. Not a sales instrument.
It is a quiet recognition –
for what guests have truly felt.
Not staged. Not claimed.
But made visible.
Wherever hospitality is lived,
something is created that stays –
and that others can feel.
That’s what the IGC Hotel Award brings to light.
A Quiet Invitation
If you believe
that your hotel is not just a product,
but a place where something real happens –
…then you’ll understand
why the IGC Hotel Award exists.
And maybe you’ll sense:
this is meant for you.
If true hospitality is felt in your house –
write to us.
Maybe your hotel is exactly the kind of place we want to make visible.
Not because you applied.
But because your guests have already felt it.
est. 2004
The International Guest Certified Hotel Award
Certified by guests, powered by AI—your badge of exceptional hospitality.