Benchmarking is an important tool in business decision-making. Lodging Hospitality's annual Top Performers study presents a convenient way for hotel owners and operators to compare their basic operating performance (sales, occupancy and sales per room) against properties in similar markets and segments. In these turbulent economic times, it's more important than ever for owners to keep tabs on their businesses.

The purpose of the Top Performers study is not to include all hotels in the industry. Many lodging owners won't even report basic operating data so universal participation is impossible. However, the study was created nearly 30 years ago to give hoteliers a reliable yardstick to compare their operations with others in the industry. The list includes hotels, motels and resorts of all sizes and in all segments and many markets, enabling basic comparisons among individual hotels and portfolios.

This is the fourth year in a row that Little Palm Island Resort & Spa tops the list of Top Performer properties with sales per room of a whopping $487,000. The 30-room hotel, operated by Seattle-based Noble House Hotels & Resorts, did $14.6 million in sales, up a respectable 8.1 percent over the previous year. Occupancy for the resort's most recent financial year was 77 percent, also an improvement over the 73 percent it posted in the previous year.

Our report also includes a profile of The Rittenhouse, a luxury 98-room property in Philadelphia that is consistently near the top of the Top Performer rankings (this year it is number five).

The Top Performers study is open to all properties with subscriptions to Lodging Hospitality. Each summer, the editors use e-mail and fax messaging to canvass owners and operators on the circulation list. Those properties that voluntarily provide operating data (number of rooms, total sales and annual occupancy) are considered for the list. The Top Performers calculations are based on total property sales (excluding casino revenues, where applicable) divided by number of guest units to produce sales per room.

If you have questions or comments regarding the Top Performers study, or if you want to receive a form for next year's project, send an e-mail message to Ed Watkins, editor, at ed.watkins@penton.com.