The Framework
Our Methodology
The Heritage Hotel Index (HHI) was created to address a gap in travel media: no rigorous, transparent ranking existed for historically significant hotels across Southeast Asia. We built one.
Why the HHI Exists
Southeast Asia is home to some of the world's most storied hotels — former colonial residences, palatial manor houses, ancient trading posts reimagined as places of rest. Yet rankings on major travel platforms treat a 200-year-old Penang shophouse the same as a modern boutique hotel.
The HHI applies a structured, weighted scoring system that specifically rewards historical depth, architectural authenticity, and cultural integrity — while still demanding genuine guest satisfaction and responsible stewardship of heritage buildings.
The Three Pillars
Each hotel is scored across 9 sub-dimensions grouped into 3 weighted pillars.
Heritage & Authenticity
The foundation of the HHI. A heritage hotel must first and foremost be demonstrably rooted in history — through its structure, its story, and its connection to local culture.
of total score
Age of the property, historical events associated with it, former occupants of note, and recognition by national or international heritage registers.
Degree to which original architectural features are preserved, quality of restoration work, and how faithfully the building reflects its original period.
Integration of local culture, cuisine, arts, and customs into the guest experience — not as performance, but as authentic expression.
Guest Experience
Heritage alone does not make a great hotel. The guest experience pillar ensures that historical credentials are matched by genuine hospitality, storytelling, and modern quality.
of total score
How effectively the property communicates its history to guests: guided tours, in-room materials, dining concepts tied to the building's past, and curated itineraries.
Editorial review of public guest-rating signals, primarily Google Reviews. Automated aggregation via the Google Places API lands in our v2 release. TripAdvisor and Booking.com are not publicly available for reuse and are not cited as sources.
Staff knowledge of the property's history, attentiveness, and the degree to which service reflects local hospitality traditions.
Operational Excellence
A heritage hotel must balance preservation with practicality. This pillar assesses how well properties maintain their buildings while delivering modern comforts at fair value.
of total score
Evidence of ongoing investment in preservation — partnerships with heritage bodies, materials used in restoration, and long-term maintenance plans.
Quality of bedding, climate control, connectivity, and amenities — assessed without penalising properties for the constraints of historic buildings.
Whether pricing is appropriate relative to the quality of heritage, experience, and service delivered.
Anchored in the ICOMOS Nara Framework
The HHI is not an invented framework. Our nine sub-metrics operationalise the six authenticity dimensions defined in the ICOMOS Nara Document on Authenticity (1994) , the foundational international standard for assessing cultural heritage authenticity and the reference framework used by UNESCO for World Heritage evaluation.
The six Nara dimensions map directly onto the HHI sub-scores:
- ›Form & design + materials & substance → Architectural Integrity
- ›Location & setting → Historical Significance
- ›Traditions & techniques → Cultural Immersion
- ›Spirit & feeling → Authentic Experience
- ›Use & function → Conservation Commitment
This mapping means every HHI score can be traced back to an established, internationally recognised framework — not an opaque editorial judgment. It is also the reason the HHI applies identically to a 1887 Penang shophouse, a Lisbon convent, and a Moroccan riad: the Nara Document was explicitly written to be culturally neutral.
Tier Definitions
HHI scores translate into four tiers, each representing a distinct level of heritage distinction.
Data Sources
ICOMOS Nara Framework
The 1994 international standard for cultural heritage authenticity — every HHI sub-metric is mapped to one of Nara's six authenticity dimensions.
Heritage Registries
UNESCO World Heritage list plus national and regional heritage registers.
Expert Assessment
On-site evaluation and editorial research, with every score citing the specific source used.
Google Reviews
Editorial review today, Google Places API aggregation planned for v2.
A Note on Independence
Heritasian accepts no payment from hotels, hotel groups, or tourism boards in exchange for ratings, rankings, or inclusion in the index. All scores are calculated from the methodology described above and are updated periodically as new data becomes available. We believe transparency is not optional — it is the basis of trust.