LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Last night Luxury Travel Advisor, a publication created exclusively for luxury travel advisors, recognized the year’s best of the best in luxury travel at the third annual Awards of Excellence gala. The event brought together the industry’s leading luxury travel advisors, the suppliers who were nominated and the final winners at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino to celebrate elite travel at its finest. Created in 2008 to recognize the individuals, destinations and companies that set luxury travel apart from the rest, the Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence Advisory Board hand-selects the each year’s nominees. Then it is up to Luxury Travel Advisor’s esteemed audience to determine the year’s winners through an online or mail-in voting ballot. The Luxury Travel Advisor Awards of Excellence Advisory Board consists of the most influential voices in luxury travel and those travel agents who have graced the cover of Luxury Travel Advisor since 2005. Additionally, two Advisory Board members, Peter Carideo, CRC Travel, and Jim Strong, Strong Travel Services, acted as the evening’s host presenters.
Along with the 2010 Awards of Excellence winners, Luxury Travel Advisor honored Kathy Sudeikis, vice president of corporate relations for All About Travel, as Top Humanitarian for 2010. The Top Humanitarian award is bestowed on those travel industry professionals who are not only committed to the betterment of the industry, but who use their notoriety to bring attention to communities and individuals in need.
Luxury Travel Advisor also honored Elizabeth Jenkins, of McCabe World Travel, as the Rising Star for 2010. The Rising Star award recognizes those travel industry professionals who are passionate about the travel industry and use that passion to propel the industry forward.
Luxury Travel Advisor would like to congratulate the winners of the 2010 Award of Excellence in the following categories:
Airline with the Best First-Class Lounge — The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow
Airline with the Best Business-Class Service — Singapore Airlines
Best Private Jet Company — Blue Star Jets
Best Cruise Line for Luxury Ocean Cruises — Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best Cruise Line for Luxury Small Ships — The Yachts of Seabourn
Best Luxury River Cruise Company — AmaWaterways
Best Luxury Cruise Line Luxury Suite — Crystal Serenity's Penthouse Suite with Verandah
Best Luxury Tour Operator/Wholesaler — Abercrombie & Kent
Best Hotel Rooftop Bar — Worldwide Salon de Ning, The Peninsula New York
Top Concierge Worldwide — John Andrews, The Goring
Best City Center Luxury Hotel in Europe — Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in North America — The St. Regis New York
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in Asia — The Peninsula Hong Kong
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in South Pacific/Australia — Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in Caribbean/Bermuda/Bahamas — One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in Mexico/Central/South America — One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in the Middle East — Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Best Luxury Hotel/Resort in Africa/Indian Ocean — Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa
Top Villa in a Hotel/Resort Worldwide — One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos, Mexico
Best Authentic Luxury Hotel Group — Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
?Top General Manager of a Luxury Hotel/Resort Worldwide — Geoffrey Gelardi, The Lanesborough
Top Luxury Destination Management Company Worldwide — Abercrombie & Kent