10 Best Hotels of 2014 Named by Virtuoso

Virtuoso selected 10 winners, including Rosewood London as 'Hotel of the Year', from the network's renowned Hotels & Resorts Program. With an amazing portfolio of 1,030 hotels, resorts, villas and private island retreats in more than 100 countries, the hospitality program is the first of its kind, serving the needs of its member travel agencies and their discerning clientele. It ranks as the industry's most prestigious and longest-running hotel program, all of which elevate the network's status as an industry trailblazer and trusted innovator.

Editors of VIRTUOSO LIFE, the network's multi-award-winning magazine, researched and selected the Best of the Best nominees in ten categories that ranged from most innovative guest experience to top hotel and hotelier of the year. Then Virtuoso polled its 340 agencies and their nearly 9,000 elite travel advisors to vote on and ultimately select the winners.

“This year we are pleased to honor some exceptional hotels and one outstanding hotelier,” says Albert Herrera, senior vice president of Global Product Partnerships for Virtuoso. “Our portfolio consists of the world's finest hotels, whose properties possess a quality that separates them from the rest – Virtuosos in true form.”

The Best of the Best winners were revealed during the Hotels & Resorts Dinner before an audience of more than 1,500 of the leading lights in the industry. The 2014 Best of the Best award recipients will be featured in the September/October 2014 issue of VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine, reaching 200,000 upscale, world travelers.

Winners list:

Hotel of the Year: Rosewood London – London, United Kingdom (pictured at top)

Best Achievement in Design: Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace – St. Petersburg, Russia

Best Culinary Experience: L'Abeille, Shangri-La Hotel – Paris, France

Best Bar: King Cole Bar, The St. Regis New York – New York, U.S.

Best Family Program: “The Pinocchio Experience,” Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy – Florence, Italy

Best Spa: The Bulgari Spa, Bulgari Hotel & Residences – London, United Kingdom

Most Innovative Guest Experience: Qasr al Sarab Desert Resort – Liwa Desert, U.A.E.

Sustainable Tourism Leadership - Hotels: Cuixmala – Costalegre, Mexico

One to Watch: Park Hyatt New York – New York, U.S.

Hotelier of the Year: Rainy Chan, Peninsula Hong Kong

Visit website: virtuoso.com