Virtuoso Announces Nominees for Best of the Best Hotel Awards

VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine's Editorial Director, Elaine Srnka, and Virtuoso's Vice President of Hotels, Destinations & Tours, Albert Herrera, named the hotel nominees, which represent the highest standards in their given category and are considered some of the world's finest properties. Winners will be revealed during the Hotels & Resorts Dinner on Wednesday, August 19, 2009, in Las Vegas during Virtuoso's 21st annual Travel Mart conference, before an audience of more than 1,000 top travel executives.

Virtuoso's Hotels & Resorts Program represents a portfolio of more than 800 world-class properties. Selecting the top ten is no easy feat given the stiff competition within this renowned group. Editors of VIRTUOSO LIFE magazine, the Virtuoso network's exclusive award-winning publication, collaborated with the organization's elite travel advisors membership to select hotel nominees that represent the pinnacle of service, design, room product and social responsibility. A total of ten categories, ranging from best architecture and design to top hotel and hotelier of the year, will establish which hotels continue to excel.

"The hotels selected this year consistently exceed our expectations and offer something beyond a superlative stay; they often touch and positively influence their guests' lives," says Albert Herrera, Vice President of Hotels, Destinations & Tours for Virtuoso. "Right now, people are traveling with a different purpose – they want to reconnect with family and friends, or make a positive impact on the destinations they're visiting. This desire to get the most personal fulfillment from your travels is something we termed 'Return on Life ™,' and it is the theme for this year's Travel Mart. The award categories we've established reflect this philosophy and the hotels we honor in each category deliver a higher 'Return on Life™' with each guest experience," continued Herrera.

The "Best of the Best" Awards dinner will take place during Virtuoso's Travel Mart conference, which occurs August 16-21, 2009, at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Travel Mart brings together thousands of Virtuoso's member travel advisors, considered the top producers in the industry, and the world's best travel providers to participate in the industry's preeminent networking event.

Award categories and nominees follow:

Best Achievement in Design - Recognizes the significance of outstanding architecture and design of a hotel or component therein, whether in new construction, renovation or historic restoration. Nominees: Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing, China; One&Only Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, USA; Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia; and Rocco Forte The Augustine, Prague, Czech Republic.

Best Culinary Experience - Recognizes the hotel restaurant that offers exemplary food, service, ambience, wine list and even views. Nominees: Addison, The Grand del Mar, San Diego, USA; Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic, Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne, Switzerland; Lake House Luxury Hotel-Restaurant-Spa, Daylesford, Australia; Rossellinis, Palazzo Sasso, Ravello, Italy; and Le Bristol Restaurant, Hotel Le Bristol, Paris, France.

Best Bar - Recognizes the hotel bar that offers a lively, convivial and entertaining social meeting spot where innovative drinks and an enticing atmosphere create a "must see and be seen" buzz. Nominees: The Copacabana Piano Bar, Copacabana Palace Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 02 Lounge, The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, Russia; MO Bar, Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong; Terraza Bar, La Purificadora, Puebla, Mexico; and Bar Centro, SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, USA.

Best Family Program - Recognizing the family-friendly environment, this award acknowledges special programs and activities for kids of all ages, from creative activities and services to educational endeavors and active adventures. Nominees: Half Moon, Montego Bay, Jamaica; Treetops Lodge & Estate, Rotorua, New Zealand; Londolozi Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa; The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Maui, USA; and Ritz Paris, Paris, France.

Best Spa - Recognizes the hotel spa that offers the most alluring environment for rest and rejuvenation, creative and therapeutic treatments, and highly skilled and knowledgeable therapists. Nominees: Wildflower Hall, Shimla, India; Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia; CuisinArt Resort & Spa, Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla; The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico; and The Resort at Pelican Hill, Newport Coast, USA.

Most Innovative Guest Experience - Recognizes a hotel that continually raises the bar by featuring clever and meaningful guest experiences that move the industry forward. Nominees: King Pacific Lodge, A Rosewood Resort, Princess Royal Island, Canada; Barceló la Bobadilla, Loja, Spain; &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Six Senses Hideaway Zighy Bay, Musandam Peninsula, Oman; and The Fairmont Acapulco Princess, Acapulco, Mexico.

Most Socially Responsible - Recognizes a hotel dedicated to making a difference through innovative local or global environmental programs that make the world a better place, whether a green initiative or a community education program. Nominees: Kiaroa Eco-Luxury Resort, Bahia, Brazil; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Convento do Espinheiro Heritage Hotel & Spa, Evora, Portugal; Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve & Retreat, Clanwilliam, South Africa; and Longitude 131 ̊, Uluru, Australia.

One to Watch - As a forward-looking nod to those shaping the future of the hotel world, recognizes an individual making an impact on the hotel and resort industry. Nominees: José Koechlin, Inkaterra, Peru; John Reed; Amankora, Bhutan; Horst Schulze, Capella Hotels; Chris Cowdray, Dorchester Collection; and Liz Biden, Royal Portfolio, South Africa.

Hotelier of the Year - Honors an experienced hotel manager with an unrelenting passion for the industry, an astute appreciation for detail and a keen sense of how to lead and manage a dynamic team of professionals. Nominees: Ali Kasicki, Montage Beverly Hills, USA; Karambir Singh Kang, Taj Mahal Palace & Towers, Mumbai, India; Nathalie Seiler-Hayez, The Regent Bordeaux, France; Sonu Shivdasani, Six Senses Resorts & Spas; and James Baillie, Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia.

Hotel of the Year - Recognizes a hotel that continually epitomizes excellence in the categories of design, ambience, service, food and beverage, spa, family programs, innovation and social responsibility. Nominees: Encore at the Wynn, Las Vegas, USA; Ca' Sagredo Hotel, Venice, Italy; Halekulani, Honolulu, Hawaii; Park Hyatt Shanghai, Shanghai, China; and The Dolder Grand, Zurich, Switzerland.

Virtuoso® is the industry's leading luxury travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 300 agencies with more than 6,000 elite travel specialists in 22 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,000 of the world's best travel providers and premier destinations. The network's member agencies generate over $5.1 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network's affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. Virtuoso is the exclusive network of travel services and benefits provided by MasterCard® for participating World Elite MasterCard® programs.