Luminaries in the travel industry gathered at the Pierre Hotel in New York last month to celebrate another successful year and to hear their hosts, Publisher Bob Sullivan and Editor In Chief Arnie Weissmann, name the winners of the 2005 Readers Choice Awards.
The ceremony was dedicated to the memory of Alan Fredericks, who shaped and guided Travel Weekly as Editor In Chief for most of his nearly 40-year career with the publication.
The Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards rang out the year with elan, as these pages show. At the end of the night, some of those present took home awards in more than one category, some became repeat winners, and some received a Travel Weekly plaque for the first time.
Hotels
Travel Weekly readers voted the Ritz-Carlton the most luxurious hotel chain in the world for the third consecutive year. The Ritz-Carlton, which has its headquarters in Chevy Chase, Md., also won first place in the upscale class, a new category added this year. Accepting the plaque for the Ritz-Carlton (www.ritzcarlton.com) was Vivian Deuschl, corporate vice president, public relations.
Four Seasons (www.fourseasons.com), based in Toronto, duplicated last years success as the No. 1 chain in the International category. The company recently opened its first property in Switzerland, the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues in Geneva.
But that didnt help it hold onto its 2004 Best in Europe title. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Windsor, England, snagged Best in Europe for 2005. The brand, which operates 136 hotels, opened two properties in 2005, in Germany and Jordan. Accepting the award for InterContinental was Lori Freedman, director, groups and incentives. InterContinental Hotels is on the Web at www.ichotelsgroup.com.
Sandals Resorts, of Miami, a collection of 12 couples-only, all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and the Bahamas, was voted Best in the Caribbean for the third year. Accepting for Sandals was Adam Stewart, director, resort product, Sandals and Beaches (www.sandals.com).
Marriott Hotels and Resorts, the flagship brand of Marriott International, was a repeat winner in the domestic hotel chain category and the first to win the top award in the newly added midscale chain and sales and service categories. Fred Miller, vice president of global sales, did the honors for Marriott, which is headquartered in Washington (www.marriott.com).
Hampton Inn, Beverly Hills, Calif., is one of the fastest growing hotel brands in its price segment. It was voted first among economy chains (www.hamptoninn.com).
Destinations
Vancouver was Travel Weekly readers favorite place to visit in Canada, for the third straight year. Walt Judas, vice president of marketing communications for Tourism Vancouver, accepted the award for western Canadas largest city. For more information, visit www.tourismvancouver.com.
The Riviera Maya, which includes Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Cancun, was voted Best Destination in Mexico. Leading the Riviera Maya contingent was Dario Flota, director of the Riviera Maya Tourism Board. For more on the destination, go to www.visitmexico.com.
Maui was voted the best of Hawaiis islands. Accepting for Maui was Doug Chang, vice chairman of the Hawaii Tourism Authority and general manager of the Hotel Hana on Maui. To discover more about Maui, visit www.gohawaii.com.
The U.S. Virgin Islands nudged aside two-year winner Jamaica to become Best Caribbean Destination for 2005. Henry de Lagarde, U.S.V.I. director of tourism, accepted the award. The U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism can be found at www.usvitourism.vi.
In Europe, Italy (www.italiantourism.com) was voted best country on the Continent by Travel Weekly readers for the second year in a row, and London was designated the No. 1 city in Europe. Accepting for London was Chris Flynn of Visit London (www.visitlondon.com).
In Asia and the South Pacific, Australia was chosen as the No. 1 country to visit for the second time and Sydney the favorite city in that far-flung region.
For more information, check with the Australia Tourism Commission at www.australia.com.
In the U.S., Hawaii (www.gohawaii.com) was named the best of the U.S. states to visit and Las Vegas (www.lvcva.com) the best of the nations cities -- both for the second straight time. Chang did the honors again for Hawaii, and Nancy Murphy, vice president of sales for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, collected the award for Sin City.
Cruise
In the cruise-line category, Royal Caribbean International was the top vote-getter -- for the third consecutive year -- in three categories: Overall, Domestic and Caribbean. This could be a tough one to unseat in 2006, when the line debuts the Freedom of the Seas -- the largest ship in the world -- in the western Caribbean in May. Accepting the awards for Royal Caribbean was Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of North America sales.
Princess Cruises captured the top prize for its Alaska cruises, also for the third year; and Holland America held onto its 2004 standing as Best in Europe, as did Radisson Seven Seas in the luxury line category. HAL will welcome its 13th ship, the Noordam, in 2006.
Accepting for Princess was Lee Robinson, vice president of field sales, Cunard and Princess. Rob Coleman, senior director, field sales, accepted the award for Holland America Line. And Kate Otto, director of sales, received the award on behalf of Radisson Seven Seas.
Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2 was named the most luxurious ship on the seas. The QM2 wore a triple crown last year, as Best in Luxury, No. 1 Rookie and Best Overall. Presently, it is the worlds largest, longest and tallest ocean liner. On hand to accept the award on behalf of Cunard were Robinson; Kate Carideo, district sales manager; and Alycia Oliphant, national accounts manager.
This years standout Rookie was the Carnival Liberty, from Carnival Cruise Lines. Carnival also was recognized for its sales and service, no small feat for the largest cruise line in the world. The Libertys seasonal program of Mediterranean cruises makes it the first Carnival Cruise Lines ship to sail in Europe.
The stars shone on Celebrity Cruises Constellation, the newest of the lines Millennium-class ships, as it was voted the Best Ship Overall. Accepting the honor were Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales; Dietmar Wertanzl, senior vice president, fleet operations; and Ellen Taaffe, senior vice president of marketing.
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