The winners of the seventh annual Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Awards were unveiled Thursday night at a gala awards dinner at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
The awards are presented to industry suppliers considered by Travel Weekly readers to have excelled in product and service during the past year. Winners were selected in 58 categories overall in the airline, car, hospitality, rail, GDS, tour, cruise, destination and theme park.
Nominees and award recipients were chosen in several rounds of voting by Travel Weekly readers. Readers were invited this summer to write in the names of any company they believed best exemplified a particular category.
Leading vote recipients were identified as finalists, and voting on finalists took place this fall. For a complete list of nominees, click here.
"These awards identify the industry's finest," said Arnie Weissmann, Travel Weekly's vice president and editor in chief. "The professionals who read and rely on Travel Weekly have the expertise to select those businesses, destinations and hotels that provide a higher level of service to their clients. Our readers can be confident that these winners represent the best this industry has to offer."
Travel Weekly also presented three Lifetime Achievement Awards to members of the travel community whose efforts have led to extraordinary results within an organization and who also have contributed to the industry as a whole.
This year, the recipients were Philip Gordon, chairman of the Gobus Family of Brands; Priscilla Alexander, president of Protravel International; and Tim and Nina Zagat, cofounders of Zagat Survey.
Also honored during the dinner was Nadine Godwin, Travel Weekly's editor at large, for 37 years of contributions to Travel Weekly and to the industry. Godwin, a former editor in chief of Travel Weekly, is retiring at the end of 2009.
The following is a list of this year's Readers' Choice winners:
Best in Airlines
• Domestic: Southwest Airlines
• International: Virgin Atlantic
• Business/First Class: Singapore Airlines
Best in Car Rental
• Domestic: Hertz
• International: Hertz
Best GDS
• Sabre
Best in Theme Parks
• Walt Disney World
Best in Hotel Chains
• Domestic: Marriott International
• Asia: InterContinental Hotels Group
• Caribbean: Sandals Resorts
• Europe: InterContinental Hotels Group
• Mexico: Riu Hotels & Resorts
• Hawaii/South Pacific: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
• All-Inclusive: Sandals Resorts
• Luxury: Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
• Upscale: Westin Hotels & Resorts
• Midprice: Hampton Inn
• Boutique: Karisma Hotels & Resorts
• Sales & Service: Marriott International
Best Las Vegas Hotel
• Bellagio Las Vegas
Best Resort Worldwide
• St. Regis Bora Bora
Best in Tour Operators
• Domestic: GOGO Worldwide Vacations
• International: Trafalgar Tours
• Africa: Abercrombie & Kent
• Asia/Pacific: Pacific Delight Tours
• Canada: Tauck World Discovery
• Caribbean: Gogo Worldwide Vacations
• Europe: Globus
• Hawaii: Pleasant Holidays
• Mexico: Apple Vacations
• Luxury: Abercrombie & Kent
• Sales & Service: Travel Impressions
Best in Rail Vacations
• Rocky Mountaineer
Best in Cruise Lines
• Domestic: Carnival Cruise Lines
• Alaska: Princess Cruises
• Caribbean: Royal Caribbean International
• Europe: Holland America Line
• Luxury: Crystal Cruises
• Premium: Celebrity Cruises
• Sales & Service: Royal Caribbean International
• Overall: Royal Caribbean International
Best in Cruise Ships
• Rookie: Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Cruises
• Premium: Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Cruises
• Luxury: Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line
• Overall Individual: Freedom of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International
Best in River Cruising
• Viking River Cruises
Best in Destination
• Africa: South Africa
• Asia/Pacific Country: Australia
• Asia/Pacific City: Sydney
• Canada: Vancouver
• Caribbean: Jamaica
• Central/South America: Costa Rica
• European Country: Italy
• European City: Rome
• Hawaii: Maui
• Mexico: Riviera Maya
• U.S. State: Hawaii
• U.S. City: Las Vegas
Lifetime Achievement Recipients
• Priscilla Alexander, President, Protravel International
• Phillip Gordon, Chairman, Globus
• Tim & Nina Zagat, Co-Founders, Zagat Survey