Virtuoso’s ‘Best of the Best’
International luxury travel network Virtuoso unveiled the winners of its 2015 Best of the Best hotel awards Wednesday at the 27th annual Virtuoso Travel Week conference in Las Vegas.
The 11 winners, all participants in the renowned Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts Program, include Ashford Castle in Ireland as Hotel of the Year.
Virtuoso surveyed its 370 agencies and their more than 9,800 elite travel advisors to decide the Best of the Best winners in 10 categories, ranging from the most innovative guest experience to top hotel and hotelier of the year.
With a diverse portfolio of nearly 1,100 hotels, resorts, villas and private island retreats in more than 100 countries, Virtuoso Hotels & Resorts is revered as the industry’s most prestigious hotel program. Founded in 1992, the program is also luxury travel’s longest-running, with more five-star properties than any other.
The Best of the Best winners were revealed during a Hotels & Resorts Dinner before more than 1,500 of luxury travel’s brightest stars.
The categories and winners are: Hotel of the Year: Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Galway, Ireland; Hotelier of the Year: Antonio Sersale, Le Sirenuse, Positano, Italy; Best Achievement in Design: The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, Japan; Best Culinary Experience: Epicure, Le Bristol Paris, France; Best Family Program: Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, Florida, USA; Best Spa: Dolder Grand Spa, The Dolder Grand, Zurich, Switzerland; Most Innovative Guest Experience (tie): Corcovado Experience, Belmond Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Red Carpet Ready, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, California, USA; Sustainable Tourism Leadership – Hotels: The Brando, French Polynesia; One to Watch: Rosewood Beijing, China.
