Virtuoso(R) Announces Nominees for Prestigious Annual 'Best of the Best' Hotel Awards

Virtuoso(R) Announces Nominees for Prestigious Annual 'Best of the Best' Hotel
Awards

NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso(R),
is pleased to announce nominations for their third annual "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. Editors of VIRTUOSO LIFE, the Virtuoso network's
award-winning publication, collaborated with the organization's elite travel
advisor membership to select hotels that represent the pinnacle of service,
design, product and social responsibility. 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 (TM),' 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(TM)' 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; Barcelo 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:Jose 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.

SOURCE Virtuoso

Misty Ewing, Virtuoso, +1-212-588-8242, mewing@virtuoso.com