Global luxury travel network Virtuoso has revealed the winners of the 2018 Best of the Best awards, recognising the world’s most exceptional properties and hoteliers.
The 30th annual Virtuoso Travel Week took place on 15 August at the Hotel & Resorts Dinner. It honoured the year’s top 10 hotels and hoteliers before an audience of 1,700 leading figures in luxury travel.
While the event recognised various aspects of hospitality, from best family programme to sustainable tourism leadership, it was Ireland’s Adare Manor that took home the night’s most prestigious award: Hotel of the Year.
Other notable winners included The Silo Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa for Best Achievement in Design, and The Donovan Bar in Brown’s/A Rocco Forte Hotel for Best Bar. Hotelier of the Year was awarded to Patrizio Cipollini of the Four Seasons Hotel Firenze in Florence, Italy.
Virtuoso’s voting public included its 1,000-plus travel agency members and their 17,500 professional travel advisors from 50 countries. Editors of VIRTUOSO LIFE, the network’s magazine, contributed their expert insights to name the initial nominees on which the advisors voted.
Albert Herrera, senior vice president of global product partnerships for Virtuoso, said: “This year’s Best of the Best winners are a beautifully diverse group with worldwide appeal, showcasing hotels that are historic and contemporary, small and large, and boutique properties alongside well-known luxury brands.
“These properties set a standard of the highest quality for the entire Virtuoso portfolio with their commitment to innovating constantly to improve the guest experience. We are proud to call these world’s-finest properties our own and are inspired by their creativity in breaking new ground for the luxury hospitality industry.”
