Travel Weekly honors winners of 2013 Readers Choice Awards

The winners of the 11th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards were honored Tuesday at a gala awards dinner and ceremony at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Winners were selected in 62 categories in the airline, car, hospitality, rail, GDS, agent education, tour, cruise, destination and theme park sectors. The awards are presented to suppliers considered by Travel Weekly readers who led the way in product and service during the past year.

In the first round of voting, Travel Weekly readers were invited 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.

"More than 1 billion people will cross international borders this year, and many times that number will travel domestically," said Arnie Weissmann, Travel Weekly's editor in chief. "Somebody has to counsel, transport, entertain, enlighten and house all these travelers, and the Readers Choice Awards winners are the very best at doing just that."

Weissmann added that a record number of industry voters -- just under 9,000 -- participated in the process. "Among our readers are travel counselors, industry marketing executives and the CEOs of the world's largest travel companies -- a group uniquely qualified to evaluate a very crowded field of potential nominees."

The following is a list of this year's Readers Choice winners:
(For the complete list of nominees,
click here.) 
 

Best in Airlines 

• Domestic: Delta Air Lines 
• International: Virgin Atlantic 
• Business/First Class: Emirates  

Best in Car Rental 

• Domestic: Hertz  
• International: Hertz  

Best in Hotel Chains 

• Domestic: Marriott International  
• Asia: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide  
• Caribbean: Sandals Resorts  
• Europe: InterContinental Hotels Group  
• Mexico: Dreams Resorts & Spas  
• Hawaii/South Pacific: Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide  
• All-Inclusive: Sandals Resorts  
• Luxury: Ritz-Carlton Hotels & Resorts  
• Upscale: Westin Hotels & Resorts  
• Mid-Priced: Hampton Inn  
• Boutique: Karisma Hotels & Resorts  
• Sales & Service: Marriott International  

Top Overall Hotel Group 

• Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide  

Best Las Vegas Hotel 

• Bellagio Las Vegas  

Best Resort Worldwide 

• St. Regis Bora Bora  

Best Rail Vacation 

• Rocky Mountaineer  

Best Travel Agent Educational Program 

• OneSource Academy -- Princess Cruises  

Best GDS 

• Sabre  

Best in Tour Operators 

• Domestic Packaged: Gogo Worldwide Vacations  
• Domestic Escorted: Tauck  
• International: Globus  
• Africa: Abercrombie & Kent  
• Asia/Pacific: Globus  
• Canada: Tauck  
• Caribbean: Travel Impressions  
• Europe: Globus  
• Hawaii: Pleasant Holidays  
• Mexico: Apple Vacations  
• Luxury: Abercrombie & Kent  
• Sales & Service: Travel Impressions  

Best in Cruise Lines 

• Domestic: Royal Caribbean International  
• Alaska: Princess Cruises  
• Caribbean: Royal Caribbean International  
• Europe: Celebrity Cruises  
• Luxury: Seabourn  
• Premium: Celebrity Cruises  
• River Cruising: Viking River Cruises  
• Itinerary Designs: Princess Cruises  
• Under 1,000: Seabourn  
• Sales & Service: Royal Caribbean International  
• Overall: Royal Caribbean International  

Best in Cruise Ships 

• River Cruising: S.S. Antoinette, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection  
• Rookie: Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Cruise Line  
• Premium: Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Cruises  
• Luxury: Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line  
• Overall Individual: Allure of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International  

Best in Destinations 

• Africa: South Africa  
• Asia/Pacific: Tahiti  
• Canada: Vancouver  
• Caribbean: St. Lucia  
• Central/South America: Costa Rica  
• Europe: England  
• Hawaii: Maui  
• Mexico: Riviera Maya  
• U.S. State: Hawaii  
• U.S. City: Las Vegas  

Best Theme Park 

• Walt Disney World