With worldwide travel in full swing and our passion for traversing the globe reignited with new vigour, it seems that nowhere in the world is off limits, in fact, now more than ever, travellers are seeking out destinations and experiences that push themselves further than ever before.
As another year makes its move to wrap up in style, we at LLM are celebrating another successful awards season. 2024 marks our seventh year of highlighting the very best in the travel and hospitality industry, through the LLM Readers’ Travel Awards, showcasing the finest hotels across the world to premium airlines, cruise lines, destinations and tour operators that make these travel dreams possible.
With the sole aim of showcasing the best in their sectors and to provide some positive publicity for these businesses, it’s safe to say that we have achieved this once again. Our readers like to dream and travel, and they’ve been voting in their thousands – (32,405 total votes to be exact) – to have their say from the carefully curated shortlist of options.
So, the results are in and we can safely say that the winners of each category are well deserved of their place. You can find the full list of winners here, but we have summarised some of the standout winners below. As our editor-in-chief, Nick Gibbens, commented: “We are so pleased to be able to run our awards, yet again, and highlight the best of the best in the industry. Hopefully these results will encourage travellers to seek out these premium picks for their next luxury break.
“Our discerning and dedicated readers have had their say and we are so grateful to all who made it their mission to throw their support behind each and every one of our shortlisted hotels, destinations, cruise lines, airlines, airports, tour operators and travel websites.
“The travel industry is large and employs so very many people who work tirelessly to promote destinations and aim to offer the very best service and experiences for those who like to travel, explore and relax in a variety of exquisite settings. Hopefully, we can give back, albeit in a small way, to those in the industry and throw our support out there too.
“Thank you to those who took the time to enter, for those who voted, for our prize-givers, and we wish the very best to all in the industry, especially those who are just starting out.”
So, without further ado, we take a look at some of the standout winners of this year’s awards.
Five-star beachside retreat Alma Resort Cam Ranh in Vietnam scooped the most wins across the board by topping the list for Best Beach/Coastal Hotel, Best Hotel for Families, and Best Hotel for Sustainability proving that this luxurious retreat really is a favourite for our readers.
Those who seek a romantic retreat with excellent food should pay attention to our voters as they put Banyan Tree Krabi in Thailand at the top of the Best Hotel for Romance and Best Hotel for Food categories – and rightly so! Meanwhile, Hotel Arts Barcelona – the tallest building in the Catalan city – came out on top as the Best City Hotel, with London’s Andaz Liverpool Street coming in at a close second.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Maldives topped the Best Honeymoon Destination with its selection of super luxe hotels, private retreats and luxurious amenities proving that this is one country that is fully geared to offering couples the perfect start to married life.
Engel Ayurpura, Nova Levante in Italy won in the Best Hotel for Design category, and another Italian hotel, COMO Castello Del Nero in Tuscany came out on top as the Best Hotel for Wine. Golf fans, meanwhile, should pay attention to winner of the Best Hotel for Golf, Dinarobin Beachcomber Golf Resort and Spa, Case Noyale in Mauritius.
Royal Caribbean tops the list of Best Ocean Cruise Line for a fifth year running and Viking tops the Best River Cruise Line category once again. The best city in the world has been voted as New York, while Rome’s Colosseum ranks as the top tourist destination for a second year running. Emirates is back at the top spot for Best Airline once again after grappling for the top spot alongside British Airways for the past six years.
Hopefully you will agree that this has been another great year for the awards and we look forward to visiting and utilising the services of those fine winners above.
