All eyes on Vegas as luxury travel comes to town

Go back to the e-newsletter

Three travel advisors from Australia received nominations for awards and recognition at the 2022 Virtuoso Travel Week. Over the coming days, awards will be presented across a range of fields, providing formal recognition for those leading the way in their respective specialty areas. The trio of Aussie advisors nominated for Community Awards included Gabrielle Thackray from Wentworth Travel; Eirini Hatzellis from Savenio (both attending VTW 2022 in person) and Yvonne Verstanding, Trans World Travel.

The winners of the Community Awards were presented yesterday during the Globetrotting lunch break. Other 2022 accolades yet to be announced will include Partner Awards and Recognition Awards winners. Among those are Australia’s own Aurora Expeditions in the ‘Best Expedition Cruise Lines’ category. Aurora Expeditions is a relative newcomer to the Virtuoso Preferred global partnership (joining in late July 2021, in a move foreshadowed by LATTE), and only recently welcomed a new CEO to the position, Michael Heath, as of 1 June 2022. Also in the nominees from the Oceania region is Park Hyatt Auckland in the ‘Best New or Reimagined Hotel’ category, Southern Crossings for ‘Best On-Site’ and Tourism Australia, and Tourism New Zealand, for ‘Best Tourism Board.

View the full list of nominees, and the Community Award winners, below:

2022 Community Award Nominees and Winners

ADVENTURE

Member Nominees Rob Borzillo, Departure Lounge Joey Levy, Embark Beyond June Kleier, Protravel International Yvonne Verstandig, Trans World Travel Angela Wallace Pierson, Wallace Pierson Travel – WINNER Partner Nominees Big Five Enchantment Resort G Adventures Micato Safaris – WINNER Natural Habitat Adventures

FAMILY + CELEBRATION

Member Nominees Kathy Lubrano, Coastline Travel Advisors Kate Johnson, CSB Travel Jen Campbell Boles, Gifted Travel Network Jessica Griscavage, McCabe World Travel, Inc. – WINNER Duncan Greenfield-Turk, Protravel International UK Partner Nominees Family Twist Kulm Hotel St. Moritz Made for Spain and Portugal – WINNER Park Hyatt Aviara The Palms Turks and Caicos

ULTRALUXE

Member Nominees Linda Scroggins, Affluent Luxury Travel Jonathan Phillips, Cassis Travel Services Victoria Boomgarden, Direct Travel Luxe – WINNER Amy Grigos, High Access Travel Becky Craft, Travel Experts Partner Nominees The Brando – WINNER Casa Cipriani Cheval Blanc St Barths Dream Escape Remote Lands

CULINARY

Member Nominees Elli Beck, Andavo Travel Dawn Johnson, Coastline Travel Advisors – WINNER Tammy Murphy, Gifted Travel Network Nicholas Cutrone, Vista Travel Consultants, INC Gabrielle Thackray, Wentworth Travel Partner Nominees Condado Vanderbilt IC Bellagio – WINNER Relais il Falconiere Tourisme Montreal Tutka Bay Lodge – Within the Wild

WELLNESS

Member Nominees Donna Jacobs Padilla, Coastline Travel Advisors Sheila Gallant-Halloran, Vision Travel, A Direct Travel Company – WINNER Eirini Hatzellis, Savenio Francis Contreras, Travelworld International Group Kim Schneider, Tzell Travel Group Partner Nominees JOALI Being Miraval Resorts – WINNER Palmaia the House of AiA The Ranch Malibu SHA Wellness Clinic

Recognition Nominees

PROTECTING THE PLANET*

Member Nominees Amy Welfare and Katie Terrington, 360 Private Travel Avenue Two Travel Leo Sorcher, Embark Beyond JTB Global Assistance Shari Tucker, TPI Partner Nominees Mashpi Lodge Six Senses Laamu Slovenian Tourist Board Soori Bali White Desert

SUPPORTING LOCAL ECONOMIES*

Member Nominees Jess Tang, 360 Private Travel Hong Kong Linda Scroggins, Affluent Luxury Travel Black Tomato Kevin Wu, Charm Deer Danielle (Koch) Meyer, Coastline Travel Advisors Partner Nominees Adams & Butler andBeyond Velas Resorts Noteworthy United Kingdom Wilderness Safaris

CELEBRATING CULTURE*

Member Nominees Cadence Embark Beyond Kenia Collins, Gifted Travel Network GOYA by Copastur The Travel Society Partner Nominees Access Italy Casa Gangotena Entree Destinations Four Seasons Resort Lana’i Terranea Resort  

2022 Partner Award Nominees

BEST SPECIALTY, INSURANCE or AIRLINE*

Partner Nominees Allianz Partners American Airlines Delta Air Lines Travelex Insurance Services United Airlines

BEST OCEAN CRUISE LINEˆ

Partner Nominees Celebrity Cruises Oceania Cruises Seabourn Silversea Viking

BEST RIVER CRUISE LINEˆ

Partner Nominees AmaWaterways Aqua Expeditions Avalon Waterways Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Viking

BEST EXPEDITION CRUISE LINEˆ

Partner Nominees Aurora Expeditions Celebrity Xpedition Lindblad Expeditions Quark Expeditions Silversea

BEST INNOVATIVE GUEST EXPERIENCE*

Partner Nominees Airelles Chateau de Versailles, Le Grand Controle Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Etéreo, Auberge Resorts Collection NoMad London One&Only Gorilla’s Nest

BEST HOTEL*

Partner Nominees Gleneagles, Scotland Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Madrid Montage Healdsburg Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal

BEST NEW OR REIMAGINED HOTEL*

Partner Nominees Borgo Santandrea Cheval Blanc Paris Park Hyatt Auckland San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel The St. Regis Venice

HOTELIER OF THE YEAR*

To be presented 18 August, at the Gala Celebration of Luminaries, Legends, and Leaders. Partner Nominees Guillaume Marly, Hotel Cafe Royal, London Markos Chaidemenos, Canaves Oia Aaron Kaupp, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah Valentina De Santis, Grand Hotel Tremezzo & Passalacqua Christian Westbeld, Raffles Singapore

Best On-Site*

Partner Nominees Costa Rican Trails IC Bellagio Imago Artis Travel Leonidas Travel Southern Crossings

BEST TOUR OPERATOR*

Partner Nominees Abercrombie & Kent Big Five Family Twist Micato Tauck

BEST TOURISM BOARD*

Partner Nominees Austrian Tourist Office Los Cabos Tourism Board The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board Tourism Australia Tourism New Zealand ˆ To be presented 15 August at Cruise Night Out. * To be presented 18 August, at the Gala Celebration of Luminaries, Legends, and Leaders. Lead image credit: Julian Paefgen/Unsplash

---

---

Go back to the e-newsletter