The reputable World Travel Awards has come and gone for another year, celebrating a resurgence in post-lockdown relevancy with an obvious hunger to pick through the best of travel in 2022. In its 29th year, the authoritative awards ceremony took place in Jamaica earlier this week at a reportedly rowdy ceremony where some of the travel industry’s leading figures celebrated the proposed upper echelon of travel right now, from leading hotels and airlines to hospitality experiences and cities themselves. South America, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean were each given their own categories, which we have rounded up below.
Much like similar tourism and restaurant award lists, which we have reported on plenty of times in past, the World Travel Awards winners represent a helpful little to-do list for travellers who have a particular desire to run through the best of the best. These aren’t naive and mostly bitter travellers with TripAdvisor accounts making the tough choices; the World Travel Awards has long been known for having one of the most experienced (and hard to please) panels in the industry.
There’s always the risk of award shows being politicised and biased behind the scenes, but for the most part, the following lists should at least point your attention towards some great experiences, cities, and hotels to keep in mind next time you’re planning a trip to these parts of the world.
There is a heap of categories, from Leading Adventure Hotel and Leading Airport to Leading Culinary Destination, Leading Hotel Brand and – getting super specific – Leading Hotel Suite. We’ve gone through and selected what we feel are the most relevant to travel tastes right now, but for the full list of winners just click through to the link below.
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World Travel Awards – United States Winners
- Leading Airline: Delta Air Lines
- Leading Airline Lounge: Delta Sky Club @ Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
- Leading Airport Hotel: The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport
- Leading Airport Lounge: Star Alliance Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport
- Leading Beach Destination: Maui, Hawaii
- Leading Beach Resort: 1 Hotel South Beach, Florida
- Leading Boutique Hotel: Malibu Beach Inn Hotel & Spa
- Leading Boutique Resort: San Ysidro Ranch, Santa Barbara
- Leading Business Hotel: InterContinental New York Times Square
- Leading City Break Destination: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Leading City Destination: Miami Beach, Florida
- Leading Hotel: Conrad New York Downtown
- Leading Hotel Suite: Royal Suite at The Plaza, New York
- Leading Luxury Hotel: Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills
- Leading New Hotel: Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World Las Vegas
- Leading New Resort: Resorts World Las Vegas
- Leading Tourism Winery: Mumm Napa, California
World Travel Awards – Canada Winners
- Leading Airport Hotel: Fairmont Vancouver Airport
- Leading Boutique Hotel: L’Hermitage Hotel Vancouver
- Leading Business Hotel: Hilton Toronto
- Leading Hotel: The Ritz-Carlton, Montreal
- Leading Hotel Suite: Presidential Suite at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
- Leading Luxury Hotel: Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver
- Leading Resort: Brentwood Bay Resort
World Travel Awards – Central America Winners
- Leading Adventure Tourism Destination: Costa Rica
- Leading Airline: Copa Airlines
- Leading Airport: Cancun International Airport, Mexico
- Leading Airport Hotel: Hilton Mexico City Airport
- Leading Beach Destination: Tulum, Mexico
- Leading All-Inclusive Resort: Fiesta Resort, Costa Rica
- Leading Beach Resort: NIZUC Resort & Spa, Mexico
- Leading Boutique Hotel: The Ellysian Boutique Hotel, Belize
- Leading Boutique Resort: Las Alamandas, Mexico
- Leading Business Hotel: The St Regis Mexico City
- Leading City Break Destination: Acapulco, Mexico
- Leading Destination: Costa Rica
- Leading Dive Destination: Belize
- Leading Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City
- Leading Hotel Suite: Presidential Suite at Four Seasons Hotel Mexico City
- Leading Island Destination: Isla Mujeres, Mexico
- Leading New Hotel: Hotel Xcaret Arte, Mexico
- Leading New Resort: Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya Resort, Mexico
- Leading Resort: Villa del Palmar Beach Resort & Spa at the Islands of Loreto, Mexico
World Travel Awards – South America Winners
- Leading Adventure Hotel: Pikaia Lodge, Ecuador
- Leading Adventure Tourism Destination: Chile
- Leading Airline: LATAM Airlines
- Leading Airport Hotel: Wyndham Quito Airport, Ecuador
- Leading Beach Destination: San Andres, Colombia
- Leading Beach Resort: Enjoy Punta del Este, Uruguay
- Leading Boutique Hotel: Casa Andina Premium Arequipa
- Leading Boutique Resort: Six Senses Botanique, Brazil
- Leading Business Hotel: Hilton Lima Miraflores, Peru
- Leading City Break Destination: Guayquil, Ecuador
- Leading City Destination: Quito, Ecuador
- Leading City Hotel: Wyndham Guayaquil, Ecuador
- Leading Culinary Destination: Peru
- Leading Design Hotel: 23Hotel, Colombia
- Leading Destination: Chile
- Leading Hotel: Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena
- Leading Hotel Suite: Grau Suite at Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena
- Leading Luxury Boutique Hotel: Aranwa Cusco Boutique Hotel
World Travel Awards – Caribbean Winners
- Leading Adventure Tourism Destination: Saint Lucia
- Leading Adventure Tourist Attraction: Saint Lucia
- Leading Airline: Bahamasair
- Leading Airport: Sangster International Airport, Jamaica
- Leading Airport Lounge: Club Mobay at Sangster International Airport, Jamaica
- Leading All-Suite Hotel: The Palms Turks & Caicos
- Leading Beach Destination: Turks & Caicos Islands
- Leading Beach Resort: Amanyara, Turks & Caicos
- Leading Boutique Hotel: Rockhouse, Jamaica
- Leading Boutique Resort: GodenEye, Jamaica
- Leading Destination: Jamaica
- Leading Hotel: Half Moon, Jamaica
- Leading Hotel Suite: Villas Grace Bay Penthouse Suite at Grace Bay Club, Turks & Caicos
- Leading Luxury Hotel Villa: Fleming Villa at GoldenEye, Jamaica
- Leading New Resort: The Ocean Club, a Luxury Collection Resort, Costa Norte, Dominican Republic
- Leading Resort: Sandals Royal Barbados
