Press Release
July 2001 (Newstream) -- Nancy Novogrod, Editor in Chief of Travel + Leisure magazine, is pleased to announce the
winners of the sixth annual World's Best Awards. The results, featured on page 115 of the August issue, represent
the best hotels, cities, islands, tour operators, airlines, car-rental agencies, cruise lines, and spas, as selected
by the magazine's readers in the annual survey. As an added benefit, T+L editors have compiled vacation planning
guides to the top-rated cities and islands. For easy reference, the World's Best Address Book on page 175 provides
essential contact information.
Nancy Novogrod says, " 'America rules' could be the slogan for our sixth annual World's Best Awards survey.
Our readers cast their votes overwhelmingly for North American brands - Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, Hyatt, Fairmont,
Marriott, Rosewood, Starwood, Wyndham, Hilton. In fact, more than half the properties in the top 100 hotels worldwide
are outposts of those companies. Even more dazzling is that eight of the world's top 10 this year - compared with
four last year - are in the United States. This boosterism acknowledges the high standards for hospitality, comfort,
and service that have been set in North America and carried abroad."
The World's Best Hotel overall is FOUR SEASONS RESORT BALI AT JIMBARAN BAY. The RITZ-CARLTON, CHICAGO, A FOUR SEASONS
HOTEL was selected as the Best Hotel in the Continental U.S. and Canada. HOTEL GRITTI PALACE in Venice has been
named the World's Best Small Hotel (hotels with 100 rooms or fewer).
This year's results for Best Cities are groundbreaking. For the first time, FLORENCE ranks #1 in the world, followed
by Rome and Paris. NEW YORK CITY ranks #1 in the U.S., beating San Francisco, which has held that spot for the
past five years.
The highest-ranking cities in each region are: SYDNEY (Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific); FLORENCE
(Europe); HONG KONG (Asia); JERUSALEM (Africa and the Middle East); and BUENOS AIRES (Mexico and Central and South
America). For the first time, NEW YORK is the Best City in the U.S. and Canada, followed by San Francisco (last
year's winner), Chicago, Washington D.C., and Montreal. In addition, Travel + Leisure editors created a fun and
helpful guide that highlights the sights, culture, food, people, shopping, and value quotient in each of the winning
cities.
The World's Best Tour Operator and Safari Outfitter is ABERCROMBIE & KENT. The Best Spa in the United States
is CANYON RANCH HEALTH RESORT, Tucson. Abroad, the Best Spa is CLINIQUE LA PRAIRIE, in Switzerland. For hotel spas,
RITZ-CARLTON, NAPLES, FLORIDA is first in the U.S., and THE ORIENTAL, BANGKOK ranks #1 abroad.
How do you get to the World's Best places? By the World's Best in transportation:
The winners of this year's World's Best Awards will be honored at a presentation ceremony on Thursday, July 26th
at Gracie Mansion in New York City, the World's Best City in the U.S.
In October, Travel + Leisure Family magazine will announce the World's Best Family Vacations.
A list of all the World's Best Winners will be available on the Web site located at www.travelandleisure.com.
The World's Best Winners:
In the downloadable press release in the Assets column at right is a list of the top winners in each category,
as featured in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, available on newsstands August 3rd.
Methodology: A questionnaire developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure, in association with Harris Interactive/
Yankelovich Partners Inc., was sent in the winter of 2001 to tens of thousands of subscribers, asking their opinions
of hotels, spas and hotel spas, cities, islands, airlines, cruise lines, rental-car companies, and tour operators.
All responses were returned to, and kept confidential by, Harris Interactive/ Yankelovich Partners.
Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, Departures, T&L Golf, and Travel + Leisure Family magazines are part of
the American Express Publishing Corporation, a subsidiary of the American Express Company and managed by Time,
Inc. under the terms of an agreement signed in March 1993. The company, which also publishes SkyGuide and a variety
of cooking, travel, wine, time management, and financial books and products, has a custom publishing group.
National Newsstand Date: August 3, 2001
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Produced for Travel + Leisure magazine
Contact:
Elisa Shevitz 212/382-5679