Saxon Hotel named world’s leading boutique hotel

The Oscar for world’s best hotel 2018 goes to a five-star hotel in Dubai designed by Armani, while the Oscar equivalent for best destination this year has gone to Portugal, one of the most trending holiday destinations of 2018.

Over the weekend, the travel elite gathered for the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Lisbon, to hear who among them would go home with a trophy of excellence. The gala event is pitched as the Oscars of the travel world.

Among the big winners of the night were the Armani Hotel Dubai, which was named World’s Leading Hotel for bringing the Italian esthetic of luxury to the glittering city of Dubai. The hotel features 160 rooms designed in Giorgio Armani’s signature style.

The rising popularity of Portugal as a travel destination helped the country nab the title of World’s Leading Destination this year. In 2017, the number of foreign visitors rose 12 percent from the year previous to a record 12.7 million people.

Porto, Portugal old town skyline from across the Douro River.

And China’s Hainan Airlines was voted the world’s best airline 2018.

Winners are based on the votes of travel professionals and consumers, and regional award winners from Asia, India, Africa, Europe, Middle East, Australasia, North, South and Central America.

Here are a few other winner highlights:

World’s leading adventure tourism destination 2018: Chile
Leading airport: Singapore Changi Airport
Leading boutique hotel: Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Leading city destination: Lisbon, Portugal
Leading green destination: Ecuador

Machu Picchu

Leading cruise brand: Royal Caribbean Internationa
Leading culinary destination: Peru
Leading cultural destination: Peru
Leading fine dining hotel restaurant: Vila Joya Hotel Restaurant at Vila Joya, Albufeira, Portugal
Leading low-cost airline: AirAsia
Leading luxury hotel: The Peninsula Paris, France

Mauritius

Leading luxury train: Maharajas’ Express
Leading tourist attraction: Machu Picchu, Peru
Most romantic destination: Mauritius
Most romantic resort: Baros Maldives

The full list can be found at World Travel Awards.

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