Chance for luxury's stars to shine with launch of 2020 awards

The awards also give a host of luxury travel suppliers the chance to win recognition from the luxury agent community, with a hand-picked roster of agents rating the shortlisted finalists in order to decide the overall winner in each supplier category.

The supplier categories are:

• Premium Cruise Line of the Year
• Ultra-luxury Cruise Line of the Year
• Premium Air Experience of the Year
• Luxury Hotel Company of the Year (small group, less than 25 hotels)
• Luxury Hotel Company of the Year (large group, 25 or more hotels)
• Best New Luxury Hotel of the Year
• Specialist Luxury Operator of the Year
• Luxury Operator of the Year
• Contribution to Luxury (editor’s choice)

Suppliers nominate themselves for the categories (except Contribution to Luxury) and this year, the community of agents who rate will be refreshed to include entrants in the Luxury category of TTG’s Top 50, all past TTG Luxury Travel Awards agent finalists and Luxpo attendees, so suppliers know that the very best and experienced agents are rating companies they feel really stand out.

For the Best New Luxury Hotel of the Year category, contenders enter themselves and are then rated and selected by a panel of renowned travel and lifestyle journalists and editors, who use their wealth of experience to narrow down the finalists.

Contribution to Luxury is a coveted award given to a person deemed to have made a very significant impact in the sector, with the individual picked from a wide range of business types globally. The decision is made by the editorial team at TTG Luxury with past respected recipients already including Matthew Upchurch, chief executive of Virtuoso (2019) and Justin Wateridge, managing director of Steppes (2018).

April Hutchinson, editor of TTG Luxury, said: “It gives me enormous pleasure to kick off our next awards. We first announced this initiative back in 2017 and I'm thrilled with the overwhelmingly positive response we have had from the industry ever since – whether a finalist, winner, sponsor, or attendee on the day. Our experience in the sector continues to allow us to lead the way with events and initiatives and, importantly, to help bring this brilliant industry together.”

“Hosting the event at one of London's finest hotels and partnering with Rosewood is another huge bonus of this event – and we make it a Friday lunchtime in February so that peers and colleagues in the business can emerge from the hectic Peaks season to catch up with each other in a beautiful, relaxed environment.”

Key dates for your diary:

• 27 September – supplier nominations close/deadline for agents to register their interest
• 25 November – shortlist announced
• 28 February – the winners are revealed at Rosewood London