Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Awards winners revealed

The annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Spa Awards took place last night (2 February 2011) at the Corinthia Hotel, London SW1, to highlight the finest hotel spas, spa retreats, day spas and thermal spas in the UK as well as around the globe.

The 2011 Readers’ Spa Awards elected So SPA by Sofitel at the Sofitel London St James, as the UK’s leading hotel spa. Particularly noted for its ambiance/design it also makes it into The World’s Top 25 “best of the best” list, ranking 22nd. Other winning UK spas are Urban Retreat at Harrods London, which wins best UK Day Spa and Champneys Forest Mere in Hampshire voted as the best UK Spa Retreat. SPA, La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco was voted Top Spa in the World. The Readers’ Spa Awards are based on readers’ votes on criteria including spa facilities, individual approach, ambience/design, body and facial treatments, amenities and products, exercise programmes, cuisine, as well as quality of service and staff.

The top three in each category:

Hotel Spas

UK
1. So SPA by Sofitel, Sofitel London St James, London
2. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, London, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
3. The Dorchester Spa, The Dorchester, London

Europe, Asia Minor & the Russian Federation
1. The Spa, Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, France
2. The Thalassa Spa, Anassa, Cyprus
3. Metropole ESPA, Hôtel Metropole Monte-Carlo, Monaco

The Americas and Caribbean
1. The Peninsula Spa by ESPA, The Peninsula New York, USA
2. The Blue Spa, Carlisle Bay, Antigua
3. COMO Shambhala Retreat, Parrot Cay, Turks & Caicos

Asia & Indian Subcontinent
1. The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, Japan
2. The Spa, Leela Palace Kempinski Bangalore, India
3. Banyan Tree Spa, Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand

Australasia & South Pacific
1. Chuan Spa, The Langham, Melbourne, Australia
2. Hélène Spa, Intercontinental Moorea Resort & Spa, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
3. CHI, The Spa, Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, Australia

Africa, Middle East & Indian Ocean
1. SPA, La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco
2. CHI, The Spa, Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat, Oman
3. The Spa by ESPA, One& Only Reethi Rah, Maldives

Day Spas

UK
1. Urban Retreat, Harrods, London
2. Titanic Spa, Huddersfield
3. Glow Urban Spa & Beauty, London

Overseas
1. Maison Guerlain, Paris, France
2. Culti Day Spa, Milan, Italy
3. Bliss SoHo, New York, USA

Spa Retreats

UK
1. Champneys Forest Mere, Hampshire
2. Ragdale Hall Health Hydro and Thermal Spa, Leicestershire
3. Hoar Cross Hall Spa Resort, Staffordshire

Overseas
1. The BodyHoliday at LeSport, St Lucia
2. Vinotherapie Spa, Les Sources de Caudalie, Bordeaux, France
3. Monart Spa, County Wexford, Ireland

Medical/Thermal/Natural Spas
1. Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, Tuscany, Italy
2. Clinique La Prairie, Montreux, Switzerland
3. SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain

The World’s Top 25
1. Spa, La Mamounia, Marrakech, Morocco
2. The Spa, Four Seasons Hotel Geroge V Paris, France
3. The BodyHoliday at LeSport, St Lucia

InStyle.co.uk launches travel channel with LUXE City Guides

InStyle.co.uk is launching a new travel channel, backed by a six-month partnership with LUXE City Guides. With content from both LUXE City Guides and the InStyle team, visitors can find witty reviews of fashionable hotels, spas, bars and restaurants. Content will build every month and includes reviews of the hottest spots in fashion cities London, Paris, New York and Rome, and more cities to come. The partnership also includes activity in InStyle’s August issue, with a LUXE City Guide covermounted to copies sold in WHSmith. The mini guide to the fashion cities was created especially for InStyle. InStyle will promote its new online travel channel with advertisements in IPC’s magazines and websites.

Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design award winners announced

The winners of the fourth annual Condé Nast Traveller Innovation and Design Awards were announced last night at the Renaissance Chancery Court London, High Holborn. The evening was hosted by Sarah Miller, editor of Condé Nast Traveller. The awards recognized excellence in ten categories as follows:

STYLE ON THE MOVE
Paul Smith for his limited-edition Evian bottle as well as his Cylinda Range tablewear for Stelton in celebration of the firm’s 50th Anniversary.
Award presented by international designer Tom Dixon.

GOURMET
The revamped Monkey Bar in Manhattan wins this honour, collected by Jeremy King. Created by Graydon Carter, Jeremy King and Jeff Klein and designed by Carter and Basil Walter. Award presented by chef Heston Blumenthal.

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
This category is won by Apple’s iPad. Collected by Adam Howorth, the
Award presented by Brent Hoberman, founder of Lastminute.com and Mydeco.com.

RETAIL
Anya Hindmarch Bespoke wins the retail category for her shop in Pont Street where clients can emboss messages onto handbags and wallets. Award presented by Ed Vaisey MP.

SUSTAINABLE
Soliloquy, winner of this category - a collaboration between prize-winning British marine designer, Alastair Callender, and Solar Sailor, an Australian company that specialises in sun- and wind-energy systems for ships. Award presented by John Thackara, founder of the Netherlands Design Institute.

AVIATION
The Aircruise concept wins the Aviation category, collected by Nick Talbot and Craig Bunyan. Designed by Seymour Powell, the Aircruise will be a hotel in the sky that will take a day or more to carry you to your destination, like the transatlantic liners of old. Award presented by Paul Thompson, Rector of the Royal College of Art.

CULTURE
There are two winners for this category. Anish Kapoor for his exhibition at The Royal Academy and Zaha Hadid for the MAXXI at the National Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome, with its protruding upper floor like night-vision goggles observing the city. Award presented by Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate.

LEISURE
Living Architecture, an enterprise dedicated to the promotion and enjoyment of world-class modern architecture by creating a set of holiday homes around Britain, commissioned by contemporary architects, wins this prize. The project is masterminded by Mark Robinson, Dickon Robinson and Alain de Botton, with the latter collecting the prize. Award presented by Loyd Grossman.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Designed by Foster & Partners with Arup, Florence TAV Railway Station wins this award, collected by David Nelson & Gerard Evenden. With its single tube with a faceted glass roof, the station resembles transparent snakeskin. Award presented by award-winning architect Lord Richard Rogers.

TRANSPORT
This category is won by Virgin Galactic’s HSS Enterprise SpaceShip Two, collected by Will Whitehorn. Designed by Jim Tighe, Bob Morgan and teams, the design was unveiled in December and will be taking passengers 62 miles up. Award presented by model and writer Saffron Aldridge.

OVERALL WINNER
Due to an unprecedented number of votes this year, a special prize was awarded to Apple for the iPad and the iPhone apps. Award presented by Belinda Pote, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Europe, Marriott Hotels & Resorts.