The Leading Hotels of the World Announces Award Winners

Global Leader in Luxury Hospitality Honors its Members for Outstanding Achievements

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. December 01, 2009

NEW YORK, NY, November 30, 2009 - The Leading Hotels of the World recently announced the winners of a series of prestigious awards during its 2009 Annual Convention, held in Venice, Italy.

COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The company presented the Fourth Annual Commitment to Excellence Awards, acknowledging hotels whose concept of service extends beyond their immediate walls, and whose exceptional efforts exert a positive impact on our world in the areas of the environment, community outreach and cultural support.

The winners for 2009 were:

Commitment to the Environment
The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland

Commitment to the Community
Taj West End, Bangalore, India

Commitment to Culture
Hotel Okura, Tokyo, Japan

COMMITMENT TO QUALITY AWARDS
The winners of the Eighth Annual Commitment to Quality Awards were also announced, with members in five regions: Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia & Pacific, United States of America & Canada, and Mexico, The Caribbean & South America. The winners were those properties which achieved the highest Leading Quality Assurance scores during the period of July 2008 to June 2009.

The 2009 winners of the Commitment to Quality Awards are:

Europe
Villa San Michele, Florence, Fiesole, Italy
Baur au Lac, Zurich, Switzerland

Middle East & Africa
Le Touessrok, TrouD'Eau Douce, Mauritius
Maia Luxury Resort & Spa, Mahe, Republic of Seychelles

Asia & Pacific
Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, South Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives
The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam

United States of America & Canada
The Hay-Adams, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.A.
The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina, U.S.A.

Mexico, The Caribbean & South America
Grand Velas All Suites & Spa Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico
Carlisle Bay, Carlisle Bay, Antigua

LEADERS CLUB AWARDS
The winners of the Eleventh Annual Leaders Club Awards were revealed. The principal criteria in determining the winners were responses to post-stay questionnaires and letters received by the Leaders Club Services Department from Club members themselves. This year's winners:

Leaders Club Guest Recognition Awards of Excellence were :

King George Palace, Athens, Greece;
Excelsior Hotel Ernst, Cologne, Germany; and
Rocco Forte Le Richemond, Geneva, Switzerland.

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
For the first time this year, hotels that ranked number one in each of their categories were honored on the closing night of the convention at a gala dinner held at La Fenice opera house. Each winner received a watch provided by long-time Leading Hotels sponsor and supporter Blancpain, and a special trophy from Tiffany. The Grand Prize Winners were:

Commitment to Excellence
The Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland

Commitment to Quality
Taj Exotica Resort and Spa, South Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives

Leaders Club Award
King George Palace, Athens, Greece

LEADING LEGENDS AWARD
Company President and Chief Executive Officer Ted Teng also announced a new award category, Leading Legends, which will make its debut next year. This award will honor individual hoteliers who have contributed significantly to preserving and advancing independent hotels. The panel of judges will include Leading Hotels Chairman, Jean-Jacques Gauer, designer Donald Goo, Travel + Leisure's Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Director of American Express Publishing Corporation, Nancy Novogrod, as well as renowned hotelier, Georg Rafael.

About The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd.
The Leading Hotels of the World, Ltd. is the prestigious luxury hospitality organization representing more than 450 of the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas, and is the operator of www.lhw.com and www.lhwspas.com - the online sources for your luxury lifestyle. As the largest international luxury hotel brand, the firm maintains offices in 22 major markets across the globe.

Since 1928, the company's reputation for excellence derives from the exacting levels of quality it demands of its members, each of which must pass a rigorous, anonymous inspection covering hundreds of meticulous criteria spanning from product to behavioral standards. This set of standards is the most stringent in the industry.

For reservations and information, visit www.lhw.com or telephone toll-free from the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, (800) 223-6800.