2011 Best In Business Travel » 

2011 Best In Business Travel

Published: 19/12/2011 - Filed under: Home » Archive » 2011 » December 2011/January 2012 » Special Reports » Home » Archive » 2011 » December 2011/January 2012 »

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Business Traveler readers know the business of travel better than anyone else in the world. After all, you depend on the products and services that travel providers supply every day, so who better to judge their relative merits? During the past 12 months, every Business Traveler reader has had the opportunity to vote for the companies they felt offered the best product in a wide range of travel settings – different regions of the world, different types of travel providers, different classes of service, different productivity tools.

In fact, we were delighted by your response this year. Every nominee came from your picks – every vote was a write-in candidate, no travel provider was pre-selected, and the magazine staff took no part determining which companies rose to the top. So these really are your awards, voted by you and presented to honor your best choices for excellence in the travel services industry.

The Best in Business Travel Awards 2011 were presented at a gala affair December 8, 2011 at the Andaz Hotel West Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA. We’ll have complete coverage of the awards event in the February issue of Business Traveler as well as on the web at businesstravelerusa.com.

This year’s awards recognized 35 different travel service companies in 54 different categories. In general, we take that as a good sign; while there are multiple award winners, no one company dominates, which means everyone is striving toward – and succeeding in delivering – services that are continually being refined. The bar is constantly getting higher, and that’s good news for business travelers everywhere.

Among this year’s Best in Business Travel Awards recipients, 22 were on last year’s winners list. That means there were a lucky 13 newcomers this year. Some travel companies have consistently been the top vote-getters year after year. Others battle it out in highly competitive market segments to get your votes – and your business. These names will change and rearrange, but always be near the top of the charts. But big-picture, what we see is how all that effort from all those companies – improving their products, innovating their delivery, polishing their service – continually works together to make the business of business travel better. 

This year, our awards are broken out into eight groups: Best Airlines by Region, Best-in-Class Air Travel, Best Hotel Experience, Best Marketing and Customer Connection, Best Loyalty Programs, Best Places to Connect, Best Traveler Tools and Productivity Boosters, and the Best in Global Travel. But actually, the groupings are only there to make it easier for you to discover who took the award within a specific service and product offering. Companies who rise to the top of the Best in Business Travel Awards are all there because you, the readers, have put them there. So it’s a safe bet, if a company’s on the list, it really is the Best in Business Travel – because you say so.

 

Best in Global Travel 

The Best in Global Travel is the crème de la crème – those travel services providers who have been voted the best in the world in their respective categories. Voters chose their favorite airline, airline alliance, hotel chain, rental car company and airplane, along with nine other categories covering best-in-class service, lounges and aircraft layout. The criteria span all the different questions that impact the travel business: Service levels, route structures, location, convenience, comfort, down to the smallest details that can create that lasting affinity between a traveler and a travel provider.

For the business traveler, the yardstick is simple: Who does the best job in each category? While it might be easy to argue over which award categories belong in this group, there’s no arguing the fact that the companies represented here are world class.

Best Airlines by Region

With so many carriers offering service to every corner of the world, it would be impossible for one airline to be all things to all people. Voters selected the airlines that provided the best combination of service, value and convenience in seven major regions of the world: North America, South America/Latin America, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Also included in this group are the top airline in North America for international travel, and the voters’ favorite North American low-cost carrier.

Don’t let the regional nomenclature mislead you; all of these carriers are world-class airlines with far-flung networks. You’ll frequently find their logos side-by-side on flight boards in different airports around the world – either as alliance members, codeshare partners or ardent competitors. But readers have discovered that, for whatever reason, one carrier has a predilection for a higher level of service in a particular area of the world – whether because of history or culture or just a better understanding of what it takes to do business there. Those are the award winners you see here. 

 

Best-in-Class Air Travel 

This awards group is based on what happens from the moment passengers step up to the ticket counter at the departure lounge to the time their luggage circles around the carousel at the arriving airport’s baggage claim. These awards reveal which airlines readers consider the most reliable in delivering a superior experience, including the groundside support, in-flight service, cuisine, amenities, and comfort factors such as seating and space. 

Of course, the focus in this group is on business class travel, broken out by regions or routes, but there’s also a taste of domestic North American first class travel in the group as well.

 

Best Hotel Experience

What business travelers want most in their accommodations is a place to rest, relax and re-energize. That happens best in a hotel that offers a combination of service, comfort and attention to every detail, from the quality of the Internet connection to the contents of the minibar. Readers cast their votes for hotel chains where they received consistent, high-quality service from city to city. In these properties, business travelers found every facet of the stay – from early arrival to late check-out – is designed around them. Staff is not only well-trained but well-chosen because of an innate talent for service. And from the lobby to the mattresses to the selection of amenities, the experience is dependable and flawless.

Oh, and it doesn’t hurt if guests are treated like real people, too.

This group of awards is divided into global regions, with special recognition for the chain that voters judged to offer the most gracious personal attention.

 

Best Marketing & Customer Connection

How travel service providers engage their customers before the actual day of travel is an important first step in determining the subsequent success of the entire journey. In this group, readers selected the companies with the best communications channels – the ones that add value to the relationships through their outreach, their technology and their message.

For example, what an airline promises in its advertising has to reflect the service its customers actually receive; the convenience and simplicity of a travel provider’s web site has to speak directly to the needs of the traveler; and the connection an airline makes with its customers – on the phone and on the ground – is as important as the connections it makes for them. When travel providers use these communications tools to best advantage, travelers are on board well before the travel is booked.

 

Best Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are a win-win – that’s the point of points. Everybody has a way to get rewards, so it’s easy to find a program that gives free miles or room nights. More challenging is to find one that doesn’t take more time and add more hassle to the traveler’s life, but still offer the fastest rewards, the most desirable premiums and the greatest flexibility. The programs that our readers chose for these awards this year have consistently ranked among the most accessible and best-run points programs in the industry. Proving once again that it pays to be loyal.

 

Best Places to Connect 

Whether going to or going through, business travel is about making connections. When business travelers are making that all-important connecting flight, the ease with which these award-winning airports can be navigated is the most pressing concern. Getting from the groundside to ticketing, from ticketing through security and then on to the gate in the least time with the least stress is the measure of success.

But when connecting times are more relaxed and travelers have the leisure to appreciate these exceptional aerodromes, what really makes them work becomes more apparent – clean, bright, with plenty to satisfy the senses in architecture and design, music and art. These winners offer the best retail, the best dining, the right amenities, the greatest selection of duty-free goods.

When the final destination is picked for a great conference, convention or meeting, travelers want to find a place that’s more than amusing – it has to be amazing. Of all the meeting cities in all the world, readers chose the one that has the most to offer: the most hotels, plenty of exciting venues, lots of entertainment and a wealth of event experience. 

 

Best Traveler Tools & Productivity Boosters

When road warriors head out, they take the tools of the travel trade with them. Time on the road used to be mostly downtime, but no more: technology has come to the rescue. To make the trip more productive, better connected and less stressful, the business traveler’s tool set includes an array of services and products. These days, business begins with mobility, so this group includes two of the necessities for on-the-road connectivity and productivity – cell phone coverage and wireless data. Also on the list is a technology tool to help travelers enjoy their downtime in comfort without outside interference.  

 

The Best in Business Travel Award Winners for 2011 are:

 
Best in Global Travel 

Best Overall Airline

Singapore Airlines

 

Best Airline for International Travel

Qatar Airways

 

Best Airline Alliance

Star Alliance

 

Best First Class Service

Singapore Airlines

 

Best Business Class Service

Singapore Airlines

 

Best Premium Economy Class Service

Virgin Atlantic

 

Best Economy Class Service

Singapore Airlines

 

Best Airline Cuisine in Business Class

Cathay Pacific

 

Best In-Flight Services in the World

Singapore Airlines

 

Best Airport Clubs/Lounges

Virgin Atlantic

 

Best Business Hotel Chain in the World

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

 

Best Car Rental Company in the World

Hertz

 

Best Aircraft Type

Boeing 777

 

Best A380 Layout

Qantas

Best Airlines by Region

Best North American Airline for International Travel

Air Canada

Best Airline for North American Travel

American Airlines

Best Low-Cost Airline in North America

JetBlue

Best Airline in South/Latin America

Aeromexico

Best Airline in Western Europe

British Airways

Best Airline in Africa

South African Airways

Best Airline in Central & Eastern Europe

Lufthansa

Best Airline in the Middle East

Emirates

Best Airline in Asia

Korean Air

Best-in-Class Air Travel

Best North American Airline for First Class Service

Delta Air Lines

Best North American Airline for Business Class Service

Delta Air Lines 

Best In-Flight Service in North America

Air Canada

Best Trans-Atlantic Business Class

Virgin Atlantic

Best Trans-Pacific Business Class

Singapore Airlines

Best Business Class to South America

American Airlines

Best Business Class to the Middle East

Qatar Airways

Best Business Class to Africa

South African Airways 

 

Best Business Class to Asia

Singapore Airlines

Best Business Class to the South Pacific

Air New Zealand

Best Hotel Experience

Hotel Chain with Best Overall Customer Service

Hyatt Hotels

Best Business Hotel Chain in North America

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Chain in South/Latin America

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Chain in Europe

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Chain in the Middle East

Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Chain in Asia

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts

 

Best Marketing & Customer Connection

Best Airline Advertising Campaign

Korean Air

Best Airline Web Site

Delta Air Lines

Best Hotel Web Site

Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Best Web Site for Booking Travel

Expedia

Best Overall Customer Service – Airline – Ground – Call Center

Asiana Airlines

Best Loyalty Programs

Best Frequent Flyer Program 

Delta Air Lines

 

Best Hotel Loyalty Program

Marriott Rewards

Best Credit Card Rewards Program

Amex – Membership Rewards

 

Best Places to Connect 

Best Airport in North America

Denver International Airport

Best Airport in the World

Changi Airport

Airport with Best Duty-Free Shopping

Incheon International Airport

Best Convention/Conference City

Las Vegas

Best Traveler Tools & Productivity Boosters

Best Mobile Phone Coverage

AT&T

Best Wireless Data Provider

Verizon Wireless

Best Noise-Canceling Headphones

Bose

Nominations were normalized across all product categories and brands to create consistent naming conventions. Votes were tallied and results authenticated to ensure every vote came only from registered subscribers.

 

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