Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau, a BurdaLuxury brand, recently hosted its first Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific event at Park Hyatt Bangkok. Celebrating the destinations, hotels, and experiences that make Asia Pacific so outstanding in hospitality, the inaugural event spotlighted the individuals, hotels, and brands shaping the landscape of travel and hospitality in 16 countries in the region, and beyond. Winners were chosen through a readers’ survey that was open to anyone in the world, during March and April of 2023, and were ranked in top-10 or top-5 lists, depending on the category and destination.
An evolution of the brand’s Asia’s Best Awards 2022, the Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2023 included an expanded list of countries and award categories. From five-star urban escapes to idyllic private-island beach resorts, innovative spas, Instagram-worthy swimming pools, exceptional airlines and airports, captivating cruises, reputable travel agents, exclusive travel experiences, and more, the awards showcased the best of Australia, Cambodia, Laos, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, the South Pacific, Thailand, and Vietnam.
“We’re here to celebrate breaking boxes and boundaries, forward thinking innovation, and next-generation luxury,” Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong and Macau’s editor-in-chief, Jeninne Lee-St. John, told the audience of top-level hoteliers who attended the event on June 5. “We’re here to thank you for your clairvoyant service that gives guests what they want before they know to ask and offers what they’ll love before they’ve ever had a taste of it. You inspire us but more importantly you inspire our readers. You send them home with outstanding experiences and memories and new friends that they hold in their hearts. And I know this because they voted you into this room tonight.”
The full Top 10 and Top 5 lists of the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards 2023 winners for all 16 countries are available at the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific site.
No. 1 WINNERS, BY COUNTRY/REGION
AUSTRALIA
Best City Hotels: Como The Treasury
Best Beach or Island Hotels: The Langham Gold Coast
Best Country Hotels or Lodges: Emirates One&Only Wolgan Valley
Best Hotel General Managers: Steve Molnar, Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas
Best Hotel Pools: Sofitel Sydney, Darling Harbour
Best Hotel Spas: Como The Treasury
CAMBODIA
Best City Hotels: Rosewood Phnom Penh
Best Beach, Island or Upcountry Hotels: Shinta Mani Wild, Preah Sihanouk
Best Hotel General Managers: Daniel Simon, Phnom Penh
Best Hotel Pools: Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Phnom Penh
Best Hotel Spas: Six Senses Krabey Island
HONG KONG
Best Hotels: Rosewood Hong Kong
Best Hotel General Managers: Jill Goh, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong
Best Hotel Pools: K11 Artus
Best Hotel Spas: The Oriental Spa at Landmark Mandarin Oriental
INDONESIA
Best City Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, Mega Kuningan
Best Beach Resorts: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
Best Upcountry Hotels: Capella Ubud
Best Hotel General Managers: Marcel Kloet, The St. Regis Bali Resort
Best Hotel Pools: The Apurva Kempinski Bali
Best Hotel Spas: Ayana Resort Bali
JAPAN
Best City Hotels: W Osaka
Best Beach or Upcountry Hotels: The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
Best Hotel General Managers: Go Kondo, W Osaka
Best Hotel Pools: Hoshinoya Okinawa
Best Hotel Spas: The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto
LAOS
Best Hotels: Amantaka
Best Hotel General Managers: Anshul Sharma, Sofitel and 3 Nagas M Gallery Luang Prabang
Best Hotel Pools: Sofitel Luang Prabang
Best Hotel Spas: Le Spa at Sofitel Luang Prabang
MACAU
Best Hotels: Mandarin Oriental Macau
Best Hotel General Managers: Saurabh Mishra, Galaxy Hotel Macau
Best Hotel Pools: Grand Hyatt Macau
Best Hotel Spas: Banyan Tree Macau
MALAYSIA
Best City Hotels: EQ Kuala Lumpur
Best Beach or Upcountry Resorts: The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
Best Hotel General Managers: Grant Young, The Westin, Desaru Coast
Best Hotel Pools: The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi
Best Hotel Spas: Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Penang
MALDIVES
Best Resorts: Anantara Kihavah
Best Resort General Managers: Idu Ribeiro, W Maldives
Best Resort Pools: Fairmont Maldives, Sirru Fen Fushi
Best Resort Spas: Joali Being
Most Outrageous Villas: Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi – Stella Maris Ocean Villa
Best House Reefs: Anantara Kihavah – Baa Atoll
Best Resorts for Families: Patina Maldives
NEW ZEALAND
Best City Hotels: Park Hyatt Auckland
Best Country Hotels or Lodges: The Farm at Cape Kidnappers
Best Hotel Spas: Paihia Beach Resort & Spa
PHILIPPINES
Best City Hotels: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila
Beach, Island or Upcountry Resorts: Banwa Private Island
Best Hotel General Managers: Preet Singh, The Farm at San Benito
Best Hotel Pools: Shangri-La Boracay
Best Hotel Spas: The Farm at San Benito
SINGAPORE
Best Hotels: Raffles Singapore
Best Hotel General Managers: Peter Draminsky, Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
Best Hotel Pools: Marina Bay Sands
Best Hotel Spas: Oasia Spa, Oasia Resort Sentosa
SOUTH KOREA
Best City Hotels: Four Seasons Seoul
Best Beach or Upcountry Hotels: Park Roche Resort & Wellness, Jeongseon
Best Hotel General Managers: Brian Harris, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas
Best Hotel Pools: Grand Hyatt Seoul
Best Hotel Spas: Grand Hyatt Seoul
SOUTH PACIFIC
Best Resorts: Como Laucala Island
Best Resort General Managers: Nowdla & Bill Keefe, Namale Resort & Spa
Best Resort Spas: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
Best Resort Pools: Namale Resort & Spa, Savusavu, Fiji
Most Outrageous Villas: St. Regis, Bora Bora
Best House Reefs: Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji
Best Resorts for Families: Castaway Island Resort, Fiji
THAILAND
Best City Hotels: Kimpton Maa-Lai Hotel
Best Beach or Island Resorts: Rosewood Phuket
Best Upcountry Hotels: 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai
Best Hotel General Managers: John Blanco, Capella Bangkok
Best Hotel Pools: Park Hyatt Bangkok
Best Hotel Spas: Sindhorn Kempinski
VIETNAM
Best City Hotels: Capella Hanoi
Best Beach or Island Resorts: Regent Phu Quoc
Best Upcountry Hotels: Azerai La Residence, Hue
Best Hotel General Managers: Alexander Schoell, Renaissance Riverside Hotel Saigon
Best Hotel Pools: JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa
Best Hotel Spas: La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc – MGallery
BEST DESTINATIONS
CITIES
1. Bangkok, Thailand
2. Singapore
3. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
4. Hong Kong
5. Tokyo, Japan
6. Hanoi, Vietnam
7. Luang Prabang, Laos
8. Hue, Vietnam
9. Siem Reap, Cambodia
10. Taipei
ISLANDS
1. Bali, Indonesia
2. Palawan, Philippines
3. Phuket, Thailand
4. Langkawi, Malaysia
5. Boracay, Philippines
6. Koh Samui, Thailand
7. Penang, Malaysia
8. Phu Quoc, Vietnam
9. Koh Phi Phi, Thailand
10. Sri Lanka
TRANSPORTATION, No. 1 WINNERS
Best Cruise Lines: Silversea Cruises
Best Airlines: Singapore Airlines
Best Airports: Singapore Changi
REGION-WIDE CATEGORIES, No. 1 WINNERS
Best Integrated Resorts: The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel
Best Hotel Loyalty Programmes: IHG One Rewards
Best Travel Agents or Specialists: Scott Dunn
Best Hotel Experiences: How to Train Your Dragon Boat, Mandarin Oriental Guangzhou
“We are thrilled to have hosted the first-ever Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific event. The occasion brought together influential figures from the hospitality and travel sectors, providing a unique opportunity for networking, collaboration, and recognition,” said Björn Rettig, CEO of BurdaLuxury. “We are proud to showcase the exceptional destinations and experiences that define Asia’s hospitality landscape, and we look forward to launching more initiatives that celebrate luxury travel in the region.”
Renowned Thai singer Rasmee, whose band excitingly blends traditional molam music from the Isaan region with blues and soul, performed live at the party. Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino, Campari, Grey Goose, Dewar’s and Lady Trieu were beverage partners.
