West Palm Beach, FL (PRWEB) August 01, 2014 -- The American Group Travel Awards (AGTA) is recognizing excellence in group travel by announcing the nominees for the 2014 awards. Each nominee has been selected by a panel of industry experts as providing the highest quality group travel service, product and overall experience.
Effective August 1, 2014 voting is now open to recognize the Best of the Best in each category. To vote please visit http://www.americangrouptravelawards.com. The voting link is clearly marked and located on the home page. This year there are 22 categories of excellence in group travel that recognize airlines, hotels, cruise lines, destinations and more that provide superior group travel experiences.
On November 11, 2014 the stars of group travel will gather at the Hudson Theatre in the Millennium Broadway Hotel where the winners of each category will be announced. The host for the evenings festivities, Dylan Ratigan, is a former MSNBC television host and documentary film producer.
Tim Hentschel, CEO of HotelPlanner, commented “Group travel is an essential part of the travel industry. The ability to travel with a group of business associates, family, friends, teams, or anyone traveling as a group to attend different events creates the bonds and memories that last a lifetime. We’re pleased to recognize all the organizations that make every effort to excel and provide outstanding group travel experiences.”
Peter Stonham, Landor Travel Publications, said, “From our vantage point in the UK we find that the growth of group travel is a worldwide phenomenon. More companies, organizations and leisure travelers want to travel together to have shared experiences. We’re pleased to partner with HotelPlanner to recognize the best group focused organizations in the United States”.
The nominees for the 2014 American Group Travel Awards are….
Best Group Hotel Brand - Full Service
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts
- Hyatt
- InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
- Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
- Westgate Resorts
Best Group Hotel Brand - Limited Service
- Comfort Inn & Suites
- Hampton Inn & Suites
- Holiday Inn Express
- Hyatt Place
- Days Inn & Suites
Best Group Hotel Band - Luxury
- Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts
- St. Regis
- Park Hyatt
- InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
- Four Season Hotels & Resorts
Best Group Hotel Brand - Boutique
- Trump Hotel Collection
- Commune Hotels & Resorts
- Tryp by Wyndham
- Hotel Indigo
- Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
- Cambria Suites by Choice Hotels
Best Leisure Group Hotel Brand
- Best Western
- Comfort Inn & Suites
- Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts
- Ramada Worldwide
- Embassy Suites
Best Group Casino Hotel – Leisure
- Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort & Casino
- Flamingo Las Vegas
- Palms Casino Resort
- Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower
- Excalibur Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
Best Group Casino Hotel – Convention
- The Venetian Las Vegas
- Mandalay Bay
- Treasure Island Las Vegas
- Paris Las Vegas
- Caesars Palace
- MGM Grand Las Vegas
Best Airline for Group Travel
- United Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- American Airlines
- Southwest Airlines
- US Airways
Best Cruise Line for Group Travel
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- Princess Cruises
- Royal Caribbean Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Lines
- Holland America Line
Best River Cruise for Group Travel
- AmaWaterways
- Viking River Cruises
- Avalon Waterways
- Uniworld Boutique River Cruises Collection
- Scenic Cruises
- American Queen Steamboat Company
Best Group Travel via Rail
- Amtrak
- Napa Valley Wine Train
- The Alaska Railroad
- Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
- Rocky Moutaineer
- Durbin & Greenbrier
Best Live Stage Performance for Groups
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Cirque Du Soleil
- Blue Man Group
- Les Miserables
- Kinky Boots
Best Broadway Show for Groups
*The Phantom of the Opera
- The Book of Mormon
- Les Miserables
- Jersey Boys
- Kinky Boots
Best Theme Park for Groups
- Disney World Florida
- Disneyland California
- Universal Studios Florida
- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
- Cedar Point Sandusky Ohio
- Six Flags Magic Mountain, Los Angeles
- Sea World San Diego
Best City Destination for Groups
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- Chicago
- Las Vegas
- Orlando
Best Beach Destination for Groups
- Hawaii – Oahu
- Puerto Rico
- Jamaica
- The Bahamas
- Cancun – Mexico
- Cabo San Lucas - Mexico
Best State for Group Travel
- New York
- Florida
- California
- Texas
- Washington DC
- Louisiana
Best Online Travel Agency (OTA) for Group Travel
- Expedia
- Hotels.com
- Priceline.com
- Orbitz
- Travelocity
- Hotwire
- Kayak
Best Group Shopping
- Fashion Show Las Vegas
- Mall of America - Minneapolis
- South Coast Plaza – Costa Mesa
- Galleria - Dallas
- Water Tower Place - Chicago
Best Outlet Shopping for Groups
- Sawgrass Mills (Sunrise, FL)
- Citadel Center (Los Angeles, CA)
- Woodbury Commons (Central Valley, NY)
- Assembly Row (Sommerville/Boston, MA)
- Jersey Gardens (Elizabeth, NJ)
Best Group Ground Transportation
- Super Shuttle
- Bus Bank
- Trailways
- MegaBus
- Gray Line Tours
Best Group Dining Experience
- Hard Rock Café
- Cracker Barrel
- Medieval Time Dinner & Tournament
- Dave & Busters
- Golden Corral
HotelPlanner and Landor Travel Publications congratulate this year’s nominees!
About HotelPlanner: HotelPlanner.com provides online services to the global group hotel market. The company’s service ensures the lowest rates by allowing customers to receive quotes online directly from hotel group sales managers. The company also provides mobile applications for booking group hotel reservations and owns and operates Meetings.com, a site that provides information and booking services for meeting and banquet venues around the world for corporate and association meeting planners. HotelPlanner allows customers to book hotels for business meetings, conferences, conventions, family reunions, weddings, extended stays, tours, military reunions, church events, and group travels. HotelPlanner.com was founded in 2002 and Meetings.com was acquired in 2010. The company’s USA headquarters is based in West Palm Beach, Florida. The company opened its European headquarters in London, United Kingdom in 2012 and its Las Vegas western regional office in January 2014. The company plans to open an office in Hong Kong in the fourth quarter of 2014.
About Landor Travel Publications: Landor Travel Publications is the publisher of Group Travel Organiser magazine, the UK’s first and leading publication exclusively addressing the needs of group travel organisers. GTO was first published in 1988 and over the past 19 years has brought a wealth of news, information and ideas for group trips to organisers all over Great Britain. The magazine is published ten times a year and mailed to 10,000 individuals, along with numerous supplements on particular countries, regions and subjects of interest to groups.
Amy Donn, HotelPlanner.com, http://www.HotelPlanner.com, +1 917-202-0885, [email protected]
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