19th November 2009
The award ceremony for the Condè Nast Johansens 2010 Annual Awards for Excellence was recently held at the Exhibition of World Tourism in London. 18 Italian hotels were represented from a total of 48 from 6 different European countries (Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey). Guest ratings for the properties given during the year, one of the fundamental selection criterias together with the inspectors judgment, were confirmed as very high. In the 2010 guide presented on this occasion the hotels from our country stood out for their glamour and exclusivity and the evening finished in success for Italy with four top awards.
Color Hotel di Bardolino (Verona): Most Outstanding Service
L’Albereta di Erbusco (Brescia): Most Excellent Luxury Spa Hotel
Palazzo Magnani Feroni All-Suites-Florence: Most Excellent Charming Hotel
Hotel Villa Ducale di Taormina:Most Romantic Hotel
Above all those guests most appreciative of the hotels were the slow travellers, travellers that know how to truly experience different places and take their time to connect with their surroundings. Fortunately with the Condé Nast Johansens guide they found an irreplaceable selection tool.
Hotel Villa Ducale di Taormina
The charming Hotel Villa Ducale situated in the sublime background of Mediterranean countryside loved and appreciated by tourists since the period of the Grand Tour received the award for ‘Best Romantic Hotel’ with breathtaking and unforgettable views from its terraces of both the coast and Mount Etna.
The Italian finalists
The level of competition between the European hotels was very high but Italy succeeded in receiving 18 nominations. Wonderful hotels which, apart from satisfying all the required quality parameters were selected by both the Condè Nast Johansens inspectors and Italian and foreign guests helping declare Italy as truly a master of style and queen of comfort.
Amongst the magnificent Italian finalists those of Veneto excelled thanks to Venice with the Novocento Boutique Hotel, Ca’Maria Adele and Ca’ Sagredo, jewels set in the most beautiful city in the world, in ancient buildings, sensational residences on the water of the Laguna or positioned between bridges and alleys. The surroundings are refined in an antique or contemporary style with exotic touches. The Relais La Magioca in Valpolicella is an intimate and romantic stonebuilt hotel deep in the country. Also in Veneto was the award winning Color Hotel. Apart from Albereta another finalist from Lombardy was Hotel Parco San Marco on the Lugano lake in the heart of an extraordinary park, a wonderful resort which includes a private beach, swimming pools and a beauty centre.
Appreciated for originality and luxury, perfectly in harmony with their splendid natural surroundings are the famous Hotel Gardena Grodnerhof in Ortisei and Villa Eden in Marano. The first is known for its restoration and the second for a multi award winning spa with its vast range of beauty products and treatments. The ‘Anna Stuben’ restaurant in Gardena has won a Michelin star for the exquisite creations created by its team using selected regional products accompanied by carefully selected wines.
Florence is charmed with very different examples which maintain the high reputation of Florentine hospitality. Next to the award winning Palazzo Magnani Feroni All-Suites-Florence, the Monsignor della Casa Country resort is an example of authentic Tuscan style in the Florentine countryside in the heart of Mugello. Also representing Tuscany the region most loved by refined travelers across Europe was the Relais Poggio ai Santi in San Vincenzo, Livorno.
Umbria offered its most well kept garden, the Antico Forziere, a medieval castle in the middle of the countryside. Under family management it stands out for the particularly warm atmosphere with which it welcomes its guests.
Lazio’s candidate was La Posta Vecchia on the Tirreno coast, close to Rome. This is a truly hidden treasure already a residence of Paul Getty that only a guide like Condè Nast Johansens could discover and list amongst its most wonderful buildings.
The Amalfi coast didn’t miss its appointment with taste with The Furore Inn Resort, a refined living room above the sea with a breathtaking view of the coast and an elegant attention to interior detail.
In the South Sicily dominated with Taormina and its excellent welcome. Apart from the award winning Hotel Villa Ducale was the Grand Hotel Atlantis Bay, perfect for top class events and also for relaxing. Absolutely in tune with its environment Petra Segreta in Olbia merges with the Mediterranean land and the Sardinian sea thanks to the materials, the shapes and the colours chosen by the artists, designers and architects that make up the winning team.
With 11.5 million readers across the world, the Condè Nast Johansens guides are the most prestigious point of reference for cosmopolitan and refined travelers. Both authorative and trustworthy they are the most important series of guides at an international level. The team of 50 dedicated inspectors who conduct the selections, annually visit and rate about 1,300 hotels in 67 countries against rigorously high standards. In addition the website offers a vast database of recommended hotels with exclusive special offers and seasonal discounts. All this means that Condé Nast Johansens is the most complete illustrated reference for independent hotels.
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