‘Glorious night of the stars’

Cape Town, South Africa – 18 October 2008 (PRESS RELEASE)

It was a historical moment when the winners of the World Luxury Hotel Awards where announced on Saturday evening the 18th of October 2008. Top Luxury Hotels, Lodges & Resorts kept their fingers crossed that they would be among the category winners. The prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards Gala Ceremony took place at the world renowned
300 year old Lanzerac Estate situated in South Africa’s famous Cape Winelands.

The glamorous red-carpet Gala Ceremony evening was opened by the Provincial Minister for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism in the Western Cape, MEC Garth Strachan, with a key note address to VIP’s and leading figures in the hospitality industry.

The World Luxury Hotel Awards is about congratulating hotels that have taken the extra step with regards to their facilities and service excellence and as such differentiated themselves from ‘good hotels’ to ‘exceptional hotels’. Hotels that guests would recommend not once but for many years to come. “The sheer number of participants in my humble
view shows that there is indeed a demand internationally for an award system solely for Luxury Hotels, Lodges & Resorts”, said Brandon Lourens, CEO and Founder of the World Luxury Hotel Awards.

Category winners included hotels, lodges and resorts from Thailand, USA, Mauritius, India, Maldives, Italy, Turkey, South Africa, France, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Cook Islands, Greece and Mozambique to mention only a few.

Winners and finalists of different categories are listed on the World Luxury Hotel Awards website
www.luxuryhotelawards.com/winners2008.asp

“We hope that the World Luxury Hotel Awards category finalists and winners would be an inspiration to nominees and other luxury properties on the global front to raise their levels of service excellence in order to feel comfortable in competing on an international level and to set a benchmark for themselves.”

Winners where selected from votes cast by travel industry delegates.

With great enthusiasm the overall winner for the 2008 World Luxury Hotel Awards was announced and presented with the coveted trophy of overall excellence - lebua at State Tower, Bangkok, Thailand.