Spanish hotels and resorts shortlisted for World Travel Awards

THIS year's World Travel Awards – widely considered to be the 'Oscars of Tourism' - has extended its online voting until August 17, and several hotels, holiday complexes, attractions and entire cities have been nominated for the 'Europe's leading' categories.

Each list contains an average of five to 15 entries and, although Barcelona and Madrid dominate, other candidates can be found in the north, the islands, Chiclana de la Frontera (Cádiz province) and Calpe (Alicante province).

The Transcantábrico is up against the Royal Scotsman, British Pullman, Golden Eagle Danube and Trans-Siberian Express, and Venice-Simplon Orient Express for the Europe's Leading Luxury Train 2020 Award.

For hotels and resorts, Barcelona's trade-fair centre, Fira Barcelona, has been nominated for Europe's Leading Meetings & Conference Centre; Hacienda Zorita in Valverdón, Salamanca province (second photograph), for Leading Wine Region Hotel; La Manga Club on the Murcia coast, Las Colinas Golf & Country Club on the Orihuela Costa, southern Alicante province (fourth picture), and PGA Catalunya on the Costa Brava for Leading Villa Resort; PortAventura Mansión Lucy near Vilaseca, Tarragona province for Leading Theme Park Hotel – and PortAventura itself for Leading Theme Park Resort; and La Manga is also nominated for Leading Sports Resort and Las Colinas for Leading Resort Villas.

The Serviced Apartments candidate list includes El Palauet Living in Barcelona; Barceló Teguise Beach in Lanzarote for Seafront Resort; Las Terrazas de Abama in Tenerife for Leading Resort and Leading Hotel Residences; Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay and Finca Serena Mallorca for Leading New Resort; Nobu Hotel Barcelona for Leading New Hotel; and Can Bordoy Grand House & Garden in Palma de Mallorca for Leading New Boutique Hotel.

Can Bordoy is nominated for four awards, including Europe's Leading Luxury Boutique Hotel, Leading All Suite Hotel, and Europe's Leading Design Hotel.

Calpe's AR Diamante Beach Spa Hotel & Convention Centre, and Barcelona's Hilton Diagonal, are up for the Meetings & Conference Hotel award – the latter is also gunning for Leading Business Hotel and the former, for Leading Beach Hotel; Royal Hideaway Corales Resort in Tenerife is in the top four for Luxury Villa Resort and the top seven for Leading Honeymoon Resort; Marbella Club Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa for Luxury Resort and for Luxury Beach Resort; Hotel La Manga Club Príncipe Felipe (Murcia) for Luxury Resort & Villas; and Sevilla's Hotel Alfonso XIII for Luxury Hotel.

Bahía del Duque on Tenerife's Costa Adeje is nominated for Luxury Hotel & Villas; the Fairmont Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona for Luxury City Resort; the Westin Palace Madrid for Luxury Business Hotel; Nobu Hotel & Restaurant in Marbella (third picture) for Lifestyle Hotel; Lopesan Villa del Conde Resort & Thalasso in Gran Canaria for Leading Island Resort and Leading Casino Resort; Jumeirah Port Sóller Hotel & Spa for Leading Hotel & Spa; La Bobadilla Royal Hideaway Hotel in Loja, Granada province and GF Victoria in Costa Adeje for Leading Green Hotel – the latter also nominated for Leading Family and Wellness Resort, along with Asia Gardens Hotel & Thai Spa near Terra Mítica in Finestrat, Alicante province – Kempinski Hotel Bahía in Estepona, Málaga province (first picture) for Leading Entertainment & Dining Resort and Leading Beach Hotel; and Eco Village Finca de Arrieta in Lanzarote for Leading Eco Resort.

Leading Design Hotel nominees for Spain are the Barceló Raval (Barcelona), Barceló Torre de Madrid, Can Bordoy, and Hotel Arts Barcelona.

Chiclana de la Frontera's Sancti Petri Royal Hideaway Hotel joins Calpe's AR Diamante and Estepona's Kempinski Hotel Bahía in the battle for the Beach Hotel award.

In the 'General' category, La Manga Club appears once again as one of six nominated for Europe's Leading Sports Academy; also, the Dark Sky Alqueva – Europe's first starlight observatory resort, based in Alqueva, near São Marcos do Campo in Portugal, spills into Spain, since some of the trips it runs extend almost as far as the Badajoz-province town of Villanueva del Fresno, in Extremadura – and is one of the candidates for Europe's Leading Tourism Development Project, Europe's Responsible Tourism Award, and Leading Tourist Attraction along with Barcelona's Sagrada Família Cathedral.

Leading Island Destination candidates include the Canaries and Balearics; Leading Meetings & Conference Destination includes Barcelona and Madrid; Barcelona also features in Leading Festival & Event Destination, Leading Cruise Port, Leading City Destination and Leading Heritage Destination; Spain as a country in Leading Destination and Adventure Tourism Destination; and Marbella, on the Costa del Sol and the island of Mallorca in Leading Beach Destination.

Iberia is up for most of the airlines awards – Business Class, Economy Class, Leading Airline, Leading Airline Brand, and Leading Airline to South America, whilst Barcelona's El Prat is up for Europe's Leading Airport, and Catalunya-based carrier Vueling for Leading Low-Cost Airline and also Leading Regional Airline along with BinterCanarias.

To vote for Spain's entries, go to Worldtravelawards.com/nominees/2020/europe, before August 17.

The prizegiving will be on September 28 in Antalya, Turkey.

 

All photographs from the websites of the hotels listed