It’s not now officially published (yet – at least as far as I know-), but. Matthew Cashmore of @LPlaps has twittered the results of the awards ceremony in Sf live.
Congratulations to all winners! And: Tough for all losers, but you’re all great!
Note: if you compare these results with the outcome of the public voting round, it is clear that the judges really did have something to say in this procedure.
However I really want to congratulate my colleagues with their first ever competition at Lonely Planet
Matthew Cashmore had the good idea of having Lonely Planet organize a Travel Blog Award.
He announced today that Voting is Open until March 20, 2009:
The results are in, we’ve run the figures and we present the top five nominated blogs in each category.
You can vote for one blog in each category. Please do only vote once – we’re sure there are ways you can get around the tech, but please, do only vote once. We reserve the right to remove votes we think are fraudulent – and remember – public voting will make up 50% of the overall score.
Voting will close at 12am on Wednesday 20th March 2009 Pacific Time USA
Interesting categories and for me many new names..well there can always be critique, I for instance miss an industry category and a one author blog category, but all in all I’m glad that the Travvies initiative that was started in 2007 and dropped in 2008 so enthusiastically by Upgrade, Travel Better has now a decent sequel.
On Twitter Matthew commented that more than 500 Blogs were nominated by the public and that the top 5 in the categories got more than 100 nominations. He promised me to publish the whole list with the results. That will be interesting, especially to compare with my sortable list of Travel Blogs.
Next year Matthew considers to have the nominations also judged on beforehand for 50%, like he will do now with the public voting outcome. That could prevent multiple nominations like now.
Added February 26:
After monitoring one day of voting It seems that the Spanish “voting posse” is much better organized that the English langguage “voting posse” ….
Spotted by locals has won the people’s vote at Mashable’s open Web Awards in the Travel Category. Congratulations!
What is Spotted by Locals?
Spotted By Locals is a series of cityblogs for travelers who like to experience cities ‘the local way’. On every cityblog, handpicked locals (â€Spottersâ€) write about spots they go to.
Who’s behind Spotted by Locals?
Spotted by Locals was started by two Amsterdam locals and travel addicts, Sanne & Bart van Poll. They handpick all Spotters in all cities, only after having had a face to face meeting.
Much more important than the initiators are the Spotters! Check out who they are here.
Does the world need this?
Certainly! Paper guidebooks just can’t keep up with cities: the moment they are printed, they’re already outdated. And there are many reviews of spots in cities on the internet, but they are often difficult to find or trust.
Sanne & Bart have often experienced going to a restaurant, and seeing many people with the exact same city guide on their tables. Or going to a “hip†club or bar that had been closed for a long time already. We have seen this (too) often. And we know many travellers have the same problems.
So, yes, the world certainly needs trustworthy often updated information about places real locals visit! We will make sure you can experience cities like the locals do.
Runner up in the public voting to Spotted by Locals was Geckogo.com.
About Geckogo:
GeckoGo thinks sharing travel experiences should be easy and fun. So they built a collaborative travel planning resource for independent travelers (those not interested in resort vacations).
Spotted via Ludolf Stavenga’s Reisportals:
Interestingly the Blogger’s Choice Winner in the Travel Category is Tripit with as runner up………Geckogo.com.
Alas for Couch Surfing: They lost in both instances.
I would have loved to attend the Sleepers Magazine London Sleep Event, but luckily this morning a press release in my mailbox got me up to date:
Some excerpts:
London, 7 November 2008.
The European Hotel Design Awards, presented by Sleeper Magazine on Thursday, 6 November 2008, is the premier celebration of outstanding innovations in the hospitality industry and hotel design in Europe.
“This was perhaps the most hotly contested decision I have seen the judging panel have to make in the six years I have been involved in these awards. But I think it is fair to say that the eventual winner is a hotel that stood out from the competition in all aspects of its conception. Not just it’s design and architecture, but also its use of technology, it’s marketing, its future development potential and most importantly, the seamless integration of all these into a product that offers the guest a rewarding experience. The winning project was acknowledged by the panel to be a radically new hotel concept that will have considerable influence on others in the industry for years to come.”
Says Matt Turner, editor in chief of Sleeper Magazine.
The Dutch hotel group citizenM has won the grand prize: The European Hotel Design Award of the Year.
and three awards in the categories:
THE INNOVATION AWARD
“The judges looked at the added value for the guest, the concept design, various use within the hotel, the building, the property, guest experience, use of information database, to check out and unanimously award the hotel who has accomplished to achieve this within all aspects of a hotel.”
Ahmed Akudi, International Projects Director, Grohe AG
THE TECHNOLOGY AWARD
“… We’ve seen moving facades. The innovation of this hotel gives a scope and a degree of innovation… There’s one clear winner.. citizenM hotels!” Guy Dittrich, journalist.
THE GRAPHIC DESIGN AWARD
“The art within hotel design illustrates a choice, a brand, an unique website, an experience recognisable through website, brochures and overall decor…” Juliet Kinsman, editor in chief, Mr & Mrs Smith.
Michael Levie
We are thrilled by the recognition of the European Hotel Design Awards jury. Our team and partners worked hard to create an innovative, contemporary hotel for the cost conscious traveller. We looked at every business process to enhance and improve the stay of a guest in our hotels. The result citizenM hotels has made is a quantum leap in innovation, which now is prestigiously recognised by hotel industry professionals from all over the world. says Michael Levie, CEO citizenM hotels.
My observations:
citizenM hotels opened their first hotel in June 2008 at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The second hotel, close to Amsterdam’s city center, will open in April 2009. A third property in Glasgow will also open its doors next year. citizenM hotels plans to open 20 hotels in the coming 5 years in all major capital cities of Europe.
However, although I admire and like the various design features and concepts and am proud that a Dutch brand is getting so much Kudos, I do believe the German chain Motel One is doing a much better job with less design features…….
The main reasons for my observation:
Motel One has perfect parking facilities for those traveling by car.
Motel One has rooms you can occupy with two persons rather than one. This has to do with the place of the double bed of a citizenM room: You can’t enter your bed without crawling over your partner or have him / her crawling over you.
Motel One has a separate perfectly designed fully fledged bathroom opposed to the citizenM bath “sphere”.
Motel One has windows you can open.
Also interesting see a Mr & Mrs Smith representative in the jury…. I wonder if the distinguished members of the jury have had the honor of sleeping in a citizenM room….
A final question: Would you expect so much online coverage for a Hotel chain from an agency with such website :Birgit Schmoltner?
