Business Traveller Awards 2023

The 2023 Business Traveller Awards were announced at a lunch at London’s Royal Garden hotel on Wednesday 13 September, by the publishers of Business Traveller magazine, Panacea Media.

They were presented by Hugh Dennis – comedian, presenter, actor, impressionist, writer and patron of the Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation, which is being supported by this year’s awards.

A fixture of the business travel and hospitality calendar for more than 30 years, this year’s hotly contested awards were attended by more than 200 industry leaders.

Singapore Airlines walked away with an impressive five awards this year, for Best Airline, Best First Class, Best Economy Class, Best Cabin Staff and Best Asian Airline.

Meanwhile Qatar Airways won four awards for Best Long-Haul Airline, Best Business Class, Best Middle Eastern Airline and Best Inflight Food & Beverage, and British Airways triumphed in the Best Short-Haul Carrier, Best Frequent Flyer Programme, Best Travel App and Best Airport Lounge categories – the last of these being for the Concorde Room at Heathrow T5.

In a brand new category for 2023, the American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow T3 came out top in the battle for the Best Independent Lounge, ahead of the No1 Lounge, London Heathrow T3, the Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow T5, and the 1903 Lounge, Manchester Airport T2.

In the hotel categories InterContinental Hotels & Resorts won the award for Best Business Hotel Brand Worldwide, with Hilton triumphing in the UK and Europe categories, and also winning the award for Best Hotel Loyalty Scheme.

Avis won the awards for Best Car Rental Company both in Europe and Worldwide, while Samsonite won the award for Best Luggage Brand, oneworld was named Best Airline Alliance, and American Express was awarded Best Credit / Payment Card for Travel (for The Platinum Card by American Express).

Royal Caribbean International won the award for Best Ocean Cruise Line, while Viking River Cruises triumphed in the Best River or Specialist Cruise Line category, and Best MICE Destination Worldwide was awarded to Singapore.

For the full results of the 2023 Business Traveller Awards, see below.

Commenting on this year’s awards Tamsin Cocks, editor of Business Traveller, said:

“It was a fantastic day celebrating the winners at this year’s Business Traveller awards. It’s always exciting to find out who our readers have chosen as their favoured travel providers – they are the true experts and road warriors after all.

“We saw some reigning champions hold onto their crown, while other categories were claimed by new winners. The nominated entries represent the very best of the industry so it’s always a close call and a true celebration of excellence. A huge congratulations to all of this year’s winners and runners up.”

Sponsored by Collinson, Castello Monte Vibiano Vecchio, Delta Air Lines, Heathrow Express, Two Tribes, and Unrooted Drinks, the Business Traveller Awards are voted for by readers of the magazine, with the results authenticated by an independent auditing company, and are widely recognised as the market’s benchmark for excellence.

AIRLINES

Best Airline

1.  Singapore Airlines
2. Qatar Airways
3. Emirates
4. British Airways
5. Virgin Atlantic

Best Short-Haul Carrier

1. British Airways
2. Aegean
3. Turkish Airlines
4. SWISS

Best Long-Haul Airline 

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. Virgin Atlantic

Best Frequent Flyer Programme

1. British Airways Executive Club
2. Aegean Miles + Bonus
3. Singapore Airlines, KrisFlyer
4. United Airlines, MileagePlus

Best First Class 

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. British Airways
4. SWISS

Best Business Class

1. Qatar Airways
2. Singapore Airlines
3. Emirates
4. Virgin Atlantic
5. Cathay Pacific

Best Premium Economy Class

1. Virgin Atlantic
2. Emirates
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Cathay Pacific

Best Economy Class    

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Emirates
3. Virgin Atlantic
4. Cathay Pacific

Best North American Airline

1. Delta Air Lines
2. United Airlines
3. American Airlines
4. Air Canada

Best Cabin Staff

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Virgin Atlantic
3. Qatar Airways
4. British Airways

Best Airline Alliance

1. oneworld
2. Star Alliance
3. SkyTeam

Best Low-Cost Airline

1. easyJet
2. Air Asia
3. Indigo
4. Jet2

Best Asian Airline

1. Singapore Airlines
2. Cathay Pacific
3. Japan Airlines
4. ANA

Best Middle Eastern Airline

1. Qatar Airways
2. Emirates
3. Etihad Airways
4. Oman Air

Best African Airline

1. Ethiopian Airlines
2. Kenya Airways
3. South African Airways
4. Royal Air Maroc

Best Independent Lounge

1. American Express Centurion Lounge, London Heathrow T3
2. No1 Lounge, London Heathrow T3
3. Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow T5
4. 1903 Lounge , Manchester Airport T2

Best Airport Lounge

1. British Airways Concorde Room, London Heathrow T5
2. Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, London Heathrow T3
3. Qatar Airways, Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge, Doha
4. Qantas, International First Lounge, Sydney Airport T1

Best Inflight Food & Beverage

1. Qatar Airways
2. Emirates
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Turkish Airlines

Best IFE

1. Emirates
2. Qatar Airways
3. Singapore Airlines
4. Virgin Atlantic

ACCOMODATION / HOTELS

Best Business Hotel Brand Worldwide

1. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
2. Shangri-La
3. Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
4. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
5. Mandarin Oriental

Best Business Hotel Brand in the UK

1. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
2. Hotel du Vin
3. Premier Inn
4. Crowne Plaza

Best Business Hotel Brand in Europe

1. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
2. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
3. Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
4. Radisson Blu

Best Business Hotel Brand in North America

1. Marriott Hotels
2. Hilton Hotels & Resorts
3. Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
4. JW Marriott

Best Business Hotel Brand in Middle East

1. Rotana Hotels & Resorts
2. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts
3. InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
4. Hilton Hotels & Resorts

Best Business Hotel Brand in Asia Pacific

1. Shangri-La
2. Mandarin Oriental
3. Pan Pacific
4. The Peninsula Hotels

Best Budget Hotel Brand

1. Premier Inn
2. Holiday Inn Express
3. ibis
4. Travelodge

Best Luxury Hotel Brand

1. The Peninsula Hotels
2. Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts
3. Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
4. Mandarin Oriental

Best Hotel Loyalty Scheme

1. Hilton Honors
2. Marriott Bonvoy
3. IHG One Rewards
4. ALL – Accor Live Limitless

Best Serviced Apartment Company

1. Ascott
2. Staybridge Suites
3. Fraser Suites
4. Adagio

Best Independent Hotel Brand

1. citizenM
2. Red Carnation Hotels
3. Maybourne Hotel Group
4. Belmond

Best Airport Hotel

1. Sofitel, London Heathrow
2. Crowne Plaza, Singapore
3. Regal Airport Hotel, Hong Kong
4. Hilton London Heathrow Airport Hotel

AIRPORTS

Best Airport in the World

1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Hamad International Airport, Doha
3. Heathrow Airport, London
4. Dubai International Airport
5. Zurich Airport

Best Airport for Shopping

1. Heathrow Airport, London
2. Singapore Changi Airport
3. Dubai International Airport
4. Hamad International Airport, Doha

Best Airport in Europe

1. Heathrow Airport, London
2. Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
3. Zurich Airport
4. Munich Airport

Best Airport in North America

1. JFK International Airport, New York
2. Los Angeles International Airport
3. San Francisco International Airport
4. Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Best Airport in Asia-Pacific

1. Singapore Changi Airport
2. Hong Kong International Airport
3. Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok
4. Tokyo Haneda

Best Airport in the Middle East

1. Hamad International Airport, Doha
2. Dubai International Airport
3. Abu Dhabi International Airport
4. Muscat International Airport

LIFESTYLE

Best Luggage Brand

1. Samsonite
2. Tumi
3. Rimowa
4. Briggs & Riley

Best Credit/Payment Card for Travel

1. The Platinum Card by American Express
2. BA American Express Premium Plus
3. Halifax Clarity
4. Revolut

Best Travel App

1. British Airways
2. Booking.com
3. Skyscanner
4. Tripit

Best River or Specialist Cruise Line

1. Viking River Cruises
2. Hurtigruten
3. Uniworld River Cruises
4. Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Best Ocean Cruise Line

1. Royal Caribbean International
2. Cunard
3. Silversea
4. Celebrity Cruises

GROUND TRANSPORTATION / MICE

Best MICE Destination in Europe

1. Barcelona
2. London
3. Amsterdam
4. Paris

Best MICE Destination Worldwide

1. Singapore
2. Dubai
3. Las Vegas
4. Hong Kong

Best Car Rental Company Worldwide

1. Avis
2. Hertz
3. Sixt
4. Enterprise

Best Car Rental Company in Europe

1. Avis
2. Hertz
3. Sixt
4. Europcar

Best UK Domestic Train Service

1. LNER
2. GWR
3. Avanti West Coast
4. Heathrow Express