Orient-Express’ luxury rail experiences sweep the board at this year’s Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Travel Awards
1st September 2011 – Orient-Express is thrilled to announce multiple wins at last night’s Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Travel Awards. The luxury travel company that operates hotels, trains, and cruises across the globe dominated the category for Specialist Train Operators, with its Hiram Bingham train in Peru winning top honours in the revered category and the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express placing third.Condé Nast Traveller readers chose the Hiram Bingham as their favourite in the world, particularly praising its “standard and comfort of cabins” and “pre-/post- train facilities”. Named after the explorer who rediscovered Machu Picchu 100 years ago, the Hiram Bingham can seat 84 passengers and provides a luxurious service between Cusco and Machu Picchu. With distinctive blue and gold livery, dark wood paneling and an elegant interior upholstery in warm, inviting tones, the train consists of four cars: two dining cars, a bar and a kitchen car, and reflects the vintage style of the 1920’s Pullman era. Once on board passengers are treated to an authentic Andean inspired menu, made with seasonal Peruvian ingredients, and can enjoy traditional Pisco sours as the train meanders through the Peruvian landscape. A live band provides the backdrop to the scenery, playing Andean music along the route.
For the third year running, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express has been placed within the top three in the Specialist Train Operators category, a true testimony to the service, iconic journeys, and authentic ambiance that travellers experience on the train as it journeys through Europe.
The annual Condé Nast Traveller Reader’s Travel Awards are one of the most eagerly anticipated awards ceremonies in the international travel industry, with readers asked to write in and vote on their favourite travel companies in categories that range from hotels, spas, airlines, airports and trains. Voters are then asked to rate their choices accordingly in various categories such as location, ambience and décor, value for money, service, cuisine and environmental friendliness. These votes are calculated as an average on each criterion, which provides the overall satisfaction percentage that decides the winners.
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Orient-Express, (NYSE: OEH, www.orient-express.com) the name behind an elite collection of travel experiences, first came into being in 1883 as one of the world’s most exciting and indulgent train journeys. Today that evocative name also embraces hotels, cruises and other luxury rail adventures in 24 countries, across five continents. The Company has offered exceptional luxury travel experiences since 1976, when it first purchased Hotel Cipriani in Venice and then shortly afterwards, recreated the celebrated Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, linking London, Paris and Venice, along with other European cities. Today, the company owns or part-owns and manages 49 businesses, 40 of which are highly acclaimed hotels, each unique in style, from the Mount Nelson in Cape Town and Rio’s Copacabana Palace, to the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg and Maroma Resort & Spa on Mexico’s Riviera Maya. There are six luxury tourist trains, two river cruise operations and ‘21’, one of New York’s most iconic restaurants.
For further information, please contact Sara Mirza or Emily Wilson at Orient-Express on 020 7921 4069 or sara.mirza@orient-express.com, emily.wilson@orient-express.com
