The World Travel Awards (WTA) have announced the regional winners for the Americas at their World Travel Americas ceremony in New York. More than 250 top executives from the travel industry celebrated their achievements with stars from Broadway and Hollywood at the luxurious Jumeirah Essex House on Monday night. 

During the event trophies were well received by Delta Air Lines, which was voted “North America’s Leading Business Class Airline”; Hilton Hotels Corporation picked up “South America’s Leading Hotel Brand”; Europcar International scored “Central America’s and South America’s Leading Car Hire Company”. Over 20 awards were presented to winners during the star-studded gala ceremony. Also among the winners was Jumeirah Essex House, which won the titles of “North America’s Leading Hotel” and “North America’s Leading Business Hotel”.

“I can imagine no better place for an event honoring excellence in the travel industry than right here in our City, which welcomed nearly 44 million visitors last year,” commented Mayor Michael Bloomberg on the event. “In New York City, we are committed to setting ambitious goals and finding innovative ways to reach them - two qualities that the World Travel Awards also value.”
?It was a night that both award winners and nominees will remember, as the audience enjoyed a dazzling mix of music, comedy and entertainment. The regional awards were hosted by Lauren Holly, who appeared in the movie classics “Dumb & Dumber” and “What Women Want”, along with radio and television host Todd Newton. Another celebrity that graced the event is stand-up comedian Wendy Liebman. A surprise performance of the musical hit Jersey Boys gained resounding applause from the enthralled audience.

“We expanded the World Travel Awards scheme to the Americas with our Grand Tour, and we have been extremely well received in New York this year. The response from award winners who attended the event has already been very positive,” said Graham Cooke, President and Founder of the World Travel Awards. “We now look forward to the other regional events and the global awards in the Turks & Caicos.”

Key industry figures including Kay Urban, President & CEO North America of Amadeus, Pam Elledge, SVP Global Sales & Distribution of Delta Air Lines, Nigel Page, SVP Commercial Operations The Americas of Emirates, Adolfo Crespo, Executive VP Customer Services of Mexicana Airlines and Cheryl Rutenberg, Vice President Merchant Sales, VISA USA Inc, attended the black-tie event, which provided an excellent networking environment for the region’s travel industry elite.

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