Virtuoso® Unveils Its 2014 Best of the Best Hotel Directory: A Compendium of the World's Best Properties with Stunning Experiences to Match

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Jan 24, 2014, 04:35 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtuoso^®, the global network of luxury travel agencies, has unveiled its 2014 Best of the Best hotel directory, bringing together a collection of the world's best hotels and showcasing unique experiences in each region. The directory spans 100 countries and features 980 hotels, resorts, spas, lodges and camps, villas, and private islands – 334 of which are completely exclusive to the Virtuoso network – and includes tips on how to experience each property to its fullest.

Virtuoso's Hotels & Resorts Program serves as the cornerstone for the Best of the Best directory. At 22 years, it is the longest running and most prestigious program of its kind. Designed to benefit leisure travelers, the program offers amenities that are valued up to $450 per stay, which are only available when reserved through a Virtuoso-affiliated travel advisor. Standards such as breakfast, upgrades and early check-in/late check-out (based on availability) are paired with value-added extras like spa treatments, lunches, dinners, airport transfers or rounds of golf.

This year Virtuoso has taken the additional step of adding 32 unique experiences throughout the world to pair with the hotels in various destinations. Whether being welcomed to the Fendi Palace by Silvia Venturini Fendi while in Rome, or visiting Robben Island in Cape Town with former prison guard and a friend to Nelson Mandela, Christo Brandt, or becoming part of Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival Parade, Best of the Best contains an exceptional experience to entertain everyone.

"Best of the Best represents one of the key elements of the Virtuoso network: our renowned collection of world's-best hotels, such as The Dolder Grand in Zurich which appears on this year's cover," says Albert Herrera, Virtuoso's senior vice president of global product partnerships. "Inclusion into the Hotels & Resorts Program is by invitation only, and we maintain our impeccably high standards by evaluating each property on an annual basis. Our advisors expect this level of diligence from us, and it allows them to book each Virtuoso property with confidence. It also ensures every hotel has truly earned its 'Best of the Best' designation."

Best of the Best is currently being distributed to the homes of 150,000 of Virtuoso's best clients, as selected by their advisor. To view online, click here. For more information on Virtuoso or to find a Virtuoso-affiliated travel advisor, visit www.virtuoso.com.

About Virtuoso:
Virtuoso^® is the leading network of luxury travel advisors and entities. This by-invitation-only organization comprises 335 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,700 of the world's best travel providers and premier destinations. The network's member agencies generate over $12.5 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network's affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. To view Virtuoso's latest videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.

Media Contacts:
Misty Ewing Belles	Katherine McPherson
Virtuoso – Director, Public Relations	Account Executive – Alice Marshall Public Relations
Phone: 202.553.8817	Phone: 212. 861.4031
E-mail: [email protected]	E-mail: [email protected]