SpaFinder Announces 2010 Readers’ Choice Award Winners, Identifying the Top Spas around the World

Most Votes Cast, across More Countries and Categories, in Program’s Eight-Year History – with Many New ‘Faces’ Taking Top Honors

NEW YORK, NY October 22, 2010 – SpaFinder, Inc., the global spa and wellness resource, today unveiled the winners of its 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards, honoring spa-goers’ favorite spas across the globe on six continents and in 35 countries/regions, along with their top ten picks in 31 unique categories.

The 2010 Readers’ Choice program attracted an unprecedented level of worldwide consumer participation than ever before in the Awards’ eight-year history. More votes were cast, across more countries/regions and categories – providing the most comprehensive consumer assessment of the global spa market available.

A complete list of Readers’ Choice Award winners will be featured in the NewBeauty SpaFinder Guide to Global Spa, Wellness & Beauty, arriving on newsstands in November.

The significant number of new ‘faces’ taking top honors this year is a reflection of the spa industry’s dynamism and diversity. The majority of Crystal Award recipients (top spa on each continent) and Country/Region winners changed from 2009 to 2010. Additionally, four out of six Crystal winners took home this coveted award for the first time, while 14 Country/Region recipients were first-time winners.

“This year’s roster of winners clearly demonstrates that a new generation of spas, and many ‘fresh faces,’ are attracting and wowing global travelers even while some of the tried and true continue to inspire,” noted Susie Ellis, president of SpaFinder, Inc. ‘Readers’ Choice is unique among awards programs in that it reflects the real opinions of real-world spa-goers. And now that there are more than 15,000 hotel, resort and destination spas worldwide, whether the spa is a repeat or first-time winner, it’s an extraordinary honor.”

Award Recipients
In addition to nations traditionally recognized by the Awards, ten new spa markets were added in 2010: Bulgaria, Chile, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. New 2010 Category Awards include ‘Favorite Day Spa,’ ‘Best New Getaway Spa,’ ‘Favorite Spa Treatment’ and ‘Favorite Spa Product Brand.’

The 2010 Awards were based on votes submitted worldwide at SpaFinder, Inc.’s global consumer websites (including SpaFinder.com) and by readers of SpaFinder publications. Voters were asked to cast ballots only for stay and day spas they’ve personally visited within the past three years.

An asterisk (*) denotes a first-time winner in that awards category.

2010 Crystal Award Winners (Top Spas by Continent)

The Crystal Award (the ultimate Readers’ Choice honor) recognizes the number-one spa on each (habitable) continent. The 2010 standard-bearers are:

Africa: One&Only Cape Town* (Cape Town, South Africa)
Asia: Ananda in the Himalayas* (Narendra Nagar, India)
Australia: Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat (Queensland, Australia)
Europe: Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin* (Berlin, Germany)
North America: Golden Door* (California, United States)
South America: Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa (Gramado, Brazil)
2010 Country/Region Winners
Awards were given for the favorite spa in 35 countries/regions. In addition to the Crystal Award (continent) winners named above (also taking top honors in their country), here are spa-goers’ global favorites:

Argentina: Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires
Austria: The Balance Resort*
Bulgaria: Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena Bansko
Canada: Ste. Anne’s Country Inn and Spa
Caribbean: Parrot Cay* (Turks and Caicos)
Central America: Tabac’n Grand Spa Thermal Resort (Costa Rica)
Chile: The Ritz-Carlton, Santiago
China (Hong Kong): Four Seasons Hotel*
China (Mainland): The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing*
Cyprus: Le Meridien Limassol Spa & Resort
The Czech Republic: Mandarin Oriental, Prague
Egypt: Four Seasons Hotel Alexandria
France: Guerlain Spa at Trianon Palace Versailles
Greece: Porto Elounda De Luxe Resort
Hungary: Danubius Hotel Gellert
Indonesia: Conrad Bali*
Ireland: Inchydoney Island Lodge and Spa*
Italy: Lefay Resort & Spa Lago Di Garda*
Japan: The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo*
Malaysia: Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa
Maldives: One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives
Mexico: Rancho La Puerta
Morocco: La Mamounia
The Philippines: The Farm at San Benito*
Portugal: Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon
Russia: The Ritz-Carlton, Moscow
Scandinavia: Blue Lagoon* (Iceland)
Singapore: Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Singapore
South Pacific Islands: Four Seasons Resort and Spa Bora Bora*
Spain: SHA Wellness Clinic
Switzerland: VICTORIA-JUNGFRAU Grand Hotel & Spa
Thailand: Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa
Turkey: Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at the Bosphorus
United Arab Emirates: Burj Al Arab
United Kingdom: The Gleneagles Hotel* (Scotland)
United States: Golden Door (California)

2010 Category Award Winners
Spas (and their specialties) have never been more diverse. To help consumers identify the best spa for their specific goals, SpaFinder readers also cast votes for their favorite spas across 31 unique categories, from ‘Best for Affordability’ to ‘Best for Men’ to ‘Best for Romance.’

About SpaFinder, Inc.
The world’s largest spa media, marketing, and gifting company, SpaFinder, Inc., connects millions of wellness-focused consumers with thousands of spas worldwide. SpaFinder’s media properties include the award-winning SpaFinder.com, the Club Spa e-newsletter and blog, and the annual NewBeauty SpaFinder Guide to Global Spa, Wellness & Beauty. SpaFinder and its spa-beauty gift division, SpaWish, offer gift certificates and cards that are redeemable at a combined network of over 9,000 spas and salons, and are available at more than 90,000 unique retail outlets in 79 countries. SpaFinder Europe and SpaFinder Japan offer regional spa marketing and gifting programs, including localized, native-language websites. Founded in 1986, the privately held company is headquartered in Manhattan.

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