SANDALS Resort International grabbed two top honours – for ‘Best Hotel Chain – Caribbean’ and ‘Best Hotel Chain – All-Inclusive’, at the 4th Annual Travel Weekly Reader’s Choice Awards at a gala ceremony Thursday night at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.

Kevin Froemming, president of Unique Vacations Inc, worldwide representatives of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, accepted the awards on behalf of the hotel chain, owned

by Jamaican hotel mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart.

The annual Readers Choice Awards are presented by Travel Weekly, the national newspaper of the travel industry, and this year winners were announced in 51 categories. Readers were invited to write in the names of any company they chose in a category and the leading vote-getters were identified as finalists.

“This is the industry insiders’ award,” said Arnie Weissmann, editor-in-chief. “Travel Weekly’s readership understands what it takes to ‘wow’ a traveller. Not only are the travel professionals who vote avid travellers themselves, but they also hear first-hand the unvarnished truth – the compliments and complaints – from thousands of American consumers.”

Weissmann added that “a company doesn’t get to the finalist stage of the voting process unless it delivers on its promises. We’re proud to recognise this distinguished group, and to honour those who make it to the very top as winners of Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards”.

The award for Best Caribbean Destination this year went to St Lucia.

Based in Secaucus, New Jersey, Travel Weekly is the United

States’ leading business-to-business information source for the travel industry, reaching some 180,000 readers in the industry each week