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Best Asian Travel Brands 2012

Asia's best business hotels, luxury resorts, spas, destinations, business cities,
and the world's best airlines and airports. Full results of our 2012 Best in Travel
Poll. See some Award Photos.

Go to Best Airlines | Best Business Class | Best Cabin Service | Best Budget Airlines | Best Holiday Destinations | Best
Cities for Business | Best Airports | Best Business Hotels | Best Leisure Hotels & Resorts | Best Spa Hotels | Best Conference
Hotels

The Smart Travel Asia 2012 Best in Travel Poll results roll out as usual with some classic winners and a
few surprises. In this age of proliferating brands, largely indistinguishable from one another on the Web
where a no-star and five-star may look equally enticing, we posed the million dollar question to readers,
"What do these brands represent to you?" And, with a mighty mouse in hand, humble clicks have been a
clatter, knocking sacred cows and elevating unknowns. City hotels have climbed the leisure charts, overly
posh brands deemed traveler-unfriendly or unseen in the online space have dropped, while modern airports
have elevated rankings of hotels within their purview.

While 20 years ago travellers only “saw” the bigger moneyed brands
in print, today it is the boutique brands that grab all the online
chatter with bigger brands fading

It is interesting that while 20 years ago only the big brands visible in print were the ones that seemingly
existed while small boutique gems were only accidentally discovered word-of-mouth, today the big brands
are taking a beating online and it is the smaller, fresher brands with personality that are being talked about
on the Web. The internet is a level playing field for all and the unknowns have equal muscle here. With
bigger brands focusing largely on sales and booking, their brand image has taken a knock. There is a
lesson in all this. People want to get an idea of a brand before they can book it. It is folly to assume this can
work the other way around.

Travel polls are a dodgy exercise at best of times. Ignorance, foibles, geography, Internet access, poor
spelling and outright deviousness often conspire to thwart any meaningful attempt to define preferences.
Why do hotels show up in the category for "Best Airport" and even "Best Cabin Service"? Is there something
they are not telling us? A flying hotel would get our vote every time. We do of course track and eliminate
inarticulate, if amusing, outpourings, as well as orchestrated “block” votes.

Send us your Feedback / Letter to the Editor

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Smart Travel Asia is the region’s only dedicated online travel magazine with over one million readers
worldwide. These are frequent travellers in the know. We offer review-based editorial written by seasoned
journalists to help people make intelligent choices.

The SmartTravelAsia.com 2012 BEST IN TRAVEL POLL – now in its eighth year – is a distillation of our
readers’ perceptions and favourite travel brands. Their vote is based on substantial hands-on travel
experience, word-of-mouth at dinnertime chats, as well as an idea of the brand drawn from advertising and
editorial exposure in the media, a great deal of this online.

Our poll ran for three key months May-July. There was no incredible premium. Who were these voters? On
average, voters took 16.22 air trips (up from 15.75) over the past 12 months and earned US$162,134 in
household income (up modestly from US$156,716 in 2011).

There was no charge for nomination or any hidden fee. Readers were
free to vote for any of thousands of travel products in Asia from
Japan to the Middle East

Approximately 70 percent were based in Asia (largely Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, India, China, Japan,
Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, and the Middle East), 15 percent in UK/Europe and 15 percent in USA and
North America.

As many as 87.9 percent of the voters said they drew their primary image of brands from the Internet and 79
percent said they made travel decisions online. However, just 37 percent said they book online, many
preferring to talk with a human being especially for high-end bookings. Most readers said they went online
primarily to seek independent "reviews and information" first and not just the "best price".

Here then, are the winners of the SmartTravelAsia.com 2012 BEST IN TRAVEL POLL. These lists of leading
“aspirational” brands offer insight into business and leisure travel preferences at the mid to upper end of the
market. There were no nominations or limits on whom readers could vote for. There was no charge for
nominations or any hidden fee. Readers picked products from thousands of possible choices in Asia.

WORLDWIDE WORLDWIDE
2012 Rank 2011 Rank 2012 Rank 2011 Rank

1. Singapore Airlines 1 1. Singapore Airlines 1

2. Cathay Pacif ic Airway s 2 2. Cathay Pacif ic Airway s 3

3. Emirates 3 3. Emirates 2

4. Thai Airway s International 4 4. Air New Zealand 5

Korean Air 5
5. British Airway s 7
Malay sia Airlines 6 5. Malay sia Airlines 6
Qatar Airway s 5
6. Korean Air 6
Qatar Airway s 7 6. Jet Airway s 4
Virgin Atlantic 5 Thai Airway s International 6

7. Qantas 8 7. British Airway s 8

Virgin Atlantic 7
8. Air France 10

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Air New Zealand - 8. Air France 10

Jet Airway s 6
9. South Af rican Airway s -
9. Luf thansa 9
10. Luf thansa 8
10. ANA - Qantas 9
Etihad Airway s 9
EVA Air 10
Hongkong Airlines -

ASIA
2012 Rank 2011 Rank

WORLDWIDE 1. AirAsia 1

2012 Rank 2011 Rank 2. Jetstar Asia 2

1. Singapore Airlines 1 3. Cebu Pacif ic 3

2. Cathay Pacif ic Airway s 2 4. Spice Jet 4

3. Emirates 3 5. Tiger Airway s 7

Thai Airway s International 2 6. IndiGo 6

4. Malay sia Airlines 4 7. Virgin Blue 8

5. Qatar Airway s 5 8. JetKonnect 10

6. Bangkok Airway s 7 9. Hong Kong Express 10

Jet Airway s 5
10. Nok Air 9
7. Korean Air 7

8. Asiana Airlines 8
Silkair 6

9. Virgin Atlantic 8

10. Dragonair 9
EVA Air 9

WORLDWIDE
2012 Rank 2011 Rank

1. Singapore Changi Airport 2

2. Hong Kong International Airport 1

3. Kuala Lumpur International Airport 4

ASIA 4. Incheon International Airport 3

2012 Rank 2011 Rank 5. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol 7

1. Bali, Indonesia 1 6. Suv arnabhumi Airport Bangkok 5

2. Phuket, Thailand 2 7. Beijing Capital International Airport 6

Dubai International Airport, Emirates 9
3. Hong Kong 3
Terminal 3
4. Angkor (Siem Reap), Cambodia 8
8. Shanghai Pudong International Airport 5
Maldiv es 5
Zurich Airport, Switzerland 9
Palawan, Philippines 5
9. Delhi Indira Gandhi International 10
5. Bangkok, Thailand 10
Airport, Terminal 3
6. Hanoi, Vietnam 6
10. London Heathrow Airport 8
Kerala, India 4
Samui Airport, Thailand 9
Seoul, South Korea 7

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7. Hoi An, Vietnam 7

Shanghai, China 6

8. Rajasthan, India 7
Taipei, Taiwan 10

9. Goa, India 9
Langkawi, Malay sia 8

10. Koh Samui, Thailand 9

Penang, Malay sia 9
Sany a, China 10 ASIA
2012 Rank 2011 Rank

1. Hong Kong 1

2. Singapore 2

3. Kuala Lumpur, Malay sia 3

Seoul, South Korea 3

4. Bangkok, Thailand 10

5. Sy dney , Australia 5

6. Shanghai, China 4
Taipei, Taiwan 7
ASIA
7. Beijing, China 6
2012 Rank 2011 Rank
8. Dubai, United Arab Emirates 9
1. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 2
9. Bangalore, India 8
2. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 3
10. Toky o, Japan 10
3. Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong 1
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 4

4. The Peninsula Hong Kong 4

5. InterContinental Hong Kong 8

6. The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore 5

7. Grand Hy att Hong Kong 13

8. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok 9

9. Shangri-La Hotel Singapore 10

10. Park Hy att Saigon, 11

Ho Chi Minh City ASIA
The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing 9
Waldorf Astoria Shanghai 20 2012 Rank 2011 Rank
On The Bund 1. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 2

11. Four Seasons Hotel Singapore 6 2. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 1

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore 13
3. Grand Hy att Hong Kong 3
12. JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong 12
4. The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore 5
Sof itel Legend Metropole Hanoi 18
The Peninsula Shanghai 15 5. Raf f les Hotel Singapore 6
The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai 10 6. Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong 4
13. Grand Hy att Shanghai 10 7. Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 7
The Regent Taipei 14 Shangri-La Hotel Singapore 8
14. Sheraton Grande Sukhumv it, 12 8. Sof itel Legend Metropole Hanoi 8
Bangkok The St Regis Singapore 9
The St Regis Singapore 15
9. Grand Hy att Beijing 17
The Westin Chosun, Seoul 15
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur 6
15. Conrad Hong Kong - The Peninsula Hong Kong 9
InterContinental Bangkok 19
10. Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok 13
Park Hy att Shanghai 10
JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong 11
The Shilla, Seoul 16
11. InterContinental Bangkok 15
16. Grand Hy att Erawan Bangkok 17
InterContinental Hong Kong 12
Grand Hy att Singapore -
The Regent Taipei 10
Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur 12
12. Grand Hy att Bali 14
17. Raf f les Hotel Singapore 7

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18. Fairmont Peace Hotel 19 13. The Shilla, Seoul 15

Park Hy att Seoul 21 The Westin Beijing Financial Street 15
The Peninsula Toky o 16
14. Grand Hy att Erawan Bangkok 16
19. Conrad Bangkok 14 The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali 17
Grand Hy att Beijing -
15. Conrad Hong Kong 16
Grand Hy att Seoul 20
Grand Hy att Seoul 18
20. The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, - Grand Hy att Taipei -
Mega Kuningan
16. Sheraton Grande Sukhumv it,
The Westin Beijing Financial Street - 14
Bangkok
Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur 18
17. Angsana Laguna Phuket -
21. InterContinental Asiana Saigon, 24
The Peninsula Shanghai 20
Ho Chi Minh City
Raf f les Dubai 20 18. Park Hy att Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City 16

Sof itel Wanda Beijing 23 19. Ay ana Resort And Spa, Bali 20
W Taipei 17 Mandarin Oriental, Singapore 17

22. Fairmont Singapore - 20. Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai -

Grand Hy att Jakarta - The Venetian Macao 21
23. Centara Grand at CentralWorld, 19 21. MGM Macau -
Bangkok Sheraton Hanoi Hotel 19
The Langham, Xintiandi, Shanghai -
22. Conrad Bangkok 15
24. Makati Shangri-La, Manila 24 Raf f les Dubai 20
Mandarin Oriental Toky o 25 The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai 24
The Oberoi, New Delhi 22 Wy nn Macau -
The Peninsula Manila 21
23. Sheraton Sany a Resort 24
The Regent Singapore 25
Sof itel Macau At Ponte 16 -
25. Conrad Toky o 25
24. Centara Grand At CentralWorld, 20
Dusit Thani Bangkok 23
Bangkok
Imperial Hotel, Toky o 23
The Portman Ritz-Carlton, Shanghai 24
JW Marriott Hotel Bangkok 22
The Ritz-Carlton Jakarta, 25
Palais De Chine Hotel, Taipei -
Mega Kuningan
Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur Hotel 24
The St Regis Shenzhen - 25. Andaz Shanghai -
Conrad Toky o 25
Dusit Thani Bangkok 22
Hy att On The Bund, Shanghai 22
JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa 23
Kowloon Shangri-La, Hong Kong 23
Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok 25
Sof itel Phnom Penh Phokeethra -

ASIA
2012 Rank 2011 Rank

1. Conrad Maldiv es Rangali Island 1

2. Four Seasons Resort Bali 3

at Jimbaran Bay

3. The Nam Hai, Hoi An 3 ASIA

4. Bany an Tree Phuket 5
2012 Rank 2011 Rank
5. Amanpuri, Phuket 4
1. The Peninsula Hong Kong 2
Bulgari Resort Bali 2
2. The Nam Hai, Hoi An 1
6. Ay ana Resort And Spa, Bali 8
3. Amandari, Bali 3
7. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 8
Sof itel Legend Metropole Hanoi 1
Grand Hy att Bali 8
4. Amanpuri, Phuket 4
8. Six Senses Samui - a SALA Property 9
Conrad Maldiv es Rangali Island 5
The Legian Bali 10
Four Seasons Resort Bali 4
9. Shangri-La's Rasa Say ang 9 at Jimbaran Bay
Resort & Spa, Penang The Legian Bali 5

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The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 10

5. Grand Hy att Bali 5
Hong Kong
The Opposite House, Beijing 6
10. The Peninsula Bangkok 11
6. Amankila, Bali 9
The Roy al Pita Maha, Bali 14
Bulgari Resort Bali 3
The St Regis Singapore 10
7. Twinpalms Phuket Resort 8
11. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa 9
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 15 8. Raf f les Grand Hotel D'Angkor, 15
Sonev a Gili By Six Senses, Maldiv es 6 Siem Reap

W Retreat & Spa Bali-Seminy ak 23 9. El Nido Lagen Island Resort, Palawan 10

12. Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, 7 Shangri-La's Rasa Say ang 10
Maldiv es Resort & Spa, Penang

Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhev i, 16 The Oberoi Udaiv ilas, Udaipur 5

Chiang Mai 10. Raf f les Hotel Singapore 12

Centara Grand Beach 13 Sof itel Angkor Phokeethra 18
Resort & Villas Hua Hin Golf and Spa Resort

13. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai 23 Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur 8

Hotel Tugu Bali 15 11. Sonev a Gili By Six Senses, Maldiv es 6

14. Capella Singapore 12 12. Bany an Tree Phuket 17

Sof itel Angkor Phokeethra - Four Seasons Resort Maldiv es 10
Golf and Spa Resort at Landaa Giraav aru
The St Regis Bali Resort 11
13. Ay ana Resort And Spa, Bali 17
15. The Peninsula Hong Kong 17 Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 24

16. Shangri-La's Mactan 18 SALA Phuket Resort and Spa 25

Resort and Spa, Cebu The Chedi Chiang Mai 16

17. The Oberoi Udaiv ilas, Udaipur 18 14. Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa, 15

The Ritz-Carlton, Sany a 11 Maldiv es

Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore 21
18. Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui 16
Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhev i, 18
Chiv a-Som, Hua Hin 20
Chiang Mai
InterContinental Bali Resort 19
Raf f les Hotel Le Roy al Phnom Penh -
Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong 20
The Oberoi Amarv ilas, Agra -
The Datai, Langkawi 12
15. Amanpulo, Philippines 13
19. May a Ubud Resort & Spa, Bali 21
Capella Singapore 13
20. Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa 22 Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui 16
Como Shambhala Estate, Bali 21 The St Regis Bali Resort -
Raf f les Grand Hotel D'Angkor, -
16. Amanusa, Bali
Siem Reap 14
El Nido Miniloc Island Resort,
16
21. Angsana Laguna Phuket - Palawan
17
Hilton Maldiv es/Iru Fushi 18 The Roy al Pita Maha, Bali
Resort & Spa
17. Centara Grand Beach 12
22. Ananda in the Himalay as, Rishikesh 20 Resort & Villas Hua Hin
Grand Hy att Erawan Bangkok 25 W Retreat & Spa Bali-Seminy ak 23
Mandala Spa & Villas, Boracay 25
18. InterContinental Bali Resort 17
23. Atlantis The Palm, Dubai, - Samode Palace, Jaipur 21
United Arab Emirates (UAE) The Datai, Langkawi 7
Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou 22 The Laguna Resort & Spa, 14
at Westlake Nusa Dua, Bali
The Oberoi Amarv ilas, Agra - The Oberoi, Bali 20
The PuLi Hotel And Spa, Shanghai 19 The Ritz-Carlton, Sany a 11
The Strand, Y angon 24
24. Centara Grand Beach 23
Resort & Villas Krabi 19. Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing 15
Pangkor Laut Resort 20 JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa 18
Plaza Athénée Bangkok, 25 Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru 22
A Roy al Méridien Hotel Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu 21
The Farm At San Benito - Sheraton Sany a Resort
The Chedi Club at Tanah Gajah, 20
25. Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai 22
Ubud, Bali
Aleenta Phuket - Phang Nga 25
Resort and Spa 20. Amanf ay un, Hangzhou -
Conrad Bangkok 19 The Fullerton Bay Hotel Singapore -
Festiv e Hotel, Singapore - Princess D' Annam Resort & Spa 21

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Kamandalu Resort and Spa, 23 Wy nn Macau 20

Ubud, Bali
21. One&Only Roy al Mirage, Dubai 14
Kupu Kupu Barong Villas 23
The Venetian Macao 19
and Tree Spa, Ubud, Bali
Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru 22 22. The St Regis Sany a -
Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu Y along Bay Resort

23. Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali -

Conrad Sany a Haitang Bay -

Our voters took an average The Imperial New Delhi

Victoria Angkor Resort & Spa,
24
24

16.22 air trips over the past Siem Reap

24. Equarius Hotel, Singapore -

year and earned an average Indigo Pearl, Phuket -
Neemrana Fort – Palace, Rajasthan 19
US$162,134 in household The PuLi Hotel & Spa -

income. They travelled 25. Anantara Golden Triangle

Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai
23

enough to tell the difference Centara Grand Mirage 21

Beach Resort Pattay a
between crass and class. Conrad Bali 23
E&O Hotel, Penang -
Their verdict? Classical is (Eastern & Oriental Hotel)
Hard Rock Hotel Singapore -
back in fashion and so are Hotel ICON, Hong Kong -

authentic destinations. Palais De Chine Hotel, Taipei

The Library , Koh Samui
-
20
The Upper House Hong Kong 25

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