September 29, 2012
Bellagio Honored as Best Casino Resort
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
LAS VEGAS - Bellagio received accolades at the 2012 World Travel Awards' Caribbean & The Americas Ceremony on Sept. 14 in Turks & Caicos. The AAA Five Diamond Las Vegas resort has been recognized as North America's Leading Casino Resort, an honor Bellagio has received for four of the past five years.
WTA, hailed as the "Oscars of the travel industry" by the global media, highlights and rewards travel brands that have made the greatest contribution to the industry during the past year. A delegation of VIPs, senior tourism figures and international media travelled from more than 30 nations to attend this year's event.
"We are pleased to once again be recognized at the World Travel Awards, which are determined by travel industry professionals," said Randy Morton, president & COO of Bellagio. "Bellagio is a special destination resort filled with beauty, elegance and a staff that takes pride in providing our guests with memorable experiences. This award is a result of our team's excellence and I'm so proud of them."
Inspired by the beautiful villages of Europe, the AAA Five Diamond Bellagio overlooks a Mediterranean-blue, 8 1/2 acre lake, where fountains perform a magnificent aquatic ballet choreographed to music and lights.
Within Bellagio are award-winning dining experiences including two AAA Five Diamond restaurants, Julian Serrano's Picasso and Le Cirque from the renowned Maccioni family. Bellagio is home to an impressive collection of luxury retailers.
According to WTA's press release, Graham E. Cooke, President & Founder, WTA, underlined the depth and quality of the travel and tourism sector across the Caribbean and the Americas.
He said: "Our winners are also drawn from the breadth of the Caribbean and the Americas, reflecting the strength and depth of the travel and tourism sector in the regions. I am sure these organisations will fare strongly in our Grand Final, which takes place in New Delhi, India on 12 December 2012."
Other WTA Grand Tour 2012 regional heats include Dubai (UAE), Algarve (Portugal), and Singapore. The winners of these legs will go head-to-head in WTA's Grand Final, which takes place at The Oberoi, Gurgaon on December 12.
WTA was launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognise excellence in the global travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 19th anniversary, it is regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could hope to receive.
The voting process is online and a year-long communications campaign encourages global participation. The votes come from qualified executives working within travel and tourism and the consumer travel buyer. Votes are internally audited to ensure the validity of each individual vote.
To see the full list of winners, visit www.worldtravelawards.com
For more information and reservations, visit www.bellagio.com
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
