TRAVEL POLL

Top Asian travel brands for suits, lovers, honeymooners and kids

The generational split continues with younger voters swapping brands like underwear and older travellers favouring classic choices. The volcano huff dented but didn't stop Bali as Shanghai roared to No.1 and Qatar Airways pulled off a stunning upset.

JUMP TO Best Airlines | Best Business Class | Best Cabin Service | Best Budget Airlines | Best Luxury Hotels | Best Holiday Destinations | Best Cities for Meetings | Best Airports | Best Business Hotels | Best Wedding Hotels | Best Spa Hotels | Best Conference Hotels | Best Boutique Hotels | Best Family Hotels

THE SmartTravelAsia.com BEST IN TRAVEL POLL is a market research exercise that has run since 2004. It is an independent, free, and fair poll without nomination fees and gala dinner arm-twisting. Voters indicate their preferences for the best airlines, spa hotels, conference hotels and so on from an unlimited universe. Major airlines and airports are rated on a global scale while hotels are ranked within Asia. This is quality market research and results have not been bought. In several cases - as in the hotel votes - the results were too close to separate and this year there is a bunching of products in several ranks. Airline votes are more concentrated while the hotel categories cover thousands of options across Asia. This means a flattening of the vote with razor thin separations.

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younger millennials were less brand loyal, and experimental while older travellers chose more classic picks

The international voting pool includes younger millennial voters with a high amount of smart phone usage and a discernible shift away from brand loyalty to fun new brands and independents and more time spent on research. Their picks also tended towards the more economical in the hunt for 'value'. Older readers - and retirees with disposable income - often stay with classic choices at a higher price point. China and India were the two countries that bucked this trend with experimental picks by younger travellers for weddings and spas in Thailand and Bali predominantly at luxury establishments.

A great many new voters came from China, India, Vietnam, Russia, Philippines and the Middle East to augment the steady visitors from USA, Australia, and UK/Europe.

The poll ran May-June 2018, with the addition of new categories – best luxury hotels and best wedding hotels – in response to reader demand. The best leisure hotels category was dropped.

Voting came in through the Smart Travel Asia online polling page, via social media, hotel and airline guest referrals, and through e-marketing and direct reader e-mails with comments and feedback. This is a well informed audience with readers citing over 12 annual air trips a year on business and leisure and an average household annual income of over US$150,000.

Top 10 Airlines WORLDWIDE 2018 Rank 1. Qatar Airways 2. Singapore Airlines 3. Cathay Pacific Airways 4. Emirates 5. Japan Airlines 6. Etihad Airways     All Nippon Airways 7. Korean Air     Thai Airways International 8. Air New Zealand     Lufthansa 9. Virgin Atlantic     Bangkok Airways 10. Vistara       Garuda Indonesia Top 10 Airlines, Cabin Service WORLDWIDE 2018 Rank 1. Singapore Airlines 2. Cathay Pacific Airways 3. Japan Airlines 4. Qatar Airways     Emirates  5. Garuda Indonesia     Korean Air 6. Thai Airways International     SriLankan Airlines     Vistara 7. SilkAir     Bangkok Airways 8. Asiana     Jet Airways 9. Hong Kong Airlines 10. Virgin Atlantic      Eva Air Top 10 Holiday Destinations ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Shanghai 2. Bali     Taipei 3. Hokkaido     Dubai 4. Bangkok 5. Hong Kong     Phuket 6. Koh Samui     Macau 7. Maldives     Tokyo     Palawan 8. Rajasthan     Seoul     Danang & Hoi An 9. Sanya     Angkor (Siem Reap), Cambodia     Chiang Mai 10. Bohol       Osaka       Phu Quoc Top 10 Luxury Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali 2. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok 3. Capella Singapore     Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok    The Peninsula Hong Kong 4. Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An 5. The Upper House, Hong Kong    Cheval Blanc Randheli Maldives 6. Burj Al Arab Jumeirah    Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi 7. The Fullerton Bay Hotel, Singapore     So Sofitel Singapore     The Legian, Bali 8. Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas,           Hua Hin    The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel    The Reverie Saigon 9.  The Sanya EDITION      The Chedi Muscat, Oman      Amanoi, Vietnam 10. The St Regis Shenzhen       The Strand Yangon       The Ritz-Carlton, Macau       Mulia Resort & Villas, Nusa Dua, Bali Top 25 Business Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. St Regis Bangkok     The Peninsula Shanghai 2. The Peninsula Hong Kong 3. Park Hyatt Sydney 4. Island Shangri-La Hong Kong     Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong 5. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong     Park Hyatt Bangkok 6. Palace Hotel Tokyo     Four Seasons Hotel Seoul 7. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 8. Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund     The St Regis Singapore 9. Rosewood Beijing     The Upper House, Hong Kong 10. The Peninsula Beijing      The Shilla, Seoul      Raffles Makati 11. The Westin Chosun, Seoul      Mandarin Oriental Tokyo 12. InterContinental Bangkok       The Murray, Hong Kong, a Niccolo Hotel      Signiel Seoul 13. Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok       Raffles Jakarta 14. So Sofitel Singapore      The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi 15. Four Seasons Hotel Singapore      The Okura Prestige Bangkok      Fairmont Makati, Manila 16. Anantara Siam, Bangkok       Le Méridien Taipei      Andaz Singapore 17. Armani Hotel Dubai       Waldorf Astoria Beijing 18. The Taj Mahal Palace Mumbai      Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta 19. The Ritz-Carlton Beijing      The Mandarin Oriental Shanghai,         Pudong 20. Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, Bangkok      The St Regis Shenzhen 21. The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu      The Leela Palace New Delhi 22. The Imperial New Delhi      JW Marriott Bangkok 23. Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur        JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South          Beach 24. Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park      Rosewood Phnom Penh 25. Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich      Conrad Bangkok      Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore Top 25 Spa Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Ayana Resort & Spa Bali 2. Bulgari Resort Bali 3. Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 4. Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali 5. The St Regis Bali Resort 6. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay     Banyan Tree Phuket 7. Mandarin Oriental Bangkok     Vana Belle Koh Samui 8. Banyan Tree Samui     Six Senses Samui 9. Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa          Penang      Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan 10. The Peninsula Hong Kong      Grand Hyatt Bali 11. The Peninsula Bangkok      Grand View Resort, Beitou 12. Belmond Napasai, Koh Samui      Chiva-Som Hua Hin 13. Kamandalu Ubud, Bali      Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor 14. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai      Mandarin Oriental Sanya 15. The Legian, Bali      JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa      Angsana Xi'an Lintong 16. Anantara Mui Ne Resort, Vietnam      W Retreat Koh Samui 17. Hotel Tugu Bali       So Sofitel Bangkok       Six Senses Laamu, Maldives 18. Raffles Jakarta      The PuLi Hotel and Spa, Shanghai 19. InterContinental Samui Baan Taling          Ngam 20. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong      W Bali Seminyak 21. The Dharmawangsa Jakarta      Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas 22. Anantara Mai Khao, Phuket      The Royal Pita Maha, Bali 23. Hanging Gardens of Bali 24. SALA Phuket Resort & Spa      Anantara Hua Hin Resort      The Temple House, Chengdu 25. Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom, Kerala      The Farm at San Benito, Philippines Top 25 Family Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Grand Hyatt Bali 2. InterContinental Bali Resort 3. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa 4. Angsana Laguna Phuket 5. Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa       Penang 6. Conrad Bali 7. Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu 8. Atlantis Sanya 9. Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, Bali 10. Lotte Hotel World, Jamsil, Seoul      The Dharmawangsa Jakarta 11. Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai      Holiday Inn Resort Vana Nava, Hua Hin 12. Berjaya Langkawi 13. Sofitel Sanya Leeman Resort 14. Sheraton Bali Kuta Resort      The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa 15. Santiburi Koh Samui      Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket 16. Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, Cebu 17. Holiday Inn Resort Baruna Bali 18. Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa,          Kota Kinabalu 19. Hard Rock Hotel Penang 20. Grand Hyatt Sanya Haitang Bay Resort          and Spa 21. Furama Resort Danang 22. Sheraton Sanya, Haitang Bay Resort 23. Centara Grand Beach Resort Phuket 24. Solaire Resort & Casino, Manila 25. Aleenta Phuket Resort & Spa, Phang          Nga

Top 10 Airlines, Business Class WORLDWIDE 2018 Rank 1. Qatar Airways 2. Cathay Pacific Airways 3. Singapore Airlines 4. Emirates     Etihad Airways     Japan Airlines 5. Korean Air    All Nippon Airways 6. Lufthansa     Thai Airways International 7. Vistara 8. Air New Zealand     Virgin Atlantic 9. Garuda Indonesia 10. Jet Airways Top 10 Budget Airlines ASIA 2018 Rank 1. AirAsia 2. Jetstar Asia 3. Cebu Pacific 4. Indigo 5. Peach 6. tigerair 7. Jin Air     Vietjet 8. Scoot 9. flydubai     Spice Jet 10. HK Express      Nok Air Top 10 Airports WORLDWIDE 2018 Rank 1. Singapore Changi Airport 2. Hamad International Airport, Doha 3. Incheon International Airport, Seoul 4. Haneda Airport, Tokyo 5. Hong Kong International Airport 6. Munich Airport 7. Zurich Airport 8. Amsterdam Schiphol 9. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport         Mumbai T2 10. London Heathrow Terminal 2 Top 10 Cities for Meetings ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Hong Kong 2. Shanghai     Singapore 3. Dubai 4. Macau 5. Bangkok     Danang 6. Beijing     Bali 7. Phuket    Seoul     Taipei 8. Goa     Langkawi 9. Kuala Lumpur    Manila 10. Chengdu      Ho Chi Minh City      Bangalore Top 10 Boutique Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai 2. Amorita Resort, Bohol     Hotel Proverbs Taipei 3.  The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, Ubud, Bali 4. Hotel de L’Opera, Hanoi, M Gallery by Sofitel     Naumi Singapore     CitizenM Taipei North Gate Hotel 5. Tandjung Sari, Bali     The Opposite House, Beijing     COMO Uma Punakha 6.  Hotel Quote, Taipei     The Diaoyutai Boutique, Chengdu 7. Capella Shanghai, Jian Ye Li     The Fleming, Hong Kong     IP Boutique Hotel, Seoul 8. The Warehouse Hotel Singapore     Twinpalms Phuket 9. Hotel Indigo, Bangkok     Anantara Chiang Mai Resort     The Strand Yangon 10. Fusion Maia, Danang     Sujan SherBagh, Ranthambhore     FCC Angkor Top 25 Conference Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. Grand Hyatt Hong Kong 2. Shangri-La Hotel Singapore 3. Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong 4. The Fullerton Hotel Singapore 5. The Athénée Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel,         Bangkok     The Peninsula Shanghai     The St Regis Singapore 6.  InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula          Resort     InterContinental Bangkok 7. Park Hyatt Sydney 8.  Grand Hyatt Shanghai      The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong 9. The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali     The Shilla Seoul 10. The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore      JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong      Grand Hyatt Seoul 11. Sunrise Kempinski Hotel Beijing      InterContinental Bali Resort 12. Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur      Wynn Palace Cotai, Macau      The Westin Chosun, Seoul 13. The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa      Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai      Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok 14. Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Jakarta       JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai at            Tomorrow Square 15. Grand Hyatt Bali      Marina Bay Sands Singapore 16. Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund 17. Rosewood Sanya      Anantara Siam, Bangkok 18. The Venetian Macao      Park Hyatt Saigon      JW Marriott Hotel Macau 19. Angsana Laguna Phuket     Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel 20. Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort      Regent Singapore 21. Conrad Hong Kong      InterContinental Sanya Haitang Bay          Resort 22. Sheraton Sanya Resort      Regal Airport Hotel, Hong Kong 23. Shangri-La at the Fort, Manila      Niccolo Chengdu 24. Regent Taipei     JW Marriott Hotel Shenzhen Bao’an 25. Sofitel Sanya Leeman Resort      Conrad Manila      JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa Top 25 Wedding Hotels ASIA 2018 Rank 1. InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula          Resort 2. Amanpuri Phuket 3.  Bulgari Resort Bali 4. The St Regis Bali Resort    Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay 5. Amankila Bali     Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bali 6. Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai     Ayana Resort & Spa Bali 7. JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa     Conrad Maldives Rangali Island 8. Grand Hyatt Bali     Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok 9. Taj Lake Palace Udaipur India    Trisara, Phuket 10. The Oberoi Udaivilas Udaipur       Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali       Mulia Resort & Villas, Nusa Dua, Bali 11. InterContinental Bali Resort 12. Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai       Kamandalu Ubud, Bali 13. Capella Singapore       InterContinental Samui Baan Taling          Ngam 14. The Athénée Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel,         Bangkok      The Ritz-Carlton Sanya 15. The Dharmawangsa Jakarta        Samode Palace, Jaipur        The Legian, Bali 16. The Peninsula Hong Kong 17. Anantara Hua Hin Resort      The Datai Langkawi 18. Conrad Koh Samui      SALA Phuket Resort & Spa 19. The Sanya EDITION      Aleenta Phuket Resort & Spa, Phang Nga 20. Centara Grand Beach Resort Samui 21. The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort,                       Langkawi       Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa,             Kota Kinabalu 22. Santiburi Koh Samui       Sheraton Sanya Resort 23. Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa, Cebu      Zazen Boutique Resort & Spa, Samui 24. Coconut Lagoon, Kumarakom, Kerala       RIMBA Jimbaran Bali 25. Neemrana Fort-Palace, Rajasthan

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