Canada shines at Virtuoso awards: Trevello, Cullinane & McGrath take top honours

Canadian travel professionals were among the winners celebrated Thursday night (Aug. 13) as Virtuoso capped its 38th annual Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas with an awards gala recognizing top advisors, agencies and preferred partners from around the world.

Trevello Travel Group took home the Best Agency Culture award for Canada, while Patrick Cullinane of Travel Navigators, an independent affiliate of Trevello, was named Canada’s Most Admired Advisor.

"These two awards tell the Trevello story perfectly: one recognizes the culture we have built, and the other recognizes the extraordinary advisors who make that culture possible," said Zeina Gedeon, CEO of Trevello Canada, in a statement. "To see Trevello Canada named Best Agency Culture and Patrick Cullinane recognized as Most Admired Advisor on the same night is an incredible honour and a powerful validation of what happens when you put advisors and their success at the centre of everything we do."

Meanwhile, Sasha McGrath of Terra Travel Club, an independent affiliate of TTI Travel, was named Canada’s Rising Star, an award recognizing new-to-industry Virtuoso travel advisors for exceptional production and engagement within the network.

The honours were handed out at Bellagio Resort & Casino during an Aug. 13 gala hosted by comedian, actor and television and radio presenter Patrick Kielty, host of The Late Late Show.

The evening served as the grand finale of Virtuoso Travel Week, which ran Aug. 8-14 and attracted more than 4,800 attendees from 105 countries to Bellagio, ARIA Resort & Casino, Vdara Hotel & Spa and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.

Global winners revealed

The gala also recognized Virtuoso’s Global Award winners, with nominations generated through a survey of the network and winners determined by elected members of Virtuoso's various boards and committees.

The winners will be showcased in the November/December issue of Virtuoso, The Magazine, which reaches more than 200,000 affluent households, as well as on Virtuoso.com.

Delta Air Lines was named Best Airline, while Mauna Lani, Auberge Collection received Best Brand Hotel and De L’Europe Amsterdam was recognized as Best Independent Hotel.

Faena New York earned the Best New Hotel award, while Etienne Petitpez of Airelles Palladio, Venice was named Hotelier of the Year.

Eclectic Greece by Kyvernitis Travel was named Best On-Site, Project Expedition received Best Tour Operator, Tourism Australia won Best Tourism Board and Allianz Partners was recognized as Best Insurance Partner.

Regional standouts

Virtuoso also recognized agencies and advisors across its global regions.

The Best Agency Culture award, which recognizes agencies that prioritize employee well-being and foster inclusive cultures, went to FBI Travel in Australia and New Zealand; Trevello Travel Group in Canada; Lartisien in Continental Europe; ECOLUX in Greater China; NUBA in Latin America and the Caribbean; Al Faris International Travel & Tourism Company in the Middle East and Africa; Tourvis Select in North and Southeast Asia; Quintessentially Travel UK in the United Kingdom and Ireland; and Huffman Travel in the United States.

The Most Admired Advisors category recognized experienced advisors for their leadership, industry passion, commitment to the Virtuoso network and attention to detail.

Alongside Canada's Cullinane, winners included Carole Smethurst of Bicton Travel; Emilien Savary of Cercle des Voyages; Ewan Burger of Charlotte Travel; Letty Chomer of LCH Luxury Travel; Mondher Kamoun of Luxuria; Tang Houying of WonderGoLander; Carolyn Addison of Black Tomato; and Melissa Wu of Woodlyn Travel, an independent affiliate of First in Service.

Virtuoso's Rising Stars award, meanwhile, celebrated new-to-industry advisors demonstrating exceptional production and network engagement.

In addition to Canada's McGrath, regional winners included Tammy Sfeir of Travelcall Sydney; Carlo Schoenke of In Travel Solutions GmbH; Alicia Lee of DearVoyage; Henrique Oliveira of Matueté; Alaina Appleman of Blue Sky Escapes; Florian Pauly of The Resorts Collection, an independent affiliate of Little Emperors; and Lora Greene of Lora Greene Travel, an independent affiliate of Brownell.

Luminary, Ruby of Siam honours

Rodrigo Esponda of the Los Cabos Tourism Board received Virtuoso's Luminary Award, which recognizes a partner that demonstrates high professional standards, industry leadership and dedication to the Virtuoso network.

Anthony Goldman of Goldman Travel Corporation was awarded the Ruby of Siam, an honour with a tradition dating back to 1987 that recognizes an agency owner or manager who gives their time, effort and wisdom to elevate Virtuoso's collective reputation and value.

The awards gala brought Virtuoso Travel Week to a close after a week of meetings, networking and programming focused on the global luxury travel industry.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.