Companies that are scoping out good hotels, great airlines or phenomenal in-flight entertainment options can turn to annual lists that rank the winners in a legion of different categories. One set of winners comes from the UK’s Buying Business Travel Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate the successes of the British travel industry’s outstanding performers over the past 12 months.
The other set of winners comes from Entrepreneur magazine, which also serves up an annual listing of top-performing companies that meet or exceed business travelers’ needs.
Buying Business Travel Awards
With an annual ceremony held in London, the Business Travel Awards tend to have a distinctly global flair. We gathered up the top three winners in a number of categories of the 2016 shortlist to give travelers a taste of what can be in store for their next UK business trip.
Top Small Hotel
- GLH Hotels
- Jurys Inn
- Malmaison & Hotel du Vin
Top Midscale Hotel
- Jurys Inn
- Innside by Melia
- Premier Inn
Top Upscale Hotel
- Amba Hotels, part of GLH Hotels
- Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
- NH Collection, part of NH Hotel Group
Top Ground Transportation
- eConnect Cars
- GroundScope
- Tristar Worldwide Chauffeur Services
Top Car Rental
- Avis
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Europcar UK
Top Rail Operator
- Eurostar International
- Great Western Railway
- Virgin Trains
Top Business Airline
- All Nippon Airways, ANA
- Etihad Airways
- Flybe
Top Specialist Service for Business Travel
- Consularcare
- eConnect cars
- International SOS
Business Travel Awards from Entrepreneur
Although based in the U.S., Entrepreneur magazine chooses its winners from a global base of contestants. The awards found in this ranking go beyond ground transportation and car rentals, digging down to what may be the most important aspects of business travel – like in-flight entertainment and airline food.
Top In-Flight Entertainment
Entrepreneur hands in the in-flight entertainment crown to JetBlue, an airline that first launched its “Mint” business class in 2014. The service keeps expanding to more and more flights, with perks that include:
- Seats that lie flat and include a massage option
- 15-inch screens on which you can access TV shows and moves from your Amazon Prime account
- Personal suites with their own doors
- Efficient, effective – and speedy – broadband internet service
Top Airline Food
While airline food is not usually something to crow about, Entrepreneur found three airlines that serve it up deliciously.
- Qantas Airlines: Seasonal selections include delicacies such as goat-milk feta cheese and new roast beef.
- Hawaiian Airlines: A Featured Chef series keep the kitchen stocked with local gourmets who know how to show off their tasty style.
- Virgin Airlines: The airline recently partnered with Dean & Deluca, serving up high-end meals and even gourmet junk food.
Top Overall Airport
Changi International Airport in Singapore ranks tops in Entrepreneur’s book for a number of reasons. Not only does the airport offer free city tours to travelers with layovers of at least six hours, but the structure itself is stocked with an array of wonders. These include a rooftop swimming pool, a tropical garden housing a waterfall and dozens of butterfly species, and cinemas offering free, 24/7 movie screenings.
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