"When a picture of The Omnia with the Matterhorn appeared on the screen at the back of the stage, a murmur raced through the audience," said Christian Eckert, Managing Director of The Omnia Hotel. On Saturday, 30 September 2017, he was at the 24th World Travel Awards ceremony in St. Petersburg and accepted the award for The Omnia as "Switzerland’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2017". "The World Travel Awards are very much like the Oscars for the travel industry," continued Eckert. It was an honour for the hotel but also a positive signal for the destination according to the hotel director.
Nine Others were Nominated
The Omnia prevailed against nine other nominated hotels in the category for the best 2017 Swiss Boutique Hotel. The 5-star mountain lodge took home this prize for the first time. In previous years, this was awarded to the Hotel d’Angleterre in Geneva and the Hotel Paradies in Ftan. "It is an acknowledge that we are on the right path," said Christian Eckert about the award, which he dedicated to his staff. "This award is an expression of gratitude to the team, which performs outstanding work every day."
Public Voting and a Jury Decision
The World Travel Awards have been issued since 1993 and are considered among the highest awards in the tourism industry. They are awarded based on public voting and the decision of a jury. The jury is composed of tourism experts, who are from travel agencies, event organisers and transportation enterprises from around the world. They award prizes at the national, international and global levels. In Switzerland, apartments, car rental companies and travel agencies are awarded along with hotels.