5th Annual SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards – The “Academy Awards” of Spas

5th Annual SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Awards – The “Academy Awards” of Spas
by Susie Ellis

Thursday evening was our 5th annual Readers’ Choice Awards Ceremony and I think it was the best one yet. Vanderbilt Hall was the venue. We had over 300 people in attendance with many who had flown in from all over the world to accept their awards. It really felt like the “Academy Awards of Spas.” Our Crystal Award Winners received beautiful Crystal Globes for being named Favorite Spa on their Continent; Country Award Winners received beautiful plaques and Category Winners received lovely framed certificates. This year we even had someone shoot footage which was later uploaded to
YouTube so that others could share the special moments.

One highlight for me was when Christine Berger accepted the award for Favorite Spa in Switzerland for Victoria Jungfrau on behalf of her father, Emmanual Berger who is their GM. He wanted to be on the telephone listening to her acceptance speech (even though it was in the middle of the night). She even brought the phone to the podium!

And then Peter, some of the SpaFinder staff and I had the pleasure of hosting the winners to what turned out to be an exciting dinner at Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur Restaurant. Just a short walk from Vanderbilt Hall and up the grand staircase, it was such a pleasure sitting among the most stellar people in the spa industry, enjoying wine and good food on the East Balcony overlooking the main concourse of Grand Central Terminal.

The final highlight of the evening was kicking off my shoes when I got home….new shoes which my mom would always warn me that they might need to be “broken in” before a big night. Naturally, I never did listen to her on that. Who has time to break in shoes these days??? Fortunately the glow of the event trumped the foot pain.