Nomination Guide

How to Nominate for an International Travel Award

A complete step-by-step guide to submitting your nomination and getting the recognition your brand deserves

Getting Started

Nominating for the International Travel Awards is Straightforward

The International Travel Awards is open to any travel or hospitality organisation in the world. Whether you operate a boutique guesthouse in Southeast Asia or a global airline, your path to recognition follows the same clear, four-step process.

Every year, thousands of travel and hospitality brands from over 150 countries compete for International Travel Awards recognition. The nomination process is designed to be thorough but accessible — our goal is to identify genuine excellence, not to create bureaucratic obstacles. This guide walks you through every step, from selecting the right category to what happens after your submission lands with our judging panel.

Before you begin, it helps to understand what makes a strong nomination. Judges are looking for clear, verifiable evidence of excellence — not vague claims of quality. The brands that win are those that can demonstrate their impact through data, testimonials, operational metrics, and case studies. The more specific and substantiated your evidence, the stronger your nomination will be. This guide will show you exactly what to prepare.

01

Choose Your Award Category

The International Travel Awards spans 60+ award categories across every segment of the global travel and hospitality industry. Your first task is to identify the category or categories that best reflect your organisation's primary area of excellence.

Categories include Best Luxury Hotel, Best Boutique Resort, Best Airline Business Class, Best Tour Operator, Best Sustainable Travel Brand, Best Travel Technology Platform, Best Destination Spa, Best Travel Agency, Best Airport, Best Safari Experience, Best Cruise Line, and dozens more. Regional subcategories allow you to compete within your geographic market — Asia, Europe, Middle East, Americas, Africa, and Oceania.

Tip: If you qualify for multiple categories, nominate in all of them. Each is evaluated independently by our judging panel.

02

Gather Your Supporting Documentation

This is the most important preparatory step. Our judging panel evaluates nominations based on evidence — not assertions. Before completing your form, compile documentation across four key areas that our judges use to assess nominees:

  • Guest Experience Evidence: Verified guest reviews (TripAdvisor, Google, Booking.com), satisfaction scores, Net Promoter Score data, return guest rate, direct guest testimonials.
  • Operational Excellence Metrics: Occupancy rates, service delivery KPIs, response time data, complaint resolution rates, staff training records.
  • Innovation and Differentiation: New service launches, technology implementations, unique experience programmes, case studies of standout offerings.
  • Sustainability and Social Impact: Environmental certifications, carbon reduction data, community investment programmes, responsible sourcing policies.

Tip: High-quality photography of your property, team, and guest experiences significantly strengthens a nomination's impact on the judging panel.

03

Complete the Nomination Form

The online nomination form is structured to guide you through each evaluation criterion in a logical sequence. You will be asked to provide:

  • Organisation name, category, and regional classification
  • A brand overview (250–500 words) describing your positioning, audience, and key differentiators
  • Evidence statements for each of the four judging criteria (200–400 words each)
  • Key performance metrics and quantitative data points
  • Supporting documentation uploads (PDFs, imagery, certificates)
  • Contact details for your nominated brand's primary point of contact

The form is designed to be completed in a single session of 30–45 minutes if you have gathered your documentation in advance. You can save progress and return to complete it before submission. Take time to craft your evidence statements carefully — this is where nominations are won and lost.

Tip: Write for the judges, not for a general audience. Assume they are senior industry professionals who will scrutinise every claim — be specific, be evidenced, and be concise.

04

Submit and Await Confirmation

Once you are satisfied that your nomination form is complete and all supporting documentation is uploaded, submit your nomination. Here is what happens next:

  • Confirmation (2–3 business days): Our coordination team will confirm receipt of your nomination and provide your unique nomination reference number.
  • Judging Period (4–8 weeks): Your nomination is assigned to the relevant panel of judges, who evaluate it against competing nominations in your category and region.
  • Shortlist Notification: Shortlisted nominees are contacted by email and invited to attend the gala ceremony. All nominees receive notification of their outcome.
  • Gala Ceremony: Winners are announced at the prestigious International Travel Awards gala at the Westin Marina Hotel, Dubai on 14 November 2026, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

Tip: Once submitted, you cannot edit your nomination. Ensure all documentation is accurate and your evidence statements are final before clicking submit.

Expert Advice

Tips for Writing a Winning Nomination

Based on years of evaluating thousands of nominations, here is what separates successful nominees from the rest.

📊

Lead with Data

Judges respond to specifics. "Our guest satisfaction score was 9.4 out of 10, measured across 3,200 verified reviews in 2025" is far more compelling than "we have excellent guest reviews." Quantify wherever possible — occupancy rates, review scores, return guest percentages, staff-to-guest ratios, response times, sustainability metrics.

📸

Include High-Quality Visuals

A picture of your property, team, or signature experience communicates quality in seconds. Ensure all uploaded imagery is high resolution, professionally composed, and representative of your brand at its best. This is particularly important for accommodation, dining, and destination categories where the physical environment is central to the guest experience.

🌱

Highlight Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainability is an increasingly weighted criterion across all International Travel Awards categories. Brands that can demonstrate genuine, measurable environmental and social commitments — not token gestures — score significantly higher. Include certifications, carbon data, community programmes, and responsible supply chain evidence wherever available.

🎯

Match Category to Your Strength

Nominate in the category that represents your strongest area of excellence, not simply the most prestigious-sounding category. A nomination for Best Boutique Resort in Asia where you are a genuine leader will outperform a nomination for Best Luxury Hotel where you are competing against significantly larger properties. Play to your authentic strengths.

💬

Include Guest Testimonials

Verbatim testimonials from verified guests add a human dimension to your nomination that metrics alone cannot provide. Select testimonials that speak to specific aspects of your service excellence — an exceptional in-room experience, a memorable staff interaction, a personalised service recovery. These humanise your brand for the judges.

🏅

Reference Previous Recognition

If your brand has received awards, certifications, or media recognition from other respected industry bodies, include these. They provide independent validation of your standards and demonstrate that your excellence has been recognised beyond your own organisation. Industry certifications, media features in respected travel publications, and analyst rankings all add credibility.

Nomination Timeline

Understanding the full timeline from nomination to gala helps you plan your submission strategy:

Nominations Open Year-round — submit at any point during the open nomination cycle. Earlier submissions give our team more time to process your file. Confirmation 2–3 business days after submission — you receive a confirmation email and unique reference number from our coordination team. Judging Period 4–8 weeks — your nomination is evaluated by our independent judging panel against all competing entries in your category and region. Shortlist Shortlisted nominees are contacted by email and invited to attend the gala ceremony in Dubai. Gala Ceremony 14 November 2026 — Westin Marina Hotel, Dubai, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM. Winners announced, trophies and certificates presented.
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Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions About the Nomination Process

Everything you need to know before submitting your nomination to the International Travel Awards.

Any travel or hospitality organisation from any country in the world is eligible to nominate. This includes hotels, resorts, airlines, tour operators, travel agencies, destination management companies, travel technology platforms, tourism boards, spas, restaurants, and any business operating in the global travel and hospitality industry. There is no size threshold — a 10-room boutique guesthouse is as welcome as a 1,000-room luxury resort. What matters is the quality of your guest experience and the strength of your evidence, not your size or marketing budget. Self-nominations and third-party nominations (such as a PR agency nominating on a client's behalf) are both accepted. See our full range of award categories to find the right fit for your organisation.
The nomination form itself takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to complete thoroughly once you have your documentation in hand. However, we strongly recommend spending time in advance gathering your supporting evidence — guest reviews, satisfaction scores, operational metrics, sustainability certifications, and high-quality photography. This preparation can take several hours but is what separates a strong nomination from an average one. Think of the nomination form as the final assembly stage: if your components are ready, the build is straightforward. If you are unsure about any aspect of the form, contact our coordination team at awards@goldentreeawards.com or call us at +971 585 862014.
Yes, absolutely. You may submit nominations across multiple categories if your organisation qualifies for each. For example, a luxury resort might nominate for Best Luxury Resort, Best Destination Spa, and Best Sustainable Hotel in its region simultaneously. Each nomination is evaluated independently by our judging panel — being nominated in multiple categories does not dilute your chances in any single category. We encourage organisations that genuinely excel across multiple areas to recognise all dimensions of their excellence through separate, tailored nominations. Browse our full list of 60+ award categories to identify all the categories relevant to your business.
Nomination deadlines vary by award cycle and region. The 2026 ceremony takes place at the Westin Marina Hotel, Dubai on 14 November 2026. We recommend submitting your nomination as early as possible to ensure sufficient processing time and to give our judging panel the maximum evaluation window. Early submissions also demonstrate organisational preparedness, which reflects positively on your brand. For the current submission deadline specific to your region and category, contact our coordination team at awards@goldentreeawards.com or call +971 585 862014.
After submission, you will receive a confirmation email from our coordination team within 2 to 3 business days, along with your unique nomination reference number. Your nomination then enters the evaluation queue and is assigned to the relevant subject-matter judges on our independent panel of 200+ professionals. The judging period typically spans 4 to 8 weeks. You will be notified of shortlisting decisions — shortlisted nominees are invited to attend the gala ceremony at the Westin Marina Hotel, Dubai on 14 November 2026, 5:00 PM to 11:00 PM. All nominees, including those not shortlisted, receive notification of their outcome. Winners receive their trophy, certificate, and a comprehensive digital media package at the ceremony.
Yes. All nomination submissions are treated with complete confidentiality. Your supporting documents, evidence files, business performance data, and brand materials are shared only with the relevant members of our independent judging panel under strict confidentiality agreements. Your nomination content is never disclosed to other nominees, competitors, sponsors, or third parties at any stage of the process. Our data handling practices comply with applicable privacy regulations. If you have specific concerns about the confidentiality of commercially sensitive data included in your submission, please contact our team at awards@goldentreeawards.com to discuss appropriate handling arrangements before submitting.
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