Travel & Hospitality Awards | Travel Innovation, Design & Technology 2021 | www.thawards.com

Foreword
Criteria
This edition of the guide is special and one I will look back
on for the rest of my life. This is the first awards programme
and guide that took place during the lockdown brought
on by the Covid-19 pandemic. This time last year Covid
had yet to become a global catastrophe; however things
escalated quickly and it wasn’t long before the whole
travel sector was brought to a standstill as everyone
scrambled to find ways to adapt to a near contactless
world. Fast forward to today and things have picked up.
While recovery takes time, I like many am grateful for the
position I find myself in.
It goes without saying that we will touch on the pandemic
more than a few times. We look at its influence on the
events industry for key events in 2021 (p18). We examine
innovations in hospitality technology - some of which are
a direct consequence in the battle against Covid (p28,
p36), and we have dedicated a whole piece to the impact
of Covid-19 on interior design industry (p72).
The past few months have seen the return of
cryptocurrency to the mainstream and brought with it
the conversation of blockchain technology - a topic we
discuss in relation to travel and hospitality (p32). We also
bring you our picks of beautifully designed hotels (p58)
and restaurants (p62) so you can begin planning those
luxury getaways that we have all been starved of over the
past 12 months.
Finally, I want to end this note by saying big thank you
to the sponsors of this edition, Karhoo, for letting us
sit down and have a chat with Vanessa Heydorff, Chief
Commercial Officer (p8), a piece not to be missed.
Robert Bruce,
CEO
Marketing and Branding
Consistency is key here, with so many media
platforms out there it’s important that the
correct and informed image is the one being
relayed.
Environmental Consideration
This should be on the radar of all organizations.
Sound eco-Friendly and sustainable
approaches to all facets of a business is
important today more than ever.
Customer Service
No matter how good the product is the
provision of customer service is vital. Timing,
speed, and appropriateness of response across
all mediums is necessary for every company.
User-Friendliness
This is especially important with technology
companies as end user ability is sometimes
overlooked to focus more on perfecting the
technology.
Reviews and Feedback
What better way is there to know about an
organization than by getting first-hand reviews?
For many this is the first port of call.
Innovation
New and fresh ideas built better products and
services. The need to innovate should always
be at the forefront.