Media Releases

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Ultratravel UK readers name Whistler “Best Ski Resort in the World”

Tourism Whistler media release
For immediate release - May 20, 2014

Ultratravel UK readers name Whistler “Best Ski Resort in the World”

Suggested tweet: #UltratravelUK magazine readers name #Whistler Best Ski Resort in the World

Whistler, B.C. – Whistler continues to add to its list of impressive accolades, most recently being named the Best Ski Resort in the World by readers of Ultratravel UK magazine.

Ultratravel UK is a glossy, quarterly magazine which showcases luxury travel. Content includes luxury holidays and travel experiences from the Telegraph, including luxury accommodation, boutique hotels, celebrity interviews, accessories and more. Published four times a year, Ultratravel UK has a print run of 600,000 and is distributed with the Daily Telegraph on Saturday in London.

Each year, readers of Ultratravel UK –the biggest circulation luxury travel magazine in Europe – vote for their favourite luxury travel suppliers – everything from hotels to cruise lines. Whistler was voted Best Ski Resort in the World, with the award announced at the annual ULTRAs dinner at The Dorchester in London on May 19. There are only 20 ULTRAs voted for and presented each year.

"It is a great achievement for Whistler that - with all the wonderful ski resorts in the world to choose from - Ultratravel readers has voted Whistler as the best in the 2014 reader survey,” said Nick Perry, Chairman, Ultratravel Unlimited.

“We are thrilled that Whistler has been recognized by readers of Ultratravel UK magazine as the best ski resort in the world,” said Barrett Fisher, Tourism Whistler’s President & CEO.

“Whistler continues to be acknowledged around the globe with accolades from our guests and our peers,” she said. “Along with the ULTRA award, many local businesses have also recently been awarded for their achievements and we congratulate our members for their ongoing efforts that are seeing such great results. The success of Whistler is a result of our combined efforts as a community and a resort. We are fortunate to have a strong business community that is aligned in their commitment to service excellence.”

The ULTRA award follows a string of recent accolades for the resort and various local businesses so far in 2014, including:

Condé Nast Traveller – Best hotels and Resorts of the Americas (Platinum Circle)

  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler
  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Condé Nast Traveller – Top Hotels and Resorts of the Americas (Gold List)

  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler
  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Luxury Travel (Australia) – Best Overseas Ski Resort (Gold)

TripAdvisor – Best Hotels in Canada

  • Nita Lake Lodge (13)
  • First Tracks Lodge (24)

Trip Advisor – Best Canadian Destination (top 10)

Where Magazine’s “Where to Dine” Awards

  • Araxi Restaurant + Bar – Best Formal Whistler

Vancouver Magazine Awards

  • Araxi Restaurant + Bar – Best Whistler – Gold Award
  • Bearfoot Bistro – Best Whistler – Silver Award
  • Sidecut – Best Whistler – Bronze Award
  • Alta Bistro – Honourable Mention
  • Mexican Corner – Honourable Mention

Vancouver International Wine Festival Awards

  • Araxi Restaurant + Bar - Gold Award
  • Alta Bistro – Gold Wine List Award
  • Rim Rock Café – Silver Wine List Award

The Georgia Straight’s 17th annual Golden Plates Awards

  • Araxi Restaurant + Bar – Best Whistler Restaurants (first place)
  • Bearfoot Bistro – Best Whistler Restaurants (second place)
  • Rim Rock Café – Best Whistler Restaurants (third place)
  • Whistler Brewing Company’s Bear Paw Honey Lager – Best BC Beer Brewed Outside Vancouver (third place)

US News, Travel: 2014 Best Hotels in Canada

  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler Resort
  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Some of the notable awards in 2013 included:

Skiresorts-Test.com – Best Ski Resorts Worldwide (top 10)

Out & About With Kids (Australia) - Best International Family Ski Resort

Canadian Living - Canada’s Top 10 Best Ski Destinations

Condé Nast Traveller – Best Hotels and Resorts of the Americas (Platinum Circle)

  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler
  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Condé Nast Traveller – Top Hotels and Resorts of the Americas (Gold List)

  • Fairmont Chateau Whistler
  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Travel + Leisure – Top 100 Hotels of the World

  • Four Seasons Resort Whistler

Canadian Tourism Commission – Canadian Signature Experiences

  • Canadian Wilderness Adventures’ Mountain Top Fondue by Snowmobile
  • Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre’s Ambassador Guided Tour

FlipKey by TripAdvisor – Top 10 Snowboarding Destinations in the World

Google Canada – Canada’s eTown Award

World Ski Awards – Canada’s Best Ski Boutique Hotel

  • Adara Hotel Whistler

World Ski Awards – Canada’s Top Ski Hotel

  • Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside

OnTheSnow Visitors’ Choice Awards

  • Northwest Region Best Overall
  • Northwest Region Best Terrain
  • Best Overall Nightlife

A more complete list of Whistler’s recent awards is available at: http://media.whistler.com/all-about-whistler/awards-and-accolades/

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Whistler is Canada's premier year-round leisure and meeting destination located in the Coast Mountains 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Consistently rated the top ski resort in North America, Whistler was the Host Mountain Resort of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The resort offers an extensive range of accommodations totaling 10,000 bedrooms among 24 hotels as well as townhomes, condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler also boasts more than 100 restaurants and bars, 200 retail shops, 25 spas and countless activity options from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

Tourism Whistler is the member-based marketing and sales organization representing Whistler, operating the Whistler Conference Centre, Whistler Golf Club, Whistler Visitor Centre, as well as 1.800.WHISTLER and whistler.com - Whistler's official source for visitor bookings and information. As the convention and visitors bureau for the Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler represents more than 7,000 members who own, manage and operate properties or businesses on resort lands including hotels, restaurants, activity operators and retail shops.

Broadcasters: Whistler now has the capability to take you live with our enhanced fibre network. The significantly expanded network of more than 200 kilometres of fibre optic cabling throughout the resort allows instant transmission of HD signals to any location at any time. Details on how to access, and book the fibre are available on our media site. http://media.whistler.com/contact-us/filming-in-whistler/

Media can visit whistler.com/media for Whistler facts, media releases, story starters, local personality profiles and access to images and B-roll.

Media Contacts

Patricia Westerholm
Manager, Communications
T: 604.938.2748
E: pwesterholm@tourismwhistler.com

Kristine George
Manager, Travel Media
T: 604.938.2718
E: kgeorge@tourismwhistler.com

W: www.whistler.com/media
T: www.twitter.com/mediaTWhistler
F: www.facebook.com/GoWhistler