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Traveller Awards: Innovation
From a city stay that’s a green sanctuary to an ambitious plan to transform an entire UAE city into the next global cultural capital, these are the forward-thinkers whose efforts are reshaping the way we explore the world. Read on for our Traveller Awards 2025 winners in the Innovation category.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The capital of the UAE is poised to step out of the lengthy desert shadows of its even more ostentatious neighbour, Dubai, with its strategy to become a new Middle Eastern cultural capital. The ambitious scheme began with the opening of an Abu Dhabi offshoot of the Louvre and culminates nearly a decade later with the opening next year of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. While we await the completion of that long-delayed and typically complex Frank Gehry-designed building, a firmer date of December this year has been set for the unveiling of the nearly as bold Zayed National Museum. Showcasing the history of the UAE, the striking Foster + Partners-conceived building is inspired by the wings of a falcon, a bird of profound cultural significance in the Arab world. See visitabudhabi.ae
1 Hotel Melbourne
Guests mindful of their wellbeing and that of the planet, will find double comfort at 1 Hotel, located on the banks of the Yarra River in what was once a goods shed. A sea of greenery – thanks to 7000 plants and biophilic design principles – sound-bathing, morning river runs and wine, cheese and tarot card sessions are part of the commitment to do things differently at Starwood Hotels’ first hotel in Asia-Pacific. Here By Mike – the hotel’s restaurant overseen by Mike McEnearney – is aptly named with local produce, from Skull Island prawns to Spud Sisters potatoes mapped on the menu. Standout Victorian wines comprise about 40 per cent of the wine list. Zero waste across the hotel is the goal, so single-use plastic is out and filtered water along with glass carafes made from old bottles are in abundance for guests. See 1hotels.com
Havila Voyages
Travellers have been flocking to Norway’s scenic Coastal Express route for decades, but Havila Voyages offers a different way to enjoy these spectacular landscapes. Its ships feature stylish cabins and plenty of oversized windows that make you feel like you’re watching an IMAX movie. The trio of dining outlets includes a fine-dining restaurant serving degustation dinners, and another with a sophisticated small-plate menu designed to cut food waste to 75 grams a person a day. Elsewhere, the LPG-powered ships carry electric batteries that allow up to four hours of zero-emission cruising at a time. See havilavoyages.com
Grand Egyptian Museum/Giza Pyramid Precinct, Egypt
After a 20-year wait, the Grand Egyptian Museum is finally (mostly) open, creating a Pyramid precinct unrecognisable to many who’ve visited at earlier times. Start your day looking across the desert at the Giza Pyramids with breakfast at 9 Pyramids Lounge, before visiting the 4500-year-old mysteries, and then lunch at Khufu’s Restaurant, both within the Pyramids’ admission area. The Grand Egyptian Museum is just two kilometres from the Pyramids’ entrance and eventually, you will be able to stroll along a walkway between the two. Cool and well-curated, it includes an excellent gift shop with locally created handcrafts, minus the haggle. See visit-gem.com
Coquillade Provence, France
Head east of Avignon, and you reach a less-tramped region of Provence, yet one that has the similar rugged hills, olive groves and terracotta-topped houses that inspired van Gogh. This Relais & Chateaux-branded resort cleverly combines old-world charm – at its core lies a farmhouse and village buildings – with contemporary style, a chic spa and several excellent restaurants, all wrapped in a landscape of herb gardens and vineyards that produce the property’s own wine. Medieval hamlet turned into one of France’s best resorts? Magnifique. It’s so well done you’d swear from a distance you were about to step back in rustic time – until, that is, you see the splendid swimming pool, framed by cypress pines. See coquillade.fr
G Adventures
Started in 1990 by Canadian Bruce Poon Tip, G Adventures earned its reputation by offering active, affordable trips to cash-strapped backpackers. However, the travellers who booked those tours thirty-plus years ago have grown up and now look for a more upscale experience. While they still crave active excursions with like-minded people, they also want nicer digs, more cultural interaction and fewer eight-hour bus transfers. Enter Geluxe, a new style of G Adventures tour that addresses all these issues while still giving back to local communities through a partnership with Planeterra, a leading non-profit that helps communities use tourism to improve lives and celebrate culture. See gadventures.com
APT Riverships
As one era ends, another begins. The passing this year of Geoff McGeary, patriarch of the nearly century-old APT Travel Group, shy of his 84th birthday, came at more or less the same time as the launch of the company’s two new European riverships. A blend of contemporary luxury in a relaxed atmosphere, APT Solara and APT Ostara were designed by the Melbourne-based design studio Hecker Guthrie with the desires of the Australian traveller uppermost in mind. Perhaps the most stunning feature of the two new sleek and almost futuristic-looking vessels is the Gruner Bar & Dining venue, inspired by fresh food marketplaces in Germany. A hydraulics system raises the entire space to the level of the sun deck, affording revellers with unimpeded views. See aptouring.com
Luxury Escapes
For hotels and resorts, which would prefer you book with them directly, package-holiday purveyors have always been a case of “can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em”. But you have to hand it to Luxury Escapes, especially from an always-keen-on-a-good-deal traveller’s perspective. After its founding as a start-up in Melbourne in 2013, it has evolved into an international entity with 7 million members, making it one of travel’s fastest-growing outfits. Such impressive reach is a key to its success as it allows Luxury Escapes the luxury of being able to offer all manner of bonus inclusions with its package bookings. See luxuryescapes.com
The Peirson-Jones Family
The saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the Peirson-Jones family don’t wait around for things to go awry before making moves. The Western Australians, who have been part of the Kimberley tourism scene for decades, ensure their operations continue to offer the best of outback hospitality. They recently renovated their Moonlight Bay Suites to a luxurious standard with a simplicity and practicality befitting its location. After launching in 2000, they sold the brewery operations of their famed Broome landmark, Matso’s, to Gage Road, but continue to own and operate the pub for the foreseeable future. They closed it for a few months in the recent wet season to refresh and reconfigure it. And as owners of another Broome favourite, the oceanfront Cable Beach House, they are continuing the eatery’s sunset vibes while the Walmanyjun Cable Beach Foreshore is under development, an effort for which coffee-loving locals and visitors alike are grateful. See moonlightbaysuites.com.au ; matsos.com.au;
cablebeachhouse.com.au
Mandarin Oriental App
AI extends into our working lives, so it’s only right that it now also helps us make the most of our leisure time. An app developed by Mandarin Oriental Hotels, for instance, recognises regular guests, gives priority access to services, offers virtual reality tours of hotels, suggests travel and itinerary planning, invites you to make requests and, with your preferences already noted, can make tailored suggestions, such as great bars, gifts for loved ones, and even how to find Zen with Buddhist monks in Japan. Which should help when we get back to work, too. See mandarinoriental.com
Traveller Awards contributors: Kate Allman, Kate Armstrong, Flip Byrnes, Justine Costigan, Jim Darby, Anthony Dennis, Ben Groundwater, Jenny Hewett, Belinda Jackson, Kerry van der Jagt, Julietta Jameson, Trudi Jenkins, Brian Johnston, Ute Junker, Katrina Lobley, Catherine Marshall, Chrissie McClatchie, Rob McFarland, Justin Meneguzzi, Julie Miller, Jane Reddy, Jane Richards, Katherine Scott, Craig Tansley, Lee Tulloch, Sue Williams, Riley Wilson.
