Lake Orta

What are the global travel brands that will act as a reference over the year ahead?

With its first Special Edition Monocle reports on the elements that are ignored by more traditional surveys. Read on for the full list or watch the video here

1. World's most efficient transit hub: Haneda Airport, Tokyo.
2. Bed linen to look forward to: Carmignani sheets at the Hôtel des Bergues, Geneva.
3. Best new link: the Metro to Copenhagen's Kastrup Airport.
4. Most daring airline innovation: the launch of a domestic first class by JAL.
5. Best high-altitude retreat: Bad Dreikirchen and Briol hotels in Bolzano, Italy.
6. Best short-haul transport: Zurich's trams.
7. Top in-room innovation: delivery hatches for packages and laundry at the Peninsula Tokyo hotel.
8. Best venue for a business lunch: the Savoy, Helsinki.
9. Top travel snack to restore your faith in business: the "Wursteller" on Deutsche Bahn.
10. Best city to cure your jetlag: Sydney and its outstanding coffee culture.
11. Top hotel for a breakfast meeting: the Shilla, Seoul.
12. Europe's top weekend escape: the Hotel La Minervetta in Sorrento, Italy.
13. Best outdoor terrace: Hotel Baur au Lac, Zurich.
14. Best service we never knew we needed: Terence the butler at the Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong.
15. Most handsome newsstand: Ichiro Katami's kiosk at JR West's Himeji station outside Tokyo.
16. Best hotel gymnasium: the Park Hyatt, Tokyo.
17. The most tastefully over-the-top hotel: the George V, Paris.
18. Best airline uniform: Asiana Airlines.
19. Best boutique airline: Air Dolomiti.
20. Best way to fly between New York and Los Angeles: Qantas Airlines.
21. The leader in airline lounges: Cathay Pacific Airways.
22. The world's most underrated capital: Taipei.
23. Best low-cost carrier: Air Berlin.
24. Fail-safe gift for friends, family and clients: Sprüngli Luxemburgerli macaroons.
25. Best international airport: Munich.
26. Best gift shop and one-nighter hotel: the Tawaraya, Kyoto, Japan.
27. Top global time-saver: Iris scans.
28. Best comeback in the travel industry: inflight wi-fi.
29. Most ambitious carrier: Finnair.
30. Best hotel lobby: the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.
31. Best place to colonize for a holiday: Lake Orta, Italy.
32. Best in-flight entertainment: Cathay Pacific.
33. Best short-haul catering: Lufthansa.
34. Coziest city hotel concept: Hotel Cortiina, Munich.
35. The complete concierge: Adrian at the George V, Paris.
36. Best job title in the sky: Swiss's maître de cabine.
37. Hub to watch: Berlin's soon-to-be-built BBI airport.
38. Top short-haul aircraft: A320.
39. Most eagerly awaited scheme: Munich's Transrapid.
40. Best new restaurant: Mathias Dahlgren's creations at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm.
41. Five of the best bars: K Bar in Copenhagen, Kronenhalle Bar in Zurich, Kita-Aoyama Salon in Tokyo, Durrant's in London, Schumann's (either branch) in Munich.
42. Best airline livery: Lufthansa.
43. Top long-haul aircraft: the 747-400.
44. Best long-haul business-class catering: ANA.
45. Best first class: ANA.
46. Best 48-hour weekend escape: Murata Ryokan, Yufuin, Japan.
47. Best in room amenities: Agronatura products at the Dojima Hotel, Osaka.
48. Best hotel for serious runners: Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Hamburg.
49. Best all-around travel brand: Deutsche Bahn.

And number 50, or is that number 1?

“We nominated the Japanese government's pair of 747-400s - one for the prime minister and one for the emperor. While not quite a flying palace, the emperor's 747 comes with a matching fleet of support vehicles that all feature the same signature black and gold stripes that run elegantly down the fuselage of the aircraft. The inside is decorated in subtle caramel and camel tones that reference ancient patterns used by the royal family.

“Perhaps unlike other private 747s in operation with royal families and insanely high net worth individuals in the Middle East, there's also not a gold tap or gold seatbelt in sight. From nose to tail, the identical aircraft are exercises in restraint and good taste, if you can ignore the fact that they're hulking 747s.”

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