Time Out Australia’s first Travel Awards have arrived, and for advisors building high-end domestic itineraries, the nominee list doubles as a ready-made shortlist. Announced on 29 October in partnership with Wise, the awards cover 10 Editors’ Choice categories, from Best Luxury Stay to Best Wellness Travel, with nominees spread right across the country. That spread is exactly where a well-planned charter flight comes into its own.
How the Nominees Were Chosen
Time Out’s editors have personally visited every nominated stay, destination and experience, and the list deliberately covers a range of states, price points and traveller types. Editor Melissa Woodley has taken more than 100 flights and explored every state and territory in the two and a half years since Time Out launched its Australia-wide travel guides.
Alongside the Editors’ Choice awards, three People’s Choice categories (Favourite Hotel, Favourite Destination and Favourite Travel Experience or Attraction) are open to public voting until 13 November. Winners in every category will be announced on 23 November, which gives advisors a natural moment to follow up with clients who’ve shown interest.
The Best Luxury Stay Shortlist
For luxury advisors, the Best Luxury Stay nominees are the ones to watch. The seven-strong shortlist runs from Capella Sydney in the city’s historic Sandstone Precinct and the 48-room COMO The Treasury in Perth to InterContinental Hayman Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays.
It also includes 1 Hotel Melbourne, the 14-suite Sequoia Lodge outside Adelaide, The Langham Gold Coast and The Tasman, a Luxury Collection Hotel on Hobart’s waterfront. Between them, they cover heritage city stays, a private island resort and a hilltop retreat, which gives advisors options for very different clients.
Linking the Shortlist by Charter Flight
A list that runs from the Whitsundays to Hobart and Perth is a reminder of how much ground a domestic luxury trip can cover. Scheduled services link the capitals well, but island resorts and regional lodges are where a charter flight saves clients the most time, letting a multi-stop itinerary move at their pace rather than an airline timetable’s.
If you’re new to adding charter to your clients’ trips, our guide to why partnerships with private jet charter agents suit traditional agencies explains how it works, and our piece on selecting luxury accommodation covers what high-end clients expect from a stay. When a client’s ready to book, Adagold Aviation’s aircraft charter specialists can quote a charter flight around any of the nominees.
