The world of Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle was set ablaze by a glittering ceremony on the night of October 15th. The Villa Padierna Palace Hotel hosted the incredible 4th Annual Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards.
An unrivalled list of attendees gathered to witness the distribution of the most exclusive award in the industry: the Signum Virtutis, or, the seal of excellence. The award is designed to identify the best of the best by bestowing the Signum Virtutis upon the most exceptional luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle properties or products worldwide.
Luxury Panel Members in attendance were: His Serene Highness Prince Massimiliano della Torre e Tasso, Her Serene Highness Princess Costanza della Torre e Tasso, Her Royal Highness Nathalie Princess of Hohenzollern, Princess Bhargavi Kumari Mewar, Kenelm Jenour, Jean Christophe Rousseau, Thanos Liontos, Andreas Lindner, Bernie Hawkins, and Alexander Jovanovic.
The cocktail reception was filled with media and photographers and also featured the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the World’s first International Hospitality Hall of Fame by Princess Bhargavi Kumari Mewar and Mr Frank M Pfaller-President/Founder of The International Hospitality Hall of Fame and Honorary Chairman of the Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards.
Guests were ushered to the stunning Amphitheatre to begin the winners presentations. The incredible Arina Domski opened the Ceremony with a fantastic performance of “Nessun dorma” which ended in a wave of roaring applause.
The presentations saw legendary and exclusive properties such as Byblos St Tropez, The Peninsula Paris, Castadiva Resort & Spa, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, Tschuggen Bergoase and many more, all of which received the Signum Virtutis, seal of excellence.
Special Awards on the night were presented to some very special individuals such as the Lifetime Achievement Award for the legendary Sol Kerzner, Seven Stars Woman of the Year for Ms Regine Sixt, and the Seven Star CEO of the Year to Valentine Ozigbo. Other Special Awards presented were the Seven Star Hospitality Network to Hospitality Leaders, Seven Star Development to Tala Bay, The Seven Star 1st Class Lounge to Qatar Airways Al Safwa, 1st Class Lounge at Hamad International Airport, the Seven Star Boutique Hotel Award to Hanging Gardens of Bali, The Seven Stars Yacht Charter to Sovereign Seas Hermes , the Seven Star Villa was snatched up by Villa Alegria in Mykonos and the always popular Despina Miraraki received the Seven Star Carpet Gallery Award. Other Special Awards included Seven Star Real Estate Services for Ideal Mykonos and the Seven Stars Luxury Lifestyle Spa Brand to Ligne St Barth.
The Seven Star Commitment to Excellence in the Thermal Spa Sector went to VAMED/Vitality-World.
The Seven Star Experience saw Maharajas Express triumph for the second year running and Oman Air positioned itself as the Seven Star Airline for Middle East, Europe and Africa.
Regional Vice President – Europe Oman Air
Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards would like to thank its partners: Ligne St Barth, Gold Emotion, Bulldog Gin, Negroni, SV Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Choice, Hoteliers Guild, Adria Exclusive, International Hospitality Hall of Fame, Worldwide Kids, Fofolles World, Hospitality Leaders, Messika and The Best Of The World.
As well as media partners: FTN News, I-Marbella, Essential Magazine, Ogee Design Magazine, Horizon & Beyond, The Top Tier, E global Travel Media, Home & Lifestyle Magazine, Marbella Rocks, Eye of Riyadh, Eye of Dubai, Voyagers World, Carmen’s Luxury Travel, Highend-Traveller, Maldives Hotels, On TV Channel, Luxepitality and Ifiniti Style.
Chairman, President/Founder Khalil El-Mouelhy said: “ We are delighted with the outcome and reaction of our winners to the event. Tonight we showcased the absolute best from within the luxury hospitality industry and Villa Padierna was the perfect setting for such a night of acknowledgement, recognition and awards. I would like to personally congratulate all our winners worldwide and thank all the exceptional individuals that graced our ceremony with their presence and helped to make it such a special evening. A special thanks to Mr Frank M Pfaller, Mr Ricardo Arranz and the team at Villa Padierna Palace Hotel for all their support and their efforts, making this an unforgettable event.”
Annie
October 22, 2016 at 3:57 pmOh my, did you actually get to meet a princess?? It looks like such a glamorous event!
Carmen Edelson
October 22, 2016 at 4:14 pmYes, I actually meet two of them, and a prince who was in attendance at the gala.
Carol from Wayfaring Views
October 22, 2016 at 4:23 pmYour pic (on the top) of the Palace hotel makes it look like an absolute Palace. Great place for a luxury event
Carmen Edelson
October 23, 2016 at 6:43 amIt’s a gorgeous property was built to look like a Tuscan palace. It was the perfect place to host the gala.
Mike Cotton
October 23, 2016 at 1:06 amThis award ceremony looked beyond luxurious in itself. Great job on being a media partner, that is a great achievement.
Carmen Edelson
October 23, 2016 at 6:45 amIt was probably one of the most luxurious ceremonies that I have attended with luxury panel members from throughout the world.
Beth | Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere
October 23, 2016 at 8:35 amWhat a treat to be able to attend such an event! Just the name “Seven Stars” invokes a sense of over-the-top luxury. You look beautiful, and your dress is gorgeous as well!
Beth | Adventuring the Great Wide Somewhere recently posted…Perplexed in Paris: Impressions of a First Time Airbnb User
Carmen Edelson
October 26, 2016 at 5:57 amThank you Beth! Yes, they aren’t many 7 star hotels in the world to be exact, but we did see many 5 star hotels from all over the world at the event.
Sarah Stierch
October 23, 2016 at 12:44 pmWell that was such a nice gig to attend huh? Love that you sponsored it also – always great to see other women owned businesses, and bloggers/writers, support events like this. Cheers!
Sarah Stierch recently posted…How Heidrun Meadery turned me into a mead geek
Carmen Edelson
October 26, 2016 at 6:00 amIt’s nice to be in a room surrounded with the owners and general managers of the best hotels in the world. Being a woman in business definitely has its challenges.
Rachel Pearson
October 23, 2016 at 1:23 pmOh wow, this looks incredible! So glamorous, I hope you had a great time! Also how amazing is Khalil El-Mouelhy’s dress! Thanks for sharing!
Carmen Edelson
October 26, 2016 at 9:25 amYou mean the dress of Princess Bhargavi Kumari Mewar which is in the middle. It was a gorgeous event.
Khalil El-Mouelhy
July 4, 2017 at 7:05 pmThank you Rachel, my dress really was great wasn’t it 😉 I believe Carmen is correct, it is Princess Bhargavi Kumari Mewar , Executive Director of HRH Group of Hotels and Luxury Panel member of the SSLHLA. But hey, never say never 🙂
Chrysoula
October 23, 2016 at 2:42 pmIt seems you had a nice time! What a great event to go!I love your dress by the way!
Carmen Edelson
October 26, 2016 at 9:27 amYes, it was an amazing evening. I really enjoyed meeting everyone at the event and staying at such an amazing hotel.
Karla
October 23, 2016 at 8:03 pmWhat a glamorous event, I would have loved to witness it. It does show luxury and all that.
Carmen Edelson
October 26, 2016 at 9:30 amIt was a very special evening, and I thoroughly enjoyed the gala. They went all out for the event.
Arzo Travels
October 23, 2016 at 8:04 pmI had not even known about that award but that is so cool. Envy you that you were able to attend.
Arzo Travels recently posted…Review: Atlantis Hotel – The Palm Dubai
Carmen Edelson
October 29, 2016 at 7:46 amI found out about the awards about two years ago. They award the best hotels and spas with the oscars of luxury travel.
Jennifer Melroy
October 24, 2016 at 12:45 amThat is really cool. I love how your logo is on the red carpet thingy. Also I love your dress.
Jennifer Melroy recently posted…Journeying to the see the Iceburgs of Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon
Carmen Edelson
October 29, 2016 at 7:47 amMost ladies wear black dresses to these events. I wanted to stand out a little, so I went with red instead. It was very nice to see my logo on the red carpet banner. 🙂
Erika Bisbocci
October 24, 2016 at 1:16 amI’ve never heard of this ceremony before, but it looks really glamorous. The guest list seems to be quite exclusive, so it must have been an incredible experience to attend! You look fabulous in your red dress, by the way 🙂
Erika Bisbocci recently posted…My Visit to the Happiest Place on Earth
Carmen Edelson
October 29, 2016 at 7:52 amThe list of gala attendees was quite impressive. It’s only the most exceptional luxury hotel properties that are awarded the Signum Virtutis, or, the seal of excellence.
Mar Pages
October 24, 2016 at 2:32 am7 stars sounds incredibly luxurious, thought maximum was 5?? Congratulations on being up there, must have been quite an experience and you look very glamorous in that dress!
Mar Pages recently posted…Tree Climbing lions in Uganda
Carmen Edelson
October 29, 2016 at 8:00 amOnly a few hotels in the world are considered a 7 star hotel. The Emirate Palace, Burj Khalifa, and the Burj Al Arab in UAE are just a few of them.
John Morris
October 24, 2016 at 2:35 amInteresting to hear that Oman Air took home an award – with so many luxury air carriers in the Middle East, I’m surprised. Makes me want to try them out even more. Definitely not surprised by Qatar’s lounge winning, though.
Carmen Edelson
October 29, 2016 at 8:07 amThe airline was voted winner for the best airline in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. They won over some of the leading international airlines from around the world.
Kavey
November 5, 2016 at 6:46 amWhat a glittering and glamourous event! Sounds like there were some amazing people there, and being recognised by the awards.
Kavey recently posted…Chocolate by Dom Ramsey | Indulge Your Inner Chocoholic
Carmen Edelson
November 5, 2016 at 1:58 pmYes, the attendees ranged from princes to hotel owners from around the world. It was an amazing evening.
Vicki Louise
November 5, 2016 at 9:41 amWhat an amazing venue for what sounds like the ultimate luxury event. The guest list looked really exclusive – congrats on getting invited!
Vicki Louise recently posted…Two City Weekend Break in Florence & Pisa: Top Things To Do
Carmen Edelson
November 15, 2016 at 5:11 pmThanks Vicki! The guest list is quite impressive and so was the turn out. I’m happy to be part of it.
Holly
November 5, 2016 at 2:24 pmWhat a nice event. Beautiful venue. Amazing that you got this opportunity.
Holly recently posted…Hell’s Kitchen in Downtown Minneapolis
Carmen Edelson
November 15, 2016 at 5:12 pmI can’t wait to see where they will host the event next year. Fingers crossed that it’s somewhere I haven’t been too yet.
Natasha Amar
November 6, 2016 at 4:31 amSuch a glamorous event, and you look simply gorgeous in that photo! I’m surprised about Oman Air though, with tough competition from airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways. I haven’t flown with them in years, I’m curious to try them out sometime soon.
Carmen Edelson
November 9, 2016 at 5:25 pmThank you so much!
Christina
November 6, 2016 at 8:39 amWow, you drank champagne with royalty. What a life, Carmen. Let me know when the next one is on and I’m in!
Christina recently posted…20 reasons why Canada is Lonely Planet’s best country in 2017
Carmen Edelson
November 9, 2016 at 5:24 pmI’m feeling very lucky and honored, it was certainly one for the books.
Marlene Marques
November 6, 2016 at 10:14 amBeautiful ceremony. So full of glamour. There must be such a tough competition in this sector. So, winning an award like this must be super important. Thanks for taking us with your post into an event like this. 🙂
Carmen Edelson
November 9, 2016 at 5:22 pmIt’s very presitigous, the winners truly deserved their awards. Cheers!
Loredana
November 6, 2016 at 3:42 pmI read a while ago about this event – so I’m happy to see now how it unfolded. Congratulations for being the media partner of such a luxurious event. It looks like it was an amazing night – and I’m happy to see the winners mentioned as well:)
Loredana recently posted…A Local’s Guide to Minneapolis–Saint Paul
Carmen Edelson
November 9, 2016 at 5:21 pmIt was an incredible night and very well-organized. Thank you so much, it was a great honor.
Aileen Adalid
November 8, 2016 at 11:25 amWow, it is so amazing that you have been able to attend an event like this. It looks so magnificently lavish! I would absolutely love to attend affairs like this. 😀
Aileen Adalid recently posted…DIY Trip Itinerary: 5 Days in Hong Kong (with Day Trip to Macau)
Carmen Edelson
November 9, 2016 at 5:18 pmIt was such an amazing privilege, I was deepy honored and awed.
Jennifer
November 12, 2016 at 5:48 amYour dress is beautiful, Carmen! What an exciting event to not only attend but be a media partner for.
I haven’t attended a glamorous awards show in about 15 years now, but I love getting dressed up for things like this .
Jennifer recently posted…10 Reasons to Visit Bordeaux Right Now
Carmen Edelson
November 12, 2016 at 1:17 pmI love getting dressed up for events. Especially, this one since I was a part of it. The awards is going on its fifth year, and very year it gets bigger and better. I can’t wait to see where they are going to host it next year.