The Business Traveler North America Award Winners 2024: Destinations
Best Meeting Destination World
London
London / Photo: Shansche/iStock/Getty Images
Brexit hasn’t put a damper on London’s reputation as a business and financial capital of the world. For the second consecutive year, it has been named the World’s Best Meeting Destination. A hotbed of conventions, the city attracts national and international events, both intimate and large-scale. Massive halls such as Excel London and Olympia Events provide millions of feet in square footage, while cozier spots like pubs—The Alfred Tennyson in Belgravia boasts a jewel-toned boardroom with a fireplace—can pull double duty as drinking and dealmaking dens.
Argyll’s unbranded workspaces in Central London offer concierge service in historic buildings such as a Grade II-listed town house in Mayfair and include stylish lounges and rooftop gardens. The city has also seen a number of new hotels in the last two years that have added sleek new meeting spaces to the roster. Options include an airy ballroom at The Peninsula London, a quirky and colorful room at Broadwick Soho, and leather- and wood-clad spaces at the newly refurbished Beaumont that add a mid-century panache to networking and negotiations. For a sense of exclusivity alongside gourmet fare, Mount St. Restaurant, an offering by the gallerists behind Hauser & Wirth, features four individually designed private chambers including The Scottish Room, where a table with hand-carved Jacobite cockades, bespoke tartan chairs, and a portrait of Bonnie Prince Charlie sit under a dramatic antler chandelier.
—Sahar Khan
Best Meeting Destination North America
Miami
Miami / Photo: Nisian Hughes/Stone/Getty Images
A synergistic landscape where people link up, work gets done and socializing is second nature, Miami makes a major splash as the place to meet in North America. The city brings the magic for all types and sizes of modern business gatherings. Recent stats back up the appeal: 13 major new events were booked at the Miami Beach Convention Center by the end of May, representing more than 91,000 total room nights and over $195 million in economic impact. Options abound for places to work, play and stay, including high-rise hotels, beachfront resorts, historic attractions, stunning outdoor environments and superb restaurants. Around every corner is an authentic gem that reflects the spirit of this art-driven, vibrant, multicultural city. Today, Miami sets the stage for how people want to collaborate, connect and create from 9 to 5 and beyond.
—Melinda Sheckells
Best MICE Destination
Las Vegas
Las Vegas / Photo: Stephen Leonardi/Unsplash
Las Vegas’ neon remains a beacon for events of all kinds, welcoming visitors with 15 million square feet of exhibit space—including three of the largest convention centers in the U.S. So it comes as no surprise that the city often crowns the list as the top destination for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions). Showcasing at least 150,000 guest rooms, the city always has something new for meeting attendees. As the Las Vegas Convention Center finishes its $600 million, multiyear expansion—complete with unmanned trams connecting hotels to the impressive new event spaces—a spate of stunning futuristic venues, such as the Sphere and Area15, are also popping up and earning rave reviews.—Lark Gould
Best Mice Event Venue
The Venetian Resort Las Vegas
Las Vegas / Photo: Courtesy of Thomas Hart Shelby
Meanwhile, The Venetian is managing its own $188 million convention space renovation, to be wrapped up in 2026. As meetings and events have been a keystone of the resort’s business, results promise to be as magnificent and game-changing as the Venice-themed property was when it opened 25 years ago. “This city is the most competitive meetings market in the world,” says CEO Patrick Nichols. “So by next year we’ll have new suites, new culinary and new entertainment. The entire package will be best in the business, and combined with our service there’s no better place to be.”
—Lark Gould
