enRoute


	ENROUTE TV ENROUTE FM MEDIA KIT AIR CANADA LINKS WRITERS' GUIDELINES

THE BEST OF THE BEST
Announcing the winners in the second annual enRoute Awards, honouring the best travel guides for business travellers.

IT'S EASY ENOUGH TO SPOT DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAVELLERS AT THE AIRPORT. There's the backpack bunch ready for no-frills exploration, the overpacked vacationers who cram a lifetime's worth of sightseeing into a week, the relatives visiting kin in faraway cities and, finally, perhaps the most recognizable: business travellers, generally well-groomed and weighed down with briefcases, laptops and garment bags.

And business travellers are burdened with a distinct set of needs. With limited free time at their disposal, they don't have time to pore over mountains of information to find what they want, be it a four-star restaurant or a sweaty gym. Which is why we established the enRoute Awards in 2000 to honour the best travel guides for the business set. We received more entries this year signalling growth in the business guidebook industry.

The panel of judges included Andrew Gorham, travel editor at The Globe and Mail; Andrée Lebel, travel editor at La Presse; Josephine Danielson, Wallpaper's "Concierge of the Year" at the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City; and Nigel Smith, director of Hahn Smith Design, Toronto, who oversaw the design category.

And the winners are...

BEST HOTEL GUIDE
Winner: Best Places/Sasquatch Books (series)
You arrive at your hotel ready to tackle the last-minute details of the presentation you have to give in less than 12 hours, only to find that your room doesn't have a data port. Wonderful. Should have consulted your guidebook first to find out about the hotel's amenities.
The winner in the hotel category, Best Places from Sasquatch Books, is part of a small series of guides focusing mainly on the western part of North America. Despite its limited coverage, judge Andrew Gorham noted the series "is developing a very good reputation." Deservedly so, thanks to straightforward writing, exhaustive listings and the use of knowledgeable local writers. Here's hoping that Best Places expands its range soon.

BEST RESTAURANT GUIDE
Winner: Le Guide Rouge/Michelin (series)
When you desperately crave a decadent morsel, sushi or melt-in-your-mouth foie gras in a foreign city, where do you go? With a good guide, gastronomical heaven is within reach.
With an abundance of succinct yet informative listings, the judges picked Le Guide Rouge from Michelin as the winning entry. Josephine Danielson could barely contain her enthusiasm when she called the guide "a classic!" and "a staple for any gourmet traveler." Andrew Gorham added that with this guide in hand, "you become an instant authority on the foodie scene."

BEST DESIGNED GUIDE
Winner: Knopf City Map Guides (series)
There's nothing more annoying than searching for information in a guide and not finding it. Maybe it was left out, but more often than not, you're a victim of bad design. So when high-quality layouts meet well-researched information, you know you've got a good guidebook (and a lot fewer headaches).
Knopf City Map Guides topped the design category. Nigel Smith didn't even need to "look further than the spine to see the attention to detail." From the typography to the typesetting, this small, rugged guide received rave reviews. Smith even road-tested it on a recent trip to London and was very impressed with the innovative foldout maps. "And they're so fun!" added Andrew Gorham.

BEST LANGUAGE GUIDE
Winner: Phrasebook/Dorling Kindersley (series)
Though you may know how to greet foreigners with a primitive "Comment allez-vous?" asking for directions to that important meeting may not be as simple. Time to reach for your language guidebook.
In this category, the judges picked Dorling Kindersley's Phrasebook as the winner. Andrée Lebel called the series "indispensable." Small and compact enough to hold in the palm of your hand, each book is accurate and reliable. On the design front, Nigel Smith added that he would like to see stronger divisions and maybe a few icons to make the guide easier to use.

BEST OVERALL GUIDE
Winner: Travel Guides/Dorling Kindersley (Series)
Since it didn't even appear among the top contenders in last year's competition, the judges were charmed by the Guides Voir / Dorling Kindersley's rise to the top in the overall category. Snappy quick hits on what to see and do prompted Andrée Lebel's comment that this popular series "makes you want to explore." Nigel Smith went one step further and called the guide "nearly flawless" thanks to its variety, print quality and density of information. It's no wonder that the guide also placed second in the design category.
The runner-up for best overall guide was the Louis Vuitton City Guide 2001. The compact boxed set covers all the major European cities. Andrew Gorham liked the classic feel to the design and, more importantly, trusted the information as accurate. But the complete lack of photos and small type earned the guides low marks from Josephine Danielson and Nigel Smith.

Runners-up
Best Hotel Guide: Le Guide Rouge/Michelin (series)
Best Restaurant Guide: World Food, Lonely Planet (series)
Best Designed Guide: Guides Voir/Dorling Kindersley (series)
Best Language Guide: ...for Travellers, Fodor's (series)
Overall: Louis Vuitton City Guide 2001 (boxed set)