WORLD TRAVEL AWARD CHOOSES PROTEA HOTELS AS BEST! - 14 November 2005

Protea Hotels has been awarded the prestigious "Africa's Leading Hotel Brand" at this year's World Travel Award 12th annual ceremony held in London on 13th November. The voting campaign reached a total of 176,000 travel professionals worldwide, including 110,000 travel agents from over 200 countries around the world. "The magnitude of the award is astounding. We feel so incredibly honoured to have been nominated by the world's travel trade," said Otto Stehlik, Executive Chairman of Protea Hospitality Corporation.

The World Travel Awards were established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate the enormous achievements to be found in all sectors of the global travel industry. In the years since, new technology has ensured that travel has maintained its position as one of the fastest-growing industries. Also during that time, dedicated travel professionals and their clients have come to regard the World Travel Awards as the best endorsement that any travel product could receive. This is a true endorsement of a company's achievements and services by fellow travel professionals who are critical in their judgment. It is also a powerful means of communicating a message of excellence to both existing and potential customers.

Candidates for nomination are based upon the previous year's voting, culminating in an annual award ceremony, attended by international media. The ceremony was held at the Royal Opera House this year, with trophies awarded in all areas of the industry. Regional geographical categories are broken down from the Whole World category into eight smaller areas and then further divided into all areas of the travel industry.