The hospitality award nomination process can feel opaque from the outside — you complete a form, and then what? This guide walks through every stage of the journey used across Hospitality Awards' four programmes, from the moment you first consider entering through to the night winners are announced on stage in Dubai. Understanding each step in advance helps you submit a stronger nomination and sets realistic expectations for timing.
Whether you're entering the International Travel Awards, International Spa Awards, International Restaurant Awards or World GM Awards, the underlying process is identical — only the category options differ.
Step 1: Choose Your Programme
Start on our Our Awards hub and decide which of the four programmes best fits your organisation or role. Hotels and travel-related businesses fall under International Travel Awards, spas and wellness businesses under International Spa Awards, restaurants and chefs under International Restaurant Awards, and individual leaders under World GM Awards.
Step 2: Select Your Category
Review the full list on our Award Categories page and choose the category that most precisely matches your business type and scale. This step matters more than most nominators expect — being judged in the right category, against genuinely comparable peers, materially affects your final score.
Step 3: Choose a Nomination Package
Compare the available packages on our Fee & Cost page. Packages range from a single-category Silver entry at USD 299 up to a multi-programme Titanium entry at USD 1,750. Package tier determines how many categories and programmes you can enter and what visibility benefits you receive — it never affects your odds of winning.
Step 4: Complete the Nomination Form
Submit your organisation's details, category selection, supporting photography and a written case for why your business or leadership deserves recognition. The form typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes to complete thoroughly. Take time here — a specific, evidence-led submission consistently outperforms a rushed, generic one at the judging stage.
Step 5: Verification
Once submitted, the organising team reviews your nomination for eligibility and completeness, and may reach out by email if any information is missing or unclear. This stage typically takes a few business days and is separate from the jury's scoring — verification simply confirms your entry is ready to be judged.
Step 6: Independent Jury Review
Your nomination is then scored by an independent jury against six published criteria: Service Excellence (25%), Quality & Consistency (20%), Innovation (15%), Sustainability (15%), Brand & Impact (15%) and Value & Integrity (10%). Full methodology is on our Judging Process page. This stage is confidential — nominees are not shown other entries or scores.
Step 7: Results and Gala
Winners are notified privately ahead of the public announcement, then celebrated at the annual black-tie gala in Dubai on 14 November 2027, 5:00 PM – 11:00 PM, at the Westin Marina Hotel. Confirmed winners may then order an optional Winner Package covering trophies, certificates, gala passes and marketing rights.
Typical Timeline
From submission to winner announcement typically spans six to ten weeks, depending on when in the annual cycle you enter — nominations submitted earlier in the window generally see faster turnaround, since the jury reviews entries on a rolling basis rather than all at once at the closing date.
Tips for a Smooth Nomination
- Gather your evidence first. Assemble photography, guest data and specific achievements before starting the form, rather than mid-submission.
- Double-check your category. The wrong category is the single most common avoidable mistake.
- Respond quickly to verification queries. Delayed responses can push your entry into a later judging round.
- Keep language specific. Quantified, checkable claims score better than broad marketing language.
Self-Nomination vs. Third-Party Nomination
Both routes are equally valid and judged identically once submitted. A self-nomination — typically completed by a general manager, marketing director or owner — has the advantage of direct access to internal data like occupancy figures, guest satisfaction scores and specific service initiatives, which strengthens the evidence base of the submission. A third-party nomination, often submitted by a PR agency, industry peer, journalist or even a guest, signals external recognition that a business might be too close to see in itself. Neither carries more weight with judges by default; what matters is the quality and specificity of the case made, not who happens to submit the form. Many organisations find the strongest results come from a hybrid approach — a third party initiates the nomination, and the business itself then supplies the detailed supporting evidence needed to complete it well. If you're nominating another organisation on their behalf, it's worth notifying them once the nomination is submitted — they'll usually need to be involved during verification to confirm details and, if selected, to receive winner communications directly.
What Documentation You'll Likely Need
While requirements vary slightly by category, most nominations benefit from having the following ready before you start: recent high-resolution photography (exterior, interior and signature guest experience shots); any independently verifiable guest satisfaction data, such as review platform scores or survey results; a short written summary of what makes the business or individual distinctive, ideally with specific, checkable examples rather than general claims; details of any sustainability or community initiatives, even modest ones; and, where relevant, information about recent innovations, renovations or service changes. None of this needs to be professionally produced — clarity and honesty matter far more than production value.
Who to Involve Internally
For organisations nominating themselves, the strongest submissions typically draw on more than one internal perspective. Operations or guest-experience leads can supply the service-quality evidence judges weight most heavily, while marketing teams often hold the photography and brand-positioning material that rounds out a submission. For multi-property groups, involving the specific general manager or department head closest to the nominated property or team, rather than centralising the entire submission at head-office level, tends to produce a more specific and therefore more competitive entry.
What Happens If You're Not Selected
Not every strong nomination wins in its first year, and that outcome doesn't reflect a flaw in the process — categories are competitive, and judges can only recognise a limited number of winners per cycle. Many organisations enter again in a subsequent year with a strengthened submission, informed by a clearer understanding of how the criteria are weighted. There is no penalty or reduced standing for re-entering, and previous entries have no bearing on how a new nomination is judged.
How the Process Differs Across the Four Programmes
While the seven-step structure above is identical across all four Hospitality Awards programmes, the specific evidence judges expect naturally varies by sector, and understanding this before you start drafting your submission can save a full round of revisions. International Travel Awards nominations tend to emphasise occupancy, guest satisfaction and destination-level differentiation. International Spa Awards submissions typically highlight treatment quality, therapist training and wellness outcomes. International Restaurant Awards entries focus on culinary concept, consistency and dining experience. World GM Awards nominations, being about individual leaders rather than properties, weigh team development, operational results and cultural impact most heavily. Reviewing your relevant programme page before starting the form helps you gather the right evidence from the outset.
After You Win: What Comes Next
Confirmed winners receive private notification ahead of the public announcement, along with guidance on the optional Winner Package process. This is entirely separate from the nomination fee already paid — Winner Packages, ranging from a Digital tier at USD 820 up to a Royal tier at USD 3,860, cover physical trophies, gala passes, media features and marketing rights, and are ordered only after a result is confirmed. Full details are on our Fee & Cost page under Winner Package Price. Winners typically have several weeks between notification and the gala itself to arrange travel, order materials and prepare any internal or press announcements.
Making the Process Work for Your Team
The nomination process described above is deliberately straightforward, but the businesses that get the most out of it treat it as a small internal project rather than a last-minute form-fill. Assigning clear ownership — even if it's a single marketing coordinator pulling together data from operations, finance and guest services — tends to produce a noticeably stronger submission than a rushed, single-person effort completed the day before a deadline. Building a simple internal checklist against the documentation list above, and revisiting it each year even for repeat entries, keeps the process efficient as your organisation's award history grows.