Here are just a few of San Antonio’s accolades and rankings of note: 

San Antonio ranked 13th in the nation on a Top 50 Meeting Destination list by CVent, a meeting and event management technology company.  August, 2012  

Livability.com names San Antonio as one of the nation's top cities for an affordable vacation, noting the city's many free attractions and great events,. May, 2012

Travelocity names Fiesta San Antonio as one of North America's top 10, can't miss festivals. May 2012

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa named Marriott International's 2012 Hotel of the Year

Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Awards for 2011

Grand Hyatt San Antonio

Hotel Contessa

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa

ConventionSouth Readers’ Choice Awards for 2011

Westin La Cantera Resort

Grand Hyatt San Antonio

Hyatt Regency San Antonio

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

Conde Nast Traveler Gold List 2012

Mokara Hotel & Spa

Omni La Mansion Del Rio

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

Hotel Contessa

Travel + Leisure List of the World’s Top 500 Hotels, 2011

Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa

Omni La Mansion Del Rio

Westin La Cantera Resort

Travel + Leisure has ranked San Antonio 12th on its List of America’s Best Cities for Winter Travel. December, 2011

The Milken Institute has ranked San Antonio as the Nation's Best-Performing City. December, 2011.

The New York Times has featured San Antonio on a list of 14 Easy Weekend Getaways. March, 2011.

A new Priceline.com survey shows that San Antonio's hotels rank among only two other cities in offering the most freebies through the travel website. March, 2011. 

Frommer's has named Market Square one of America's Best Public Markets. February, 2011.

The Daily Beast has ranked San Antonio as the number one Best City for Love. February, 2011. 

Southern Living has named Hotel Havana the Best New Boutique Hotel. January, 2011.

Forbes.com has identified San Antonio as one of the Top 10 Shopping Cities in America. December, 2010.

DallasChild’s readers have selected San Antonio as the Best Texas Family Getaway for the second year in a row. December, 2010.

Bon Appetit identified Il Sogno Osteria as one of the Top 10 Best Places for Pasta. November, 2010.

Forbes Travel Guide has presented Mokara Hotel & Spa with a 2011 Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Award, the seventh consecutive year that the hotel, formerly the Watermark, has received this honor. Additionally, Mokara received its second consecutive Four-Star Award in the category of spas. November, 2010.

The American Planning Association has designated Main Plaza one of 10 Great Public Spaces in the United States. October, 2010.

Association Meetings has awarded both the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa and the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau with 2010 Inner Circle Awards, in the categories of Hotel and Convention and Visitors Bureau, respectively. Each is among a select group of North American hotels and CVBs to receive the honor. September, 2010.

Travel + Leisure has named San Antonio one of America’s favorite cities for the fourth year in a row. September, 2010.

History Channel Magazine has ranked The Alamo among the 10 Must Visit U.S. Historic Sites. March/April, 2010.

Shermans Travel names San Antonio as one of their top quick fall getaways. October, 2010. 

Yellowpages.com names River Walk the top free attraction in the Southwest. September, 2010.

TripAdvisor Names San Antonio Travelers’ Choice Destination - Winners were based on reviews and opinions from travelers on TripAdvisor.com™. March, 2010.

Travel + Leisure notes San Antonio as one of America's most romantic cities. February, 2010.

Corporate Meetings & Incentives awarded San Antonio’s Hyatt Hill Country Resort and Spa, Marriott Riverwalk and Omni Colonnade with the 2010 Paragon award for excellence in handling meeting and incentive programs. July, 2010.

Association Meetings Inner Circle Award - The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center along with the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau were among only 15 convention centers and convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs) to receive the prestigious Inner Circle Award from Association Meetings. August, 2010.

Expedia Insider’s Select List 2010 – listing highlighted ten San Antonio properties among “The best hotels for any destination—and any budget.”
Hotel Contessa
Watermark Hotel and Spa
Drury Plaza Riverwalk
Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
La Quinta Inn & Suites San Antonio Medical Center
Aloft San Antonio
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
Omni La Mansion Hotel
Westin Riverwalk

Celebrated Living, American Airlines’ in-air publication, included two San Antonio hotels in their Reader’s Choice Platinum List. The Omni La Mansion del Rio came in ninth among the “Top 20 Mainland U.S. Hotels” and the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa was sixth in a list of “Top 10 Family Resorts.” June, 2010.

RelocateAmerica.com named San Antonio one of the “Top 100 Places to Live for 2010.” June, 2010.

TripAdvisor named San Antonio one of the nation’s top 10 family destinations for 2010. May, 2010

U.S. News and World Report’s new travel website section highlighted San Antonio as a top travel destination with several top rankings: number two for best family vacation destination in U.S., 16th most affordable travel hotspot and 18th best destination in the U.S. Summer, 2010.

Destination Marketing Association International noted San Antonio as one of seven destination-marketing organizations that achieved accreditation from the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program (DMAP). Developed by Destination Marketing Association International, this industry-wide accreditation program noted that San Antonio met or exceeded industry standards.

Adrian Award - The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau (SACVB) has been awarded a 2009 Gold Adrian Award for outstanding feature TV placement in public relations for “Today Show Takes a Vacation.” The SACVB was previously honored with two, 2008 Silver Adrian Awards for the brand launch of “San Antonio. Deep. In the Heart.”

AAA Four Diamond Awards 2010 - Twenty-six San Antonio hotels and restaurants have been awarded AAA’s Four Diamond Award for excellence. This attests to the city’s numerous options for discerning travelers.

AAA Four Diamond Award Winners 2009
(AAA evaluates hotels based on exterior grounds, public areas, room décor and ambience, guest room amenities, bathrooms, housekeeping, management and guest services.)

Crowne Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk
Emily Morgan Hotel
Grand Hyatt San Antonio
Hilton Palacio del Rio
Hotel Contessa
Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
Hyatt Regency San Antonio
Marriott Plaza San Antonio
Noble Inns-The Jackson House
Noble Inns-The Oge House Riverwalk
Omni La Mansión del Rio
Omni San Antonio Hotel
San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter
San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
Sheraton Gunter
The Westin La Cantera Resort
The Westin Riverwalk
Watermark Hotel & Spa

Meetings and Conventions magazine awarded the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau with the prestigious 2009 Gold Service Award. The Gold Service Award recognizes convention and visitors bureaus that have excelled in serving meeting professionals. 2009 marks the 25th consecutive year that the SACVB has received the Gold Service Award, exemplifying unwavering consistency in providing an exceptional convention experience. 2009.

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2010
Omni La Mansion Del Rio
Watermark Hotel & Spa

Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2010
Omni La Mansion Del Rio
Watermark Hotel & Spa

About.com: Gay & Lesbian Travel named San Antonio as one of America's Best Bargain Towns & Cities. January, 2010.

Brookings Institution ranked San Antonio nation's best-performing city in recession. July, 2009.

Group Travel Leader named Fiesta as top U.S. event for groups in 2010. October, 2009.

BusinessWeek ranked San Antonio the strongest U.S. metropolitan economy based on job growth, employment, economic growth and home prices. October, 2009.

Successful Meetings magazine has awarded the San Antonio CVB with the 2009 Pinnacle Award. This marks the 19th year the CVB earned the Pinnacle Award by going above and beyond to impress meeting, convention and incentive planners with unwavering commitment to hospitality. August, 2009.

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2009
Emily Morgan Hotel
Hotel Contessa
Watermark Hotel & Spa

Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2009
Omni La Mansion Del Rio
Watermark Hotel & Spa
 

Travel + Leisure magazine has named San Antonio as one of America’s favorite cities for the third year in a row. September, 2009. Online.

American Bus Association names Fiesta San Antonio “Top Event” in the U.S. for 2010. September, 2009.

Facilities & Destinations named San Antonio as a 2009 Top Destination Award Winner. July, 2009.

shopacrosstexas.com named San Antonio’s The Violet Hour, Anniegogglyn and Lee Lee Shoes among the best stores in Texas. July, 2009.

Brookings Institution ranked San Antonio nation's best-performing city in recession. July, 2009.

American Style magazine names San Antonio among nation's top 25 arts destinations. April, 2009.

ForbesTraveler.com names San Antonio one of nation's top 10 golf cities. March, 2009. Online.

Southern Living Readers’ Choice Award, San Antonio among top ten southern cities. January, 2009. Online.

Travel + Leisure magazine's List of the World's Top 500 Hotels, 2009
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

Association Meetings awarded San Antonio The Inner Circle Award. 2008

AutoVantage, a leading car membership club, named San Antonio as one of the “Top 20 Destinations for Motorists.” 2008.

Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for Top 100 U.S. Hotels
Hotel Contessa
Watermark Hotel & Spa
Emily Morgan Hotel

Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards for Top 100 Hotels in the World
Hotel Contessa
Watermark Hotel & Spa

Expedia: named San Antonio as the nation's third fastest-growing leisure destination according to a new report released by Expedia Travel Trendwatch. 2008.

Travel + Leisure magazine has named San Antonio as one of America’s favorite cities for the second year in a row. San Antonio maintained its ranking as the most affordable of America’s cities and was also noted as the number two city for ethnic food and cheap eats and as the number five for family vacations. September, 2008. Online.

National Geographic Adventure magazine named San Antonio as one of the nation’s “next great adventure towns,” noting the upcoming River Walk extension which will add 460 acres of parkland, Government Canyon State Natural Area and the city's diversity of attractions. September, 2008.

Meetings and Conventions magazine awarded the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau with the prestigious 2008 Gold Service Award. The Gold Service Award recognizes convention and visitors bureaus that have excelled in serving meeting professionals. 2008 marks the 24th consecutive year that the SACVB has received the Gold Service Award, exemplifying unwavering consistency in providing an exceptional convention experience. August, 2008.

Successful Meetings magazine has awarded San Antonio with the 2008 Pinnacle Award. This marks the 18th year the CVB earned the Pinnacle Award by going above and beyond to impress meeting, convention and incentive planners with unwavering commitment to hospitality. June, 2008.

American Style Magazine named San Antonio one of America’s “Top 25 Arts Destinations” in the big city category. June, 2008.

American Heritage magazine’s readers' poll ranked the Alamo among America’s top 25 heritage sites. June, 2008.

NBC's Today Show ranked San Antonio as one of the five friendliest cities in the U.S. The city was judged on safety, diversity, the amount of parks and public spaces, civic celebrations (can you say fiesta?) and personal stories of friendliness. Various statistics were also taken into consideration, such as does the city offer a large enough hotel inventory to welcome visitors (over 36,000 hotel rooms); how many tourists does the city attract (26 million each year) and the median cost of a single-family home ($150,000). May, 2008.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the San Antonio International Airport as one of the nation's top in customer service. Outstanding performance was noted in airport accessibility, check-in and baggage check. May, 2008.

Golf Magazine ranked San Antonio as the 13th best golf destination in the U.S. February, 2008

Meetings South Best of the South Award, 2008
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa
• La Mansion Del Rio
• The Westin Riverwalk

Expedia Insiders Select, 2008
• Watermark Hotel & Spa
• Hotel Contessa
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa
• Hyatt Regency San Antonio
• Hilton Palacio Del Rio
• Hotel Valencia Riverwalk

Successful Meetings Pinnacle Award 2008
• Hyatt Regency Hill country Resprt & Spa
• Hyatt Regency San Antonio

Travel + Leisure magazine's List of the World's Top 500 Hotels, 2008
• Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
• Omni La Mansión del Rio
• Watermark Hotel & Spa

Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2008
• Watermark Hotel & Spa
• Westin Riverwalk

Condé Nast Traveler Golf Poll 2008 Top 100 Golf Resorts
• Westin La Cantera Resort

AAA Four Diamond Award Winners 2008
(AAA evaluates hotels based on exterior grounds, public areas, room décor and ambiance, guest room amenities, bathrooms, housekeeping, management and guest services.)
• Crowne Plaza San Antonio Riverwalk
• Emily Morgan Hotel
• Hilton Palacio del Rio
• Hotel Contessa
• Hotel Valencia Riverwalk
• Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa
• Hyatt Regency San Antonio
• Marriott Plaza San Antonio
• Noble Inns - The Jackson House
• Omni La Mansion del Rio
• Omni San Antonio Hotel
• San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter
• San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk
• Sheraton Gunter
• The Columns on Alamo Bed and Breakfast
• The St. Anthony Hotel
• The Westin La Cantera Resort
• Westin Riverwalk Hotel
• Watermark Hotel & Spa

USA Today named San Antonio as one of five top destinations for off-peak travel. 2008.

Priceline Inc. named San Antonio as one of the nation's top 4th of July destinations. June, 2008.

Priceline Inc. found San Antonio was No. 8 in the list of top 50 most popular destinations for Memorial Day travel. 2008.

Relocate-America named San Antonio as one of the top ten best places to live in America. 2008.

Forbes magazine named San Antonio as the No. 2 most recession-proof city in America. 2008.

The Orbitz Insider Index found San Antonio to rank No.5 in their top 10 list of destinations for Spring break alternatives. 2008.

The Orbitz Insider Index named the Texas Hill Country as the second fastest growing destination for wine and culinary enthusiasts. 2007.

Travel + Leisure named San Antonio as one of America’s favorite cities. Among those featured, San Antonio was considered the most affordable by residents and visitors. The city’s overall ranking was 11th out of the top 25, as San Antonio also fared well in the categories of distinguished architecture, historic sites, safety, weather, dining, shopping and cultural diversity. October, 2007. Online.

Association Meetings recognized the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau with the 2007 Inner Circle Award for meeting service excellence.

TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community named San Antonio’s Six Flags Fiesta Texas as one of the 10 best amusement parks outside of Orlando. According to TripAdvisor, Six Flags Fiesta Texas is a standout theme park because they have something for every kind of visitor. August, 2007.

D.K. Shifflet & Associates Ltd. identified San Antonio as one of the top ten destinations for family summer vacations. This is based on the number of “person days” family vacation visitors spend in each city. “Person days” are calculated by multiplying the number of people in the travel party by the number of days spent in the destination. August, 2007.

Parents Magazine says that being able to “introduce your kids to the Mexican culture—without having to convert pennies into pesos,” is one of the top ten reasons to visit San Antonio. June, 2007.

Meetings & Conventions Gold Tee Award, 2007
Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa

ConventionSouth Magazine presented the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center with its prestigious annual readers’ choice award. December, 2006.

Expansion Management named San Antonio one of America’s hottest cities for company executives looking to relocate or expand their businesses within the next three years. San Antonio ranked fifth of the top 50 metropolitan markets in which to expand or relocate. February, 2006.

Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2006
Top 100 Hotels in Continental U.S. and Canada
• Watermark Hotel & Spa

Meetings & Conventions Gold Tee Award, 2007
• Westin La Cantera Resort, 2006

For a complimentary San Antonio Travel & Leisure Guide, contact the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-ALAMO-07 or www.visitsanantonio.com.

 

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The San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau, a department of the City of San Antonio, is funded through the hotel/motel occupancy tax. The bureau is a marketing, sales and service organization dedicated to the promotion of San Antonio as a meetings and visitor destination for the purpose of positively affecting the city's economy.