New York-based travel experts Travel + Leisure have announced the winners of their annual Design Awards.

Travel + Leisure are celebrating innovative travel design for the 7^th year in a row. Various companies, products and hotels are being rewarded for taking their ideas to the next level and pushing design boundaries. The winners have managed to combine functionality, strength and practicality to create their triumphant designs, and ultimately demonstrate the impact that good design has on the travel industry.

The winning designers were chosen by a panel of jurors:

David Childs – chairman of architectural firm, Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, and the Municipal Art Society of New York.

Paulette Cole – CEO and Creative Director of ABC Carpet and Home.

Fred Dust – Partner in business development company, IDEO.

Norma Kamali – Fashion Designer.

Danny Meyer – CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group.

Nadja Swarovski – Creative Director of Swarovski Crystal.

Henry Urbach – Curator of Architecture and Design at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Travel + Leisure’s Consulting Design Editor, Chee Pearlman was the jury moderator.

The winners list represents the best examples of design, and range from hotels and transportation to luggage and travel fashion. The winners will be honoured at the New World Center in Miami on 23^rd February. Highlights of the winning companies, products and hotels include:

The Best Small Hotel was awarded to the Pantone Hotel in Brussels. Its 59 rooms and suites are considered to be works of art with their white walls and bedding, providing the perfect canvas for the vibrant Pantone colours that decorate each room. Not only has the hotel got 7 different colour palettes to choose from, but it also features photographic art installations by Belgian photographer, Victor Levy.

The Nissan LEAF won the Best Car award for its eco-friendly, electric car. Standing for Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car; the LEAF is a 5 door, mid-size hatchback that was introduced in Japan and the US in December 2010. Unlike standard vehicles, the LEAF doesn’t give off exhaust pollution or greenhouse gas emissions. It also has an energy consumption of 34 kWh per 100 miles. It has been a popular choice with the critics since its release, also winning the 2010 Green Car Vision Award and the 2011 European Car of the Year.

The Best Technology award was given to the Apple iPad, one of the most coveted gadgets of the past year. This tablet computer developed by Apple Inc was first announced on 27^th January 2010 and has continued to grow in popularity ever since. It works on the same touch-screen functionality to the iPhone and the iPod touch, but it features a 9.7 inch LED backlit multi-touch display. It has a 1024×768 pixel resolution, Bluetooth and a 30 pin dock connector that can sync with iTunes and other connect-wired accessories. It can also connect to the internet using Wi Fi, 3G and GPRS, and is available in 3 different memory capacities.

To see the full list of the winners, visit: travelandleisure.com

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