Charleston Ousts New York City From #2 Spot

New York (October 16, 2008) – Condé Nast Traveler announced today that its readers have voted Charleston, South Carolina as the #2 best city to visit in the United States.  Over 32,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers participated in the 2008 Readers’ Choice Survey, and the complete award results will appear in the November issue (on newsstands Oct. 21) and on the magazine’s website at cntraveler.com.
After steadily climbing up the charts on Condé Nast Traveler’s poll over the past few years, Charleston received its highest ranking yet, replacing power city, New York, in this number two position.  Coming out on top was San Francisco (1), followed by Charleston (2), New York City (3), Santa Fe (4) and Chicago (5).
South Carolina is also home this year to the number 2 island in North America – Kiawah.  Kiawah is home to the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, which came it as the number 3 Mainland U.S. Resort. The Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton also ranked in the Top 10 Mainland U.S. Resorts, coming in at Number 8.
“These awards celebrate the destinations, lodgings, and modes of transportation that manage to exceed our expectations,” said Condé Nast Traveler Editor in Chief Klara Glowczewska.  “The Readers’ Choice Awards, with over 32,000 readers voting, are a credit to the worldly expertise of Condé Nast Traveler readers—passionate travelers for whom no island is too remote, no city too challenging, and no hotel too untested.” 

The full list of winners is on cntraveler.com at:
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/500074

Select results from the 2008 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards include:
Top Cities- United States:
1.  San Francisco
2.  Charleston, SC
3.  New York City
4.  Santa Fe
5.  Chicago
6.  Carmel
7.  Honolulu
8.  Savannah
9.  San Diego
10. Sedona

Top Hotels- United States:
1.  The Peninsula, Chicago
2.  Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, Amelia Island
3.  Stephanie Inn, Cannon Beach

Top Islands- North America:
1.  Vancouver Island
2.  Kiawah, SC
3.  Nantucket, MA
Top Resorts- Mainland U.S.:
1.  Kenwood Inn & Spa, Sonoma
2.  Inn at Thorn Hill & Spa, Jackson, NH
3.  Sanctuary at Kiawah Island

Methodology
Every year since 1988, a select sample of Condé Nast Traveler readers have taken the Readers’ Choice Survey.  In 2008, the questionnaire was available to all readers through a secure Web site.  The final tabulations of 32,633 responses were done by Mediamark Research, Inc., of New York City.  Poll categories (Cities, Hotels, etc.), and the criteria for each appear at the bottom of the first page in every category.  Questionnaires contained lists of candidates (individual cities, hotels, etc.), and write-ins were allowed.  Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for an award.  Each candidate was rated, criterion by criterion, on a five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, poor.  Criterion scores, which represent the percentage of respondents rating a candidate excellent or very good, were averaged to determine the final score—e.g., in the category of Islands, Maui’s 89.5 is the average of its scores for Activities, Atmosphere/Ambience, Beaches, Friendliness, Lodging, Restaurants, and Scenery. 

The Readers Choice Awards gala took place on Wednesday, October 15th in New York City at the New York Public Library.  Select photos and video from the event available upon request.

About Condé Nast Traveler
Truth in Travel: Many travel publications accept free travel and accommodations.  Condé Nast Traveler does not, and its correspondents, as far as possible, travel anonymously.  They experience travel the way consumers do, both the good and the bad, and report on it fairly and honestly.  In 2008, Condé Nast Traveler was named one of the top 10 magazines in the U.S. by both Adweek and Advertising Age, one of only three magazines to be named to both lists.  Condé Nast Traveler has an audience of 3.1 million and is published by Condé Nast Publications, Inc.  The magazine’s website is cntraveler.com.