"For the future, it (the awards) must ensure that the selection of hotels and venues is impartial and reflective of the market," says Ulf Bremer, general manager of Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai. "An element to focus on guest services and delivery of quality must be as important as to the focus on interior design."
Winners said they were honored to receive their awards, and will now strive to achieve even higher standards. Jenny Soo, executive assistant manager of Andaz Shanghai, one of the winners of the Best New Shanghai Hotel Award, says Andaz will continue with its winning formula.
"Good hotel service is not complicated," Soo tells Shanghai Daily. "It means personal service and, in Andaz's case, it also means offering a vibrant environment."
At the ceremony, winners expressed their opinions on creating an "ideal city," offering suggestions on how Shanghai could achieve this goal.
"An ideal city is a metropolis that meets the different needs of today's citizens from multiple angles and levels such as culture, heritage, efficiency, safety and services," said Foued EL Mabrouk, general manager of Grand Hyatt Shanghai, one of the winners of Best Shanghai Hotel.
Bradley Turley, chef and owner of GOGA, the Special Jury Award winner, says Shanghai needs to improve its sense of community.
"It's not that foreign people should have a community or Chinese people should have one," says Turley, "but we should blend together, gathering more talent together. I think Shanghai can do this to create harmony."
However, for Antoine Pernet, general manager of Bar Rouge, one of the winners of Best Bar and Club Award, the city is pretty much ideal as it is.
"Shanghai is already an ideal city because of its energy and enthusiasm," he says. "It's a wonderful place for people to live and play."
Zhu Bing, vice president of city'super Shanghai, a Best Supermarket Award winner, says an ideal city needs to have a well-developed food and dining culture.
"From my industry's angle, an ideal city should deliver food safety combined with a rich dining culture," says Zhu. "I hope the Shanghai government will work on promoting dining and raising food safety standards."
Panel members say such awards were very useful for consumers and industry alike. "Awards serve a very valuable purpose," says Isacs. "We all want better and better services and we need to reward excellence. Awards reward people who provide the best services and tell consumers what is the best in Shanghai."
Members of the jury also reveal their criteria for an ideal venue.
Detective-Conan-themed Lawson convenience store opens in Shanghai
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