Best Domestic Airline
Delta's Simplifares
Introduced in January 2005, Delta's Simplifares program streamlined the airline's fare structure—so much so, you could explain it to your grandmother. In a nutshell: The airline eliminated the annoying Saturday-night stay requirement; reduced the number of fare types; capped one-way walk-up fares in both coach and business (to $499 and $599, respectively—Delta increased both by $100 in mid-July due to higher fuel costs); and lowered the fee for changing tickets from $100 to $50.

Other category finalists
Southwest, for continued innovation in driving down airfares across the board; United, for being the first U.S. carrier to get federal approval for in-flight Internet access; and US Airways, for defying the experts by continuing to fly and finding a merger partner in America West.

Best International Airline
Singapore Airlines
This airline showed its commitment to long-haul service with the introduction last year of direct service from New York (actually, Newark Liberty International) to Singapore. The first flight in June 2004 broke the world record for the longest commercial flight—18 hours—in the ultra-long-haul A-340-500. The previous record was also held by Singapore Airlines, for its nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Singapore. Both routes save up to four hours flying time per flight.

Other category finalists
Emirates, the Dubai-based new entrant in the U.S. market, which got heaps of praise for its service; Royal Jordanian, which is winning accolades for expanding both short- and long-haul service in the Middle East; and Air Asia, widely credited for the explosion of discount carriers in Asia.

Best Airport
San Francisco International
SFO's stunning $2.5 billion renovation, completed in spring 2004, includes a 2.5-million-square-foot International Terminal; an AirTrain "people mover" that connects all terminals to parking garages and car rental lots; a BART station, connecting the airport to the city's subway system; and, last but not least, the world's first fully accredited museum in an airport. (You may still be able to catch "Air Hostess: Career History of the Flight Attendant" in the International Terminal Aviation Museum's Gallery Five before the exhibit closes in September.)

Other category finalists
Las Vegas McCarran Airport was also in the running, for being the first to have free WiFi throughout the airport; and Dallas-Fort Worth's new Terminal D, which opened this past July, also garnered votes.

Best Hotel Chain
Starwood's Expansion Plans
Starwood, the upscale chain that includes the W, Sheraton and Westin hotels, has an exciting new strategy up its sleeve: a low-cost hotel brand, XYZ, for lower-price-point cities like Tampa, Palo Alto, Minneapolis and Cambridge. The idea is to bring variations of the W's cool factor to outlying locales at affordable rates. An XYZ hotel will likely have a Common, a gathering place with fire and water elements; and a sunken conversation area known as a Pit Stop. XYZ hotels will also be totally wireless-enabled. David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group (Nobu, W Hotel Union Square) is project designer. Look for XYZ hotels to debut in 2007. Starwood plans to open 500 by 2015. If XYZ takes off, it could be the Howard Johnson's of the 21st century.

Another category finalist
Kimpton Hotels' new Palomar sub-brand.

Best Hotel Property
Wynn Las Vegas
Steve Wynn is the hands-down king of Las Vegas hotel self-expression, a conceptual visionary who outdoes himself with every project. His latest, the 42-story, bronze-and-black mega-resort on the Strip, is an exercise in overreach: The project cost a reported $2.7 billion. The 192-acre resort boasts 2,700 guestrooms, a 2,000-seat domed showroom, a 110,000-square-foot casino, a 150-foot mountain, a five-story waterfall and a championship golf course. A fabled art collector, Wynn displays works by Picasso, Cezanne and Van Gogh throughout the hotel. Visitors rave about the swivel LCD TVs, the restaurants, the views. Viva Las Vegas!

Other category finalists
The St. Regis in New York, for its recent renovation; Hotel Triton in San Francisco, for its eco-chic and eco-friendliness; The Setai in Miami, for combining a hip and graceful style with top-notch service; and The Plaza in New York City, for leaving more hotel rooms than originally proposed in its condo conversion.

Best Resort
One & Only Palmilla Resort
The Palmilla Resort has been earning accolades for decades, as well as an A-list following that includes the likes of Hemingway, Crosby and Harlowe. When Kersner International's One & Only Resorts group acquired the Palmilla several years ago, they gave the hacienda-style property overlooking the Sea of Cortez an $80 million makeover. Unveiled last year, the renovation includes the new restaurant C, run by celebrity chef Charlie Trotter, a 17,000-square-foot spa, villas and new meeting facilities. Visitors rave about the service.

Other category finalists
The Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona; The Lodge on Little St. Simon Island, Georgia; and Sandy Lane in Barbados.

Best Luggage
Victorinox Werks Traveler 2.0 22"
Deluxe Expandable Wheeled Travel Bag
Weighing in at less than 10 pounds, this compact suitcase is as sturdy as it is lightweight, thanks to a plastic honeycomb frame and Teflon-coated weave nylon material. Check out these nifty features: The handle, made of soft Geluxe, can be adjusted by swiveling and locking it into an ergonomic position, and the wheels are inline skate wheels with stainless steel ball bearings and axles. The bag comes with packing cubes and a tri-fold garment sleeve, so you can maximize space and minimize wrinkles. The 14" by 22" by 10" suitcase (dimensions include the wheels) expands another 2.5" for heavier packing.

Other category finalists
The Samsonite Silhouette Spinner, the MVision Expandable Briefcase and the Heys XCASE 20" Lightweight Carry-On.

Best Watch
Rolex Prince
With a nod to the past, Rolex has now issued a remake of its rectangular Prince watch, first produced in 1928. Vintage Prince watches are sometimes seen at jewelers and online retailers, including eBay. But according to one industry insider, the new Prince has its own cachet: "It will be a collectors item and very hard to get."

Other category finalists
Harry Winston Opus 5, Glasshutte Original, Carl F. Bucherer Travel Tech GMT and Audimars Piguet Millenary Maserati.

Best Laptop
Sony Vaio T350
Weighing in at 3.04 pounds, with up to 8.5 hours of battery life, Sony Vaio's ultra-portable machine has turned heads for another reason: It comes from the first major brand to include built-in WAN technology. The company also teamed up with Cingular Wireless, so users can tap into Cingular's EDGE network for packet-based data transfer, a wider-reaching alternative to Bluetooth and 802.11b/g WiFi. And if all those features weren't reason enough to snap one up, this notebook also comes in three cool colors.

Other category finalists
IBM's Thinkpad X40 notebook and Sharp's Actius MP30 ultra-portable.

Best Technology Service
XM/Delphi MyFi Satellite Radio
James Bond would love this: The world's first portable radio that picks up XM Satellite Service. So, satellite radio is no longer confined to your car. As small as a cell phone and weighing in at just seven ounces, the MyFi can be used at home, on the road or on your person.

Other category finalists
Televigation TeleNave Mobile Phone Navigating System, Rand McNally Traffic Service for Mobile Phones and JiWire Hotspot Locator Software.

Best Cell Phone
BlackBerry 7100t
Handheld technology marches on. The BlackBerry 7100t has the usual phone, email and Internet functions, as well as Bluetooth functionality. But unlike the original BlackBerry hardware design, which was too wide to work conveniently as a phone, the 7100t looks like a standard mobile phone and weighs only 4.2 ounces. Nothing beats a BlackBerry for seamless access to corporate email on a mobile device.

Other category finalists
The Motorola V3 Rzr Mobile Phone, the PalmOne Treo 650 and the T-Mobile Sidekick II communicator.

Best Car
Cadillac STS
A refined version of the Cadillac Seville, the STS luxury sedan comes in either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, with a V-6 or Northstar V-8 engine. Road testers praise the seat comfort and handling. "The sporty and sophisticated STS luxury sedan finally gives GM's luxury brand a model that can go toe-to-toe with the best from Mercedes and BMW," says an auto trend-spotter. Cadillac is back.

Other category finalists
Porshe 911, Ford Mustang, BMW 3-series and Dodge Charger.

Best Automotive Advancement
Cylinder Deactivation
It's logical enough: A car engine doesn't need as much fuel when it's coasting. Enter cylinder deactivation, a technological innovation that both Chrysler and General Motors introduced last year. If a car is not accelerating, the cylinder deactivation shuts off fuel to half the engine. The result is seamless fuel efficiency that rivals hybrids, but at a lower cost.

Other category finalists
Satellite radio, the new-tech diesel engines, Stow-N-Go seats and the Honda Ridgeline trunk.

Advisory panel

Lauren Behar Levenger
Philip Hayward Lodging Magazine
Shelly Huber eBags.com
Kevin Mitchell Business Travel Coalition
Randy Peterson InsideFlyer
Mark Phelan Auto Critic, Detroit Free Press
David Rowell The Travel Insider
Joseph Urich hr.GMT Magazine
Jeff Weinstein Hotels Magazine