When our team sat down to plan our annual awards feature, we were at a loss. Each fall, our editors comb through a year’s worth of ratings, reviews, and data to identify the best-of-the-best in travel around the world. But we found ourselves asking, what should that look like in 2020? How could we possibly judge a business or an attraction based on three months of business as usual...and another seven months of anything but?

We decided we couldn’t, but we discovered something even better along the way. The businesses we love overwhelmingly met the moment: Restaurants fed newly-unemployed members of their communities; hotels housed frontline medical workers; museums became polling places—and even a beloved Coney Island amusement park found a way to help. (You’ll just have to read on to find out how!)

It turns out, small businesses and industry giants alike were showing us all, in real-time, what it means to build community and support our country during a crisis. Their pivots were meaningful, surprising, and often clever, all with the end goals of staying afloat, protecting their people, and making a difference during a year that’s been challenging for so many reasons.

Our package honors those that have made such an impact—and notably, we’re sticking close to home. Whereas our previous years' award winners have spanned the globe far and wide, we recognize that 2020 has kept most of our readers close to home—something that can almost seem foreign for travel-lovers. This year, we’ve decided to honor American establishments that genuinely make America great. You might find that many of our winners are in your own backyard. Take the time to discover them alongside us—and root for them today, tomorrow, and into the future.

- Molly Fergus, VP & General Manager, and Laura Ratliff, Editorial Director

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