2018 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Awards Celebration
GHLA Celebrates Industry Champions and Honor the Industry's Finest Associates and Properties at GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration
On April 13, 2018 more than 750 hoteliers gathered for the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) industry-wide celebration at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center to pay tribute to the finest employees and properties in Georgia's lodging industry. Representatives from Georgia's top hotels attended along with their honorees for this statewide awards recognition program. The purpose of this program is to provide the lodging industry with a forum to bestow recognition to lodging industry employees from the front of the house to the heart of the house and to recognize outstanding property-wide programs and initiatives. The theme for this year's awards celebration was "Celebration of Champions." GHLA acknowledged the winning attributes behind each of the men and women nominated for this esteemed honor. "Our industry is blessed with incredible men and women who are committed to excellence and offer first-class service," says Jim Sprouse, Executive Director of GHLA. "It is an honor to pay tribute to these stars and to share their amazing stories with industry peers." GHLA launched this program in 2007 as a means of providing recognition to top industry programs and personnel in all facets of the lodging industry. Hoteliers have embraced this program with enthusiasm by submitting nominations of their own staff, and then by joining with their peers to celebrate the accomplishments of the entire industry. GHLA received a total of 304 nominations submitted by 67 properties. The Association assembled a panel of esteemed judges with lodging and tourism expertise to evaluate all nominations and designate award recipients within each category. Entries were evaluated in six property award categories and eight employee award categories. During GHLA's March luncheon celebration, every nominee was recognized amid industry peers, and 48 award winners were named. GHLA extends our sincere appreciation to the generous Platinum Level Sponsors who made many of the elements of this event possible: Encore Event Technologies, Georgia State University Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality, Omni Hotel Atlanta at CNN Center, and Shepard. Our Gold Sponsors were: Berman Fink Van Horn P.C., Booking.com, Expedia, Inc., Georgia World Congress Center, Martino-White Printing, Parking Management Services, and Reis Birdwhistell Photography. Our Silver Sponsors were: Choice HR, Heartland Payment Systems, ON Site, Royal Cup & Tea, Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales, and Yellowstone Landscape. Our Bronze Sponsors were: Go 4 Satellite, Inc., Hill Mechanical and Rolyn companies. Below is a list of the winners named in each award category. To view a photo album of this event, click here. 
And the Winners Are:
Below are the properties and individuals honored at GHLA's Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration April 13, 2018. These people were chosen from 304 nominations submitted. Property-Wide Awards Outstanding Community Service Award - Presented by Gas South LLC Barnsley Resort (Div. 1) Hilton Garden Inn - Atlanta Downtown (Div. 2) Loews Atlanta Hotel (Div. 4) Leader in Sustainability Award Barnsley Resort (Div. 1) Loews Atlanta Hotel (Div. 4) Outstanding Guest Relations Award Barnsley Resort (Div. 1) The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee (Div. 2) Atlanta Airport Marriott (Div. 4) Outstanding Special Event Award for One-Time Only Event - presented by PSAV Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel (Div. 2) Atlanta Marriott Alpharetta (Div. 3) Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 4) Outstanding Special Event Award for Recurring Events - presented by PSAV Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) Le Meridien Atlanta Perimeter (Div. 2) Emory Conference Center Hotel (Div. 3) InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 4) Outstanding Technology Innovation - presented by Postec Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead (Div. 4) Personnel Awards General Manager of the Year Award – presented by BMS CAT Frank James - Courtyard by Marriott - Norcross Atlanta (Div. 1) Matthew Parsons - AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead at Phipps Plaza (Div. 2) Brad Koeneman - Hilton Atlanta (Div. 4) Manager of the Year – presented by Talent Served Susan Zuppardo, Director of Sales - Residence Inn Atlanta Perimeter Center Dunwoody (Div. 1) El Hadji Ali Ndao, Director of Operations - Renaissance Atlanta Airport Gateway Hotel (Div. 2) Jamie Allen, Front Office Manager - Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center (Div. 3) Elena Yordanova, Director of Housekeeping - The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Div. 4) Stevan Porter Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year - presented by InterContinental Hotels Group Lauren Oesterle, Special Events Manager - Barnsley Resort (Div. 1) Nelly Rodriguez Letechipia, Front Desk Manager - The St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Carrie Pate, Sales Manager - The Georgian Terrace Hotel (Div. 3) Leah Nichols, Assistant Restaurant Manager - Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 4) Administrative Employee of the Year Cheryl LaBord, Food and Beverage Administrator - Barnsley Resort (Div. 1) Kaylee Alligood, Executive Assistant to the General Manager - The St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Angela Holcomb, PBX Operator - Embassy Suites by Hilton Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park (Div. 3) Emmi Doucette, Executive Assistant - Sea Island (Div. 4) Support Department Employee of the Year - presented by Hinson Security Services Socorro Flores, GCPM and Housekeeping Lead - Courtyard Atlanta Duluth / Gwinnett Place (Div. 1) Bell Foster, Lead Engineer - DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta NE/Northlake (Div. 2) Theodore Lucas, Night Manager - The American Hotel - A Doubletree by Hilton (Div. 3) Ziad Faraj, Chief Engineer - Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway (Div. 4) Food Services Employee of the Year - presented by Ecolab Ken Depietro, Bartender - Embassy Suites Hotel - Alpharetta (Div. 1) Ruth Sandifer, Food and Beverage Manager - Holiday Inn - Atlanta Airport South (Div. 2) Melody Patterson, Moss and Oak Cashier and Barista - Hyatt Regency Savannah (Div. 3) Pat Sanders, Chief Steward - Atlanta Marriott Marquis (Div. 4) Roomkeeper of the Year – presented by United Service Companies Zdravka Sokolova, Housekeeping Supervisor - Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) Annette Griffiths-Hall, Housekeeping Attendant - The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee (Div. 2) Micaela Garcia, Housekeeping Supervisor - JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead (Div. 3) Renee Calhoun, Guest Room Attendant - Omni Hotel at CNN Center (Div. 4) Guest Services Employee of the Year – presented by Postec Mark Gibson, Guest Services Rep - SpringHill Suites Atlanta Airport Gateway (Div. 1) Tania Guichina, Front Desk Agent - Le Meridien Atlanta Perimeter (Div. 2) Lakisha Canady, Guest Service Representative - Crowne Plaza Atlanta-Midtown (Div. 3) Claudia Mashburn, Concierge Supervisor - Atlanta Marriott Marquis (Div. 4) |
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