2011 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration
More Than 500 Georgia Hoteliers Honor the Industry’s Finest at GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Awards Luncheon
On March 2, 2010 the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) welcomed more than 500 hoteliers to an industry-wide celebration at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel to pay tribute to the finest employees and properties in Georgia’s lodging industry. Representatives from the region’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 an outlet to bestow recognition to lodging industry employees from the front of the house to the heart of the house. “Hospitality is an important economic driver for Georgia and Atlanta,” says Jim Sprouse, Executive Director of GHLA. “It’s the people in the lodging industry who provide the face and the persona that so many business and leisure travelers see when they come to our city. We wanted to pay tribute to the men and women who serve in so many capacities to provide an exceptional guest experience that make people want to return to our state.” 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 coming out in large numbers to celebrate their accomplishments. This year, the GHLA celebration luncheon took on the theme “Hotels Have Talent” to pay tribute to talented men and women whose outstanding efforts and commitment to excellence have delighted our guests and supported the success of our hotels. As a special treat during this year’s celebration, the entertainment was provided by talented musicians and singers who are associates within GHLA member properties! GHLA received a total of 181 nominations were submitted by 53 properties. This represents an explosive 43% increase in nominations over the previous year. 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, all 181 nominees were recognized in front of their peers and 40 award winners were named. Below is a list of the winners named in each award category. These people and properties will now serve as Georgia’s delegates for the nationwide Stars of the Lodging Industry Awards program managed by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA). National awards will be bestowed by AH&LA during the summer of 2010. GHLA extends our sincere appreciation to the generous Platinum Level Sponsors who made many of the elements of this event possible: Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, AAA Parking, Shepard Exposition Services, SYSCO, and Tech Rentals. And the Winners Are: Below are the properties and individuals honored at GHLA’s Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration March 2, 2010. These people were chosen from 181 nominations submitted. Property-Wide Awards Outstanding Technical Innovation Award Sheraton Atlanta Hotel (Div. 3) Outstanding Guest Relations Award The Glenn Hotel Atlanta (Div. 1) Outstanding Special Event Award for One-Time Only Event W Atlanta - Buckhead (Div. 2) Outstanding Special Event Award for Recurring Events Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Holiday Inn Select Atlanta Capitol Conference Center (Div. 2) Outstanding Community Service Award - Presented by Gas South LLC Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead (Div. 3) Good Earthkeeping Award The Ellis Hotel (Div. 1) Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort (Div. 2) InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 2) Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 3) Crowne Plaza Ravinia (Div. 3) – Special Judges Award Personnel Awards General Manager of the Year Award – presented by Georgia Power Scott Mahr, General Manager - Barnsley Gardens Resort (Div. 1) Marylouise Fitzgibbon, General Manager - W Atlanta - Buckhead (Div. 2) Michael Giamundo, Area General Manager - JW Marriott Buckhead (Div. 3) John Weit, General Manager - Marriott Atlanta Airport (Div. 4) Manager of the Year Billy Johnson, Manager - Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Debbie Ciaburri, Housekeeping Manager - Sea Island Company (Div. 2) Roger Fleming, Director of Sales and Marketing - Marriott Atlanta Northwest (Div. 3) Robin Kreitner, Senior Catering Sales Manager - The Ritz-Carlton Atlanta (Div. 4) Stevan Porter Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year Drew Sheth, Assistant Front Office Manager - InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Leola Edelin, Assistant Director of Food and Beverage - Sheraton Atlanta Hotel (Div. 4) Administrative Employee of the Year Rhonda Butterworth, Executive Administrative Assistant - The Ritz-Carlton Lodge @ Reynolds Plantation (Div. 2) Patricia Williams, Sales Administrative Assistant - Holiday Inn Select Atlanta Capitol Conference Center (Div. 3) Linda Lee, Senior Sales Coordinator - Marriott Atlanta Marquis (Div. 4) Support Department Employee of the Year Joseph DiGiovanni, Engineering Supervisor - St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Sam Wilson, Banquet Aide - Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort (Div. 3) Vivian Feliciano, Security Supervisor - The Westin Peachtree Plaza (Div. 4) Food Services Employee of the Year – presented by SYSCO Shakira Riddley, Greeter - St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Silvia Camargo, Cook 4 - Kitchen - Grand Hyatt Atlanta (Div. 3) Kerry Clark, Banquet Captain - Hilton Atlanta (Div. 4) Roomkeeper of the Year – presented by Jani-King of Atlanta William Feldman, Roomkeeper - Baymont Inn & Suites Augusta (Div. 1) Monica Cheely, Housekeeping Supervisor - Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center (Div. 2) Kazue McFarlin, Room Attendant - Housekeeping - Grand Hyatt Atlanta (Div. 3) Louise Mitchell, Room Attendant - Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 4) Guest Services Employee of the Year Rod Lee, Guest Service Agent - Baymont Inn & Suites Augusta (Div. 1) Sari McAfee, Lead Concierge - The Mansion on Forsyth Park (Div. 2) Kevin Murphy, Driver - The Westin Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Adrita Khanna, Club Concierge - The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead (Div. 4) |
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