2015 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration
Georgia Hoteliers Honor the Industry's Finest at the 2015 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Awards CelebrationOn March 12, 2015 the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) welcomed a record crowd of more than 700 hoteliers to our industry-wide celebration at the College Football Hall of Fame 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. "Georgia is blessed with incredible men and women who truly represent the finest our industry has to offer," says Jim Sprouse, Executive Director of GHLA. "It is an honor to pay tribute to these superstars 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 coming out in large numbers to celebrate their accomplishments. This year's Celebration incorporated a football game-day theme complete with GHLA's own gameday anchors who served as emcees for the program and the largest gathering of industry "fans" in the history of the GHLA Stars Celebration. GHLA received a total of 275 nominations submitted by 68 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 in front of their peers and 43 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: College Football Hall of Fame, Omni Hotel at CNN Center, OnSite, and Shepard Exposition Services. Our Event Sponsorswere: Heartland Payment Systems, Horwath HTL, Martino-White Printing, Reis Birdwhistell Photography, and Universal Restoration Services. 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 spring of 2015. 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 March 12, 2015. These people were chosen from 278 nominations submitted. Supplier Member of the YearAAA Parking Property-Wide AwardsOutstanding Community Service Award - Presented by Gas South LLC Azalea Inn & Gardens (Div. 1) W Atlanta Downtown (Div. 2) The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead (Div. 3) Good Earthkeeping Award Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Outstanding Guest Relations Award - presented by Renue Systems (formerly National Appeal) Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Renaissance Concourse Hotel (Div. 2) Loews Atlanta Hotel (Div. 3) Outstanding Special Event Award for One-Time Only Event - presented by PSAV Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel (Div. 2) InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Outstanding Special Event Award for Recurring Events - presented by PSAV Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) Renaissance Concourse Hotel (Div. 2) Sheraton Atlanta Hotel(Div. 3) Outstanding Technology Innovation - presented by Postec Marriott Atlanta Airport (Div. 3) Personnel AwardsGeneral Manager of the Year Award – presented by Georgia Power Kamini Patel, General Manager - Red Roof Inn Lithonia (Div. 1) Justin Davis, General Manager - Hampton Inn Savannah I 95 North (Div. 2) Zach Curry, General Manager - Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel (Div. 3) Mark Spanka, General Manager - Marriott Atlanta Airport (Div. 4) Manager of the Year - presented by Parker Young Construction / FireStar Rudolph Warner, Chief Engineer - Best Western PLUS Savannah Historic District (Div. 1) Ali Sesay, Executive Steward - Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Donald Falzone, Chief Engineer - Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center (Div. 3) Brian Ettelman, Director of Catering and Conference Services - InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 4) Stevan Porter Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year - presented by InterContinental Hotels Group Jenny Bradley, Spa Manager - Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Jonathan Teague, Restaurant Manager - The Ritz-Carlton Lodge @ Reynolds Plantation (Div. 3) Talia Lawson, Front Office Manager - Grand Hyatt Atlanta (Div. 4) Administrative Employee of the Year Lauren Powell, Sales Coordinator - St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Stephan Taylor, Executive Assistant, Marriott Suites - Atlanta Midtown (Div. 3) Mary Evans, Engineering Administrative Assistant, The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead (Div. 4) Support Department Employee of the Year Bernard Berry, Laundry Attendant - The Glenn Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Angela Brown, Bartender - Renaissance Concourse Hotel (Div. 3) Harold Brannon, Lead Plant Operator - Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 4) Food Services Employee of the Year – presented by Atlanta Foodservice Expo Theresa Jones, Breakfast Attendant - Best Western PLUS Savannah Historic District (Div. 1) John Evans, Line Cook - Hilton Suites Atlanta Perimeter (Div. 2) Essie Jennings, Cook - Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center (Div. 3) April Wilson, Culinary Line Cook I - Loews Atlanta Hotel (Div. 4) Roomkeeper of the Year – presented by United Service Companies Reena Patel, Roomkeeper and Laundry Assistant - Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Maria Garcia, Housekeeper - Hilton Suites Atlanta Perimeter (Div. 2) Janice Hardnett, Lobby Attendant - Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center (Div. 3) Amada Mata, Room Attendant - The Westin Atlanta Airport (Div. 4) Guest Services Employee of the Year – presented by PSAV Tamara Robinson, Front Desk Night Auditor - Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Michele Costelloe, Guest Service Representative - Residence Inn Atlanta Kennesaw Town Center (Div. 2) Kevin Murphy, Driver - The Westin Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Kerry Bentley, Front Desk Supervisor - The Westin Peachtree Plaza (Div. 4) |
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