2016 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Celebration
Georgia Hoteliers Honor the Industry's Finest at the 2017 GHLA Stars of the Lodging Industry Awards Celebration
On March 9, 2016 the Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) welcomed more than 650 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 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 an outlet 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 "Galaxy of Stars," in honor of the men and women in all areas of hotel operations who work diligently to support exceptional service to ensure that guests receive world-class treatment. "Georgia is blessed with incredible men and women who truly represent the finest our industry has to offer and with amazing properties who are committed to excellence," 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 by joining with their peers to celebrate the accomplishments of the entire industry. GHLA received a total of 266 nominations submitted by 60 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 42 award winners were named. 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 2016. GHLA extends our sincere appreciation to the generous Platinum Level Sponsors who made many of the elements of this event possible: ONsite, Shepard Exposition Services, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, and Sysco Atlanta. Our Event Sponsors were: Center for Puppetry Arts, Heartland Payment Systems, Horwath HTL, Martino-White Printing, and Reis Birdwhistell Photography. Our Silver Sponsors were: Belfor Property Restoration, Capital City Electrical, Cotton Commercial USA, Heartland Payment Systems, Rational USA, and Standard Textile. Our Bronze Sponsors were: Expedia, Inc., iResponze, Southeastern Laundry Equipment Sales, and TLC Tri-State Laundry Companies 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 2016. 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 9, 2016. These people were chosen from 266 nominations submitted. Supplier Member of the YearLabor Staffing Property-Wide AwardsOutstanding Community Service Award - Presented by Gas South LLC Best Western PLUS Savannah Historic District (Div. 1) Emory Conference Center Hotel (Div. 2) Sheraton Atlanta Hotel (Div. 3) Good Earthkeeping Award Emory Conference Center Hotel (Div. 2) Sheraton Atlanta Hotel (Div. 3) Outstanding Guest Relations Award St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Outstanding Special Event Award for One-Time Only Event - presented by PSAV Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) The Georgian Terrace Hotel (Div. 2) InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Outstanding Special Event Award for Recurring Events - presented by PSAV Mandarin Oriental Atlanta (Div. 1) St. Regis Atlanta (Div. 2) Loews Atlanta Hotel Outstanding Technology Innovation - presented by Postec JW Marriott Buckhead (Div. 2) Personnel AwardsGeneral Manager of the Year Award – presented by Georgia Power Kamini Patel, General Manager - Red Roof Inn Lithonia (Div. 1) Tom Boyer - JW Marriott Buckhead (Div. 3) Erica Qualls-Battey - Atlanta Marriott Marquis (Div. 4) Manager of the Year - presented by Super Source Rudolph Warner, Chief Engineer - Best Western PLUS Savannah Historic District (Div. 1) Bill Wynn, Restaurant Manager - Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter at Villa Christina (Div. 2) Sharlotte Green-Conner, Director of Purchasing - The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake (Div. 3) Alex Dorisca, Director of Stewarding - Atlanta Marriott Marquis (Div. 4) Stevan Porter Emerging Hospitality Leader of the Year - presented by InterContinental Hotels Group Alyssa Slovniac, Catering Sales Specialist - W Atlanta Downtown (Div. 2) Greg Mullins, Director of Finance and Accounting - Atlanta Marriott Century Center (Div. 3) Phillip Jackson, Sous Chef - Sea Island (Div. 4) Administrative Employee of the Year Susan Banks-Williams, PBX Operator - Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Downtown (Div. 2) Margaret Inman, Human Resource Generalist - Atlanta Marriott Perimeter Center (Div. 3) Donna Lewis, Human Resources Generalist - Atlanta Airport Marriott (Div. 4) Support Department Employee of the Year Robert Knight, Employment Support Coordinator - Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Chris Williams, Shift Engineer - The Glenn Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Pepo Hadziahmetovic, Chief of Loss Prevention - Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort (Div. 3) Dan Walton, Publishing Manager - Sea Island (Div. 4) Food Services Employee of the Year – presented by Atlanta Foodservice Expo Kimberly Etheridge, Breakfast Ambassador - Fairfield Inn & Suites - Atlanta Airport South (Div. 2) Mary Doyle, Cook - Wyndham Atlanta Galleria Hotel (Div. 3) Devin Dixon, Line Cook - Grand Hyatt Atlanta (Div. 4) Roomkeeper of the Year – presented by United Service Companies Maxine Pitts, Housekeeping Supervisor - Red Roof Inn Lithonia (Div. 1) Wanda Watts, Room Attendant - Holiday Inn - Atlanta Airport South (Div. 2) Florecindo Albino, House Attendant - The Westin Buckhead Atlanta (Div. 3) Gail Ward-Lovett, Laundry Supervisor - The Westin Peachtree Plaza (Div. 4) Guest Services Employee of the Year – presented by Renue Systems (formerly National Appeal) Teresa Lammon, Guest Services Associate - Best Western Evans Hotel (Div. 1) Katherine Scofield, Concierge - Four Seasons Hotel Atlanta (Div. 2) Leotis Watson, Concierge Supervisor - Emory Conference Center Hotel (Div. 3) Handson Smith, Bellman - Hyatt Regency Atlanta (Div. 4) |
|
