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The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) announced the winners of the AH&LA Achievement Awards, part of the annual Stars of the Industry Awards, which honor stand-out initiatives at hotel properties. In a ceremony held during the AH&LA Summer Summit at the InterContinental Houston near the Galleria, these awards, which have been awarded annually since 1966, distinguish individual hotels that have developed outstanding programs, events, and campaigns. Winners were chosen in the categories of Community Service, Special Events, Guest Relations, Good Earthkeeping, Diversity, and Technology Innovation.
Winning the Community Service, Small Property, is the Ambassador Hotel Tulsa in Tulsa, OK. The Ambassador team participates regularly in the United Way Day of Caring, Clean the World program, and local and national charities. This year they founded the Downtown Backpack for Kids in partnership with the Tulsa Food Bank, which holds fundraisers and encourages sponsorships to keep children fed when school meals are not available. For Turn Tulsa Pink, the Ambassador lit their exterior facade pink and lined the street with pink flamingos. The staff wore pink and all lobby flowers were a cheery pink; all to honor loved ones and bring hope and awareness. And for the 2011 St. Jude’s Dream Home, the hotel was a sponsor and helped in raising almost a million dollars to fight childhood cancer.
Winning the Community Service, Medium Property, is the Pan Pacific Hotel Seattle in Seattle, WA. Pan Pacific was the first hotel in Seattle to partner with Clean the World, which sterilizes used bars of soap and sends them to communities in need. The Pan Pacific also started a program called PanEarth that honors all levels of socially responsible corporate citizenship. Time, talent, and creativity are used to develop events and fundraisers that include the internal and external community. Events are not only hosted to raise money for causes, but to bring awareness and draw in other benefactors. Pan Pacific strives to balance the external efforts between environmental and social initiatives.
The winner of the Outstanding Community Service, Large Property, is the Four Seasons Scottsdale at Troon North in Scottsdale, AZ. The hotel actively embraces the Golden Rule, and the company’s three core “Living Values” – supporting sustainability, building communities and advancing cancer research. In 2011, employees formed a Community Outreach Committee and volunteered more than 900 hours of their time to community improvement. One of the Committee’s main efforts is supporting the Valley of the Sun United Way, with an average contribution of $30,000 each year. Employees also support the American Cancer Society by participating in the Relay 4 Life walk. For the past two years, Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale was recognized as a “Platinum Achiever” for raising the most funds.
Winning the Special Events, Ongoing, Small Property, is the Sanctuary on Camelback in Paradise Valley, AZ, for their Sundays in Paradise program. This was designed as a way for the Phoenix/ Scottsdale community to meet and mingle, as well as remind patrons that the Sanctuary doesn’t need to be only for special occasions. This event runs spring and fall and features live, outdoor entertainment, grilled food, and other goodies. Since the onset, attendance has been robust and it has been heralded as the place to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Winning the Special Events, Ongoing, Medium Property is the Big Cedar Lodge in Ridgedale, MO. The Lodge looks for ways to recognize active and non-active duty military. Each time military personnel checks in, they are led to the executive offices where they are greeted by an enthusiastic staff and gifted with an employee signed photograph of the lodge taken on the fourth of July. This program is a 10-year tradition.
The winner of the Special Events, Ongoing, Large Property is The Westin Copley in Boston, MA. For the last three years, a massive Mayflower moving truck has been parked at the Westin Copley Place on Thanksgiving Day. Inside is a buffet meal prepared by the hotel culinary team, clad in Pilgrim costumes. This event shows their appreciation to the city’s law enforcement, fire and EMS personnel, and anyone else charged with maintaining the public safety.
Winning the Special Events, One-time Only, Medium Property is the Ames, Hotel in Boston, MA. Last summer Boston was named the worst dressed city by GQ Magazine. As Fashion Night Out and Fashion week kicked off later that year in September, The Ames decided to challenge that perception and recreated their Woodward Tavern at Quixote Studios to host a party for 500 fashionistas. This event helped launch the successful Fashion Week in Boston.
The winner of the Special Events, One-time Only, Large Property, is the Mandarin Oriental in Washington, D.C. The Mandarin hosted an event to aid in the Japanese Disaster Relief, which raised $70,000 through ticket sales and auction items. One featured auction item was a private dinner for eight prepared by Chef Ziebold and Sous Chef Makoto Hamamura of CityZen restaurant, which alone raised $11,000.
The winner of the Guest Relations, Small Property, is the Royal Palms Resort and Spa in Phoenix, AZ. The heart of The Royal Palms started over 80 years ago with a love story between two New Yorkers. Now, going on two years, the Royal Palms offers Romantication packages designed to offer innovative and comprehensive romance, dedicated solely to bringing together every possible element of a surprise rendezvous. The resort uses CARE- communication, accountability, respect, and ethics, in all their endeavors, which has led to world-class hospitality.
The winner of the Guest Relations, Medium Property, is the Hilton Garden Inn Savannah Airport in Savannah, GA. The Hilton Garden Inn Savannah Airport’s goal is to exceed the guest’s expectations. The hotel employs a multitude of programs that help reward positive guest service scores and online reviews. Employees aim to “wow” the guest as often as possible, with tokens such as a customized calendar of World War II veterans given to guests during their war reunion. This hotel is routinely ranked between #1-3 on Trip Advisor out of 107 hotels in the same market.
Winning the Guest Relations, Large Property, is The Pfister in Milwaukee, WI. The hotel has created two main programs to provide a unique, enriching experience for visitors and guests. The Artist-in-Residence program features a working art studio and gallery that is open to the public. This program encourages the public to interact with the artist and witness the evolution of each piece first-hand. The Pfister Narrator has a member of the Milwaukee writing community to serve as the writer-in-residence for the hotel for six months, interacting with guests and sharing their unique stories on hotel blog. Pfister Hotel hosts the largest collection of Victorian art of any hotel in the world; the goal of the hotel’s arts initiatives is to honor The Pfister’s commitment to the arts and deliver an exceptional experience for visitors and guests.
Winning the Good Earthkeeping, Small Property, is the Bardessono Inn & Spa in Yountville, CA. The Bardessono is proud to be California’s first and only LEED Platinum-certified hotel. They have developed a working model that shows a hotel can provide a fully luxurious guest experience and be green at the same time, and that environmental initiatives can be implemented in a practical, economic, and aesthetic manner. Woods throughout the hotel are milled from salvaged trees, organic linens and cleaning supplies are standard, the restaurant primarily uses local producers. The Inn has designed rooms to get the maximum use of natural light for heating and cooling, and uses low volatile organic compounds for their finishes, glues, paints, and other products.
The winner of the Good Earthkeeping, Medium Property is The Ellis Hotel in Atlanta, GA. This hotel has introduced a number of eco-responsible practices such as timed lighting systems, non- aerosol cleaning products, and a biodegradable room key, just to name a few. The Ellis has partnered with USA Green Communities and Clean the World to make a bigger impact with green products and services. They’ve been featured in many local write-ups and ads in recognition of their eco-friendly initiatives.
The winner in the category of Good Earthkeeping, Large Property is The Emory Conference Center Hotel in Atlanta, GA. The staff of the Emory Conference Center takes pride in being responsible for the environmental impact on all aspects of their operations. The hotel opened in 1995 and sits on 26 acres of forest preserve. It is the only hotel in Georgia that has a single-stream recycling unit, which centralizes all recycling. Food waste is turned into gray water; waste oils are converted in bio-diesel and then used as fuel for transportation at Emory University; and they recycle over 41 tons of waste annually. They are a proud member of the Green Hotel Association and actively participate in the Adopt-a-Stream program and Clean the World.
The winner for the category of Prism (for Diversity), Medium Property is The Four Seasons in Boston, MA. Their Work-Life Balance and Work Environment teams are comprised of enthusiastic employees who work toward staff unity. Their activities include the Cross-Divisional Day Training Series, which was created to give staff a greater understanding and appreciation for other departments and individuals’ roles at the hotel. The goal is to showcase how important and integral each person and position is for the success of the hotel.
The winner for the Prism (for Diversity), Large Property, for the second year in a row, is the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa & Marina in Cambridge, MD. The resorts’ innovative programs aimed at diversity include an active partnership with The Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services. The resort presented a series of hospitality employment readiness classes on a range of topics, from business writing to professional guidelines. Participants were also given the opportunity to practice their interview skills with Hyatt managers and to apply for positions at the resort. Hyatt has a long standing relationship with the Dorchester county Board of Education’s Pathways to Independence program, which teaches life and job training skills to students with learning disabilities ages 18-21. Participants job shadow with different resort departments throughout the year to earn credits toward their diplomas. Additionally, the resort provides career guidance to disadvantaged youth in the Maryland Mentor Program.
Winning the award for Technology Innovation, Medium Property is the Chancellor Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco, CA. The Chancellor Hotel has won the Industry Guest Relations Award, been in TripAdvisors top 10 hotels of San Francisco for the past eight years, but wanted to separate from the competition? They’re answer: a master blend of technology and service to make their own Smartphone App. This app serves guests before and after their stay. There are quick call buttons for the front desk, room service, and the concierge, as well as tour information and dining recommendations. The Chancellor can also customize their marketing efforts to target the guest depending on their location.
The Technology Innovation, Large Property award goes to the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA. The Marriott Marquis has worked with their energy management company to develop a way to access their EMS through an application on an iPad or iPhone. Their engineering team can now troubleshoot or make adjustments anywhere that a 3G or WiFi connection is available. Having an emergency plan that is several hundred pages proved difficult to institute when needed in real-time situations. With this new program, their emergency plan is available in seconds and selectable by type of emergency. Training for these features also can be personalized.
Many of AH&LA’s partner state associations choose their own employee award winners, which are submitted to the association for national judging. This year’s national judges are Pat Maher, AH&LA’s green consultant, and Len Vermillion, editor, Lodging Magazine.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
