Recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions and lasting impressions on the…
Recognizing individuals who have made significant contributions and lasting impressions on the hospitality and travel industry, the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) announces the recipients of its annual Winthrop W. Grice Award for public relations and the Albert E. Koehl Award for advertising and marketing excellence.
The 2005 recipients of these lifetime achievement honors, who will be acknowledged at the 49th Annual HSMAI Adrian Awards program on Jan. 30, 2006 in New York City, are Peggy R. Bendel, of Development Counsellors International (DCI), who will receive the Grice award and Barry S. Sternlicht of Starwood Capital Group, who will be honored with the Koehl distinction.
It is an honour to present Peggy Bendel and Barry Sternlicht with these distinctions, states Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. Both individuals have served the industry beyond compare, doing so professionally with extreme talent, grace and class.
These annual awards are HSMAI`s way of paying tribute to them, and hopefully encouraging others to make similar commitments to their careers, the discipline and the industry, Gilbert adds.
Winthrop W. Grice Award
Peggy R. Bendel is Senior Vice President of Travel Marketing for Development Counsellors International (DCI), which specializes exclusively in all phases of economic development and tourism marketing.
Prior to her tenure with the New York-based DCI, Bendel was a principal in the seminal I Love New York program. Peggy directed DCI`s travel marketing and public relations accounts since 1985, including Acoma Pueblo, the Australian Tourist Commission, Finger Lakes Wine Country, Hong Kong Tourism Board.
The Winthrop W. Grice Award was established in 1989 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to public relations in the hospitality industry. It was named in honor of Winthrop W. Bud Grice, CHME, a long-time senior marketing executive with Marriott, who was the award`s first designate. Some of the other winners include: Rene A. Mack, Lou Hammond, Bunny Grossinger, Herbert D. Kelleher, Steve Wynn, Alan Fredericks and Donald J. Trump.
Albert E. Koehl Award
Barry S. Sternlicht is Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Capital Group, a private investment firm he formed in 1991. Sternlicht created and launched W Hotels, which has grown to 20 operating hotels with an additional twenty under way around the world. Some of his innovations include the creation of Westin`s Heavenly Bed, Heavenly Bath, Westin Workout, and the world`s first frequent traveler program with no blackouts.
He received his BA, magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University. He later earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. Sternlicht is a trustee of Brown University. He serves on the Board of Directors of National Golf, The Estee Lauder Companies, the National Advisory Board of JP Morgan Chase, and the Advisory Board of Eurohypo Bank.
The Albert E. Koehl Award was established in 1975 to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to advertising and marketing in the hospitality industry. A lifetime achievement award, it was named in honor of Albert E. Koehl, a pioneer in hotel advertising. Past recipients include: Gary Leopold, CHME, Horst H. Schulze, John J. Russell, CHME, Michael A. Leven, CHME, Richard Branson, Michael D. Eisner and Gordon Butch Stewart.
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