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The Greater New York Chapter of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) has named eight individuals the 2010 honorees for the Annual Hospitality Awards of Excellence. The awards were presented at the annual black tie gala dinner held at the New York Marriott Marquis on June 8, 2010, along with the 17th Annual Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award, this year going to the Times Square Alliance, for attracting more than 35 million visitors each year to New York City. The Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award recognizes individuals or organizations for the significant contributions to the tourism industry in New York City.
The following honorees were awarded for their outstanding work and dedication to the sales and marketing profession for 2010:
– Hotel General Manager of the Year: Jan Rozenveld, Managing Director The Ace Hotel New York
– Sales & Marketing Executive of the Year – Hotel: Geraldine Traino, Director of Sales & Marketing – Hotel Beacon
– Sales & Marketing Executive of the Year – Travel Industry: Leora Halpern Lanz, Director – HVS Sales & Marketing Services
– Operations Excellence Award: Fred Kleisner, CEO, Morgans Hotel Group
– Revenue Management Professional of the Year: Terence Sham, Area Director of Revenue Management for Denihan Hospitality Group
– Hospitality Professional of the Year: Donna Quadri-Felitti, Clinical Associate Professor – New York University
– Hospitality Student of the Year: Greg Bodenlos – Cornell University for the Hospitality Student of the Year (Undergraduate)
Laura Arneson, M. S. – New York University for Hospitality Student of the Year (Graduate)
– President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Community: Julie Andrews, CHME, The London NY.
HSMAI Greater New York Chapter’s Annual Black Tie Gala to celebrate the Frank W. Berkamsn Tourism Achievement Award along with the Chapter Awards of Excellence draws the City’s hospitality community in one room, for one special night of recognition, networking and celebrating all that is good and positive in travel and tourism today," said Kathie Stapleton, Executive Director for the Chapter.
Times Squarewas chosen as this year’s winner because the district is a major commercial, retail and entertainment center. Additionally, Times Square’s 35 million annual visitors are a major catalyst for the economy of the neighborhood as well as the entire city, spending $18 billion throughout New York during their stay. According to Forbes, Times Square is the most visited tourist attraction in the country.
"Anyone walking in the Times Square area any late afternoon or evening will recognize the significance of this district in drawing tourists to New York City as the streets are packed with visitors enjoying themselves," said Frank Stapleton, Co-Chair, along with Richard Kahn, of the Frank W. Berkman Awards Committee for the Past President’s Council of HSMAI Greater New York Chapter.
"Times Square and all its entertainment opportunities including the numerous Broadway theaters, restaurants and nightclubs helps promote tourism to our city and generates millions of dollars in revenue for our hospitality and tourism industry," Stapleton added.
Frank W. Berkman, CHME, was a former Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of HSMAI for 16 years. This award was created in 1994 by the Past President’s Council of the HSMAI Greater New York Chapter and was named after Berkman because of his dedication to building HSMAI into the highly-influential international hospitality industry organization it is today.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
