The Prestigious President’s Award Recognized the Exceptional Achievements of DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Rockbridge and Shashi Corporation.
STAMFORD, CONN. – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. honored its leading hotel development partners this week at the 2014 North America Owners Conference, held in Dana Point, California. Starwood gave out a total of 14 awards in six categories including the President’s Award and Developer of the Year.
“We are thrilled to once again honor our most outstanding development partners and highlight their extraordinary contributions to Starwood’s portfolio growth,” said Serge Rivera, President of the Americas for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. “By working in tandem with our valued partners, Starwood has enjoyed another strong year throughout North America and is well-positioned for future success in this important market.”
DiamondRock Hospitality Company, Rockbridge and Shashi Corporation all received President’s Awards for demonstrating exceptional or unique achievements and sharing Starwood’s vision for the future. DiamondRock Hospitality Company, led by Mark Brugger and Rob Tannenbaum, was recognized for the purchase and comprehensive renovations of The Westin San Diego and The Westin Washington, D.C. Center. Starwood’s long-time development partner Rockbridge, headed by Jim Merkel, was hailed for the acquisition and renovation of numerous Starwood properties in recent years including Le Meridien Atlanta Perimeter, The Westin Portland Harborview, The Westin Chicago North Shore, Sheraton Stamford Hotel and Le Meridien Indianapolis. And Shashi Corporation, led by Dipesh Gupta and Manish Gupta, was cited for the successful debut of Aloft Cupertino, which debuted a year ago adjacent to the Apple Computer campus and has piloted a variety of innovative new Aloft programming.
Developer of the Year awards were conferred on Starwood development partners that went above and beyond to ensure development was on-time, on-strategy and on-brand. The Specialty Select Developer of the Year award winner was White Lodging Services Corporation, one of Starwood’s most active development partners, whose opening of Aloft Chicago City Center last year met with great success. Grupo Puntacana was recognized as Developer of the Year in the Full-Service category for its successful collaboration with Starwood on the launch of The Westin Puntacana Resort & Club on the heels of Four Points by Sheraton Puntacana Village.
2014 Owner Awards Winners
President’s Award:
DiamondRock Hospitality Company
(Mark Brugger and Rob Tannenbaum)
Rockbridge
(Jim Merkel)
Shashi Corporation
(Dipesh Gupta and Manish Gupta)
Developer of the Year:
Specialty Select
White Lodging Services Corporation
Full-Service
Grupo Puntacana
Environmental Sustainability Awards – Operations: The Westin Bellevue Hotel
Social and Cultural Sustainability Award: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa
Renovation of the Year:
Specialty-Select
Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis Airport
Full-Service
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel
Luxury
W Chicago Lakeshore
Conversion of the Year:
Specialty Select
Four Points by Sheraton Jacksonville Beachfront
Full-Service
Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
New Build of the Year:
Specialty Select
Element Vaughan Southwest
Full-Service
The Westin Birmingham
Photo caption: Environmental Sustainability Awards – Operations: The Westin Bellevue Hotel.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
