WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Historic Hotels of America 2014 Awards of Excellence winners were announced at The Hotel Hershey® (1933) in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 2. Historic Hotels of America 2014 Ceremony and Gala Dinner was sponsored by American Express. Awards were presented before an audience of more than 200 owners, senior management, invited media, industry leaders, and representatives from the finest historic hotels across America. Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotelier of the Year, and others.
Each year, these awards honor, encourage, and recognize the most exemplary historic hotels, hoteliers, and leadership practices. The Awards of Excellence are presented to historic hotels demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history and demonstrating leadership and innovation.
From more than 160 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America hotels and hoteliers were honored with these prestigious awards:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
- Benbow Inn (1926) Garberville, California
Historic Hotelier of the Year
- Michel Sheer, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
- Inn at the Presidio (1776) Golden Gate National Park, San Francisco, California
Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms)
- Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (1895) Portland, Maine
Best Historic Hotel (200-400 Guestrooms)
- Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
- The Palmer House Hilton (1871) Chicago, Illinois
Best City Center Historic Hotel
- Lord Baltimore Hotel (1928) Baltimore, Maryland
Best Historic Resort
- The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort (1927) Waikiki Beach, Hawaii
Hotel Historian of the Year
- Ken Price, The Palmer House Hilton (1871) Chicago, Illinois
Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
- The Barker Family, Strater Hotel (1887) Durango, Colorado
Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
- Orchids at Palm Court, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio
Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
- Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion
- Lord Jeffery Inn (1926) Amherst, Massachusetts
Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service)
- Patty Henning, Jekyll Island Club Hotel (1886) Jekyll Island, Georgia
Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award
- Terry Richey, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award
- Stanley Turkel, Author and Consultant
“Historic Hotels of America is proud to congratulate the 2014 Awards of Excellence winners,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These historic hotels and hoteliers represent the pinnacle in historic hotels and their achievements from Portland, Maine to Waikiki Beach.”
The hotels were nominated by fellow members, past award recipients, and honorees. A panel of experts judged and weighed the nominees in each category in order to determine a winner. As the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America provides the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage and historic travel market that the members hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America. To find more information about award winners from previous winners, click here.
About Historic Hotels of America®
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation® for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels. Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with 32 charter members. Today, Historic Hotels of America has more than 260 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties. More than 30 of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org.