PINEHURST, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® are pleased to announce the winners of the 2019 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. Recipients were honored at a special ceremony and gala at Pinehurst Resort (1895) on Thursday, November 7. Awards were presented before an audience of more than 200 industry leaders, owners, senior management, and representatives of the finest historic hotels from across the United States of America and from around the world. 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, Lifetime Achievement, and others.
From more than 200 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide hotels and hoteliers were honored with these prestigious annual awards for 2019:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
- Blackburn Inn (1828) Staunton, Virginia
Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
- The Hotel Hershey® (1933) Hershey, Pennsylvania
Sustainability Champion
- Morris Inn at Notre Dame (1952) South Bend, Indiana
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
- St. James Hotel (1875) Red Wing, Minnesota
Best Historic Hotel (76-200 Guestrooms)
- Historic Hotel Bethlehem (1922) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms)
- The Wigwam (1929) Litchfield Park, Arizona
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
- Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
Best City Center Historic Hotel
- The Hermitage Hotel (1910) Nashville, Tennessee
Best Historic Resort
- Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
Best Historic Restaurant
- Smokehouse Restaurant at Antrim 1844 Taneytown, Maryland
Hotel Historian of the Year
- Larry Johnson at The Seelbach Hilton Louisville (1905) Louisville, Kentucky
Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century of Service)
- Frolin Hatcher and Larry Goins at Pinehurst Resort (1895) Pinehurst, North Carolina
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Europe
- Losby Gods (1744) Finstadjordet, Norway
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Asia/Pacific
- Raffles Singapore (1887) Singapore
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in the Americas
- Hacienda Uxmal Plantation and Museum (1673) Yucatan, Mexico
Steward of History and Historic Preservation
- Robert H. Dedman Jr. at Pinehurst Resort (1895) Pinehurst, North Carolina
Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
- The Belz Family at The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee
Historic Hotelier of the Year
- Kenneth Hayward at Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Lifetime Achievement Award
- P. Steven Dopp at Francis Marion Hotel (1924) Charleston, South Carolina; Middlebury Inn (1827), Middlebury, Vermont; The Westin Poinsett (1925), Greenville, South Carolina
“Congratulations to the recipients of the 2019 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. These 2019 winners represent more nearly 500 years of history and include the finest legendary and iconic historic hotels from across the United States of America and from around the world,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “We are delighted to recognize these magnificent historic hotels and their historic hoteliers for their dedication, enthusiasm, stewardship, and leadership in preserving these iconic treasures and their stories for future generations.”
Award recipients are selected from nominees received from historic hotels, historic preservation supporters, prior award recipients, and leadership from Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. As official programs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide provide the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that member hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America and around the world. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence program recognizes the pinnacle of this distinct group of nominees in a range of categories.
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 has more than 300 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 historic hotels. 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.
About Historic Hotels Worldwide®
Washington DC based Historic Hotels Worldwide® is a prestigious collection of historic treasures, including more than 360 legendary historic hotels including many former castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes authentic cultural treasures that demonstrate exemplary historic preservation and their inspired architecture, cultural traditions, and authentic cuisine. Historic Hotels Worldwide along with Historic Hotels of America are official programs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation (United States of America). HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com allows travelers to book their next getaway from more than 3,000 historic and cultural experiences, and view special offers at participating historic hotels from 43 countries. To be nominated and selected to be featured on this supplemental marketing program website, historical lodging properties must be at least 75 years old; utilize historic accommodations; serve as the former home or be located on the grounds of the former home of famous persons or significant location for an event in history; be located in or within walking distance to a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of historic event, or a historic city center; be recognized by a local preservation organization or national trust; and display historic memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance. To be selected in the United States for inclusion in Historic Hotels Worldwide, a hotel must meet the above criteria plus be a member of Historic Hotels of America. For more information, please visit HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com.