NATIONAL REPORT—Whether it’s celebrating an anniversary, receiving an award, earning a certification, debuting a new product or expanding the business, hotel companies and vendors achieve new milestones on a daily basis. Here’s a look at recent accomplishments:
McKibbon Hospitality Wins Five Marriott CFRST Awards
McKibbon Hospitality was awarded five awards at the Marriott CFRST (Select-Service) General Manager’s Conference, held in Chicago this April.
The Tampa, FL-based hospitality company manages 87 hotels in over 30 cities, representing 20 premier brands for Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and IHG brands. The company’s portfolio had seven of its properties and teams recognized by Marriott for a variety of awards, from “Hotel of the Year” to “Team Member of the Year.”
The Marriott CFRST awards honor select-service and extended-stay brands, including AC Hotels, Aloft Hotels, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Sheraton Four Points.
The criteria for the applicable awards are as follows:
Gold hotels must be in the top 10% in the brand on guest satisfaction surveys (GSS). Silver hotels must land in the top 20% of the brand’s GSS.
McKibbon received the following awards:
• Aloft Greenville Downtown, located in a mixed-used hub in the South Carolina city, landed the Hotel of the Year Award for the entire Aloft brand. Dustin Cash, general manager, accepted the award.
• The Residence Inn Ft. Myers Gulf Coast Town Center, which offers one- and two-bedroom suites and studios, was awarded the Gold Hotel Award for guest satisfaction.
• Three McKibbon hotels won the Silver Hotel Award for guest satisfaction: Courtyard Ft. Myers Gulf Coast Town Center; Residence Inn Little Rock Downtown; and SpringHill Suites Pensacola.
• Radmila “Rada” Kukrika won Team Member of the Year for the entire Courtyard brand. Rada joined the Courtyard Orlando Altamonte Springs/Maitland team more than 20 years ago and serves as the Courtyard bistro attendant.
• Sherry Petrazio, of Four Points Huntsville Airport, was named Team Member of the Year for the entire Sheraton Four Points brand.
“We are extremely proud of the individual properties and team members that earned such prestigious honors,” said McKibbon President Randy Hassen. “Being recognized by Marriott for these awards confirms that we consistently exceed expectations and the guest satisfaction scores, and team member awards prove that.”
Caesars Recognized as “One of the Most Community Minded Companies”
Caesars Entertainment Corporation was nationally recognized for the fifth consecutive year as one of the “Most Community Minded Companies” by Civic 50, a Points of Light initiative. The Civic 50 provides a national standard for companies with annual revenues of at least $1 billion and showcases how they use their time, skills and other resources to improve the communities in which they do business.
“Caesars Entertainment prides itself on being a good corporate citizen that contributes a long-lasting, positive societal impact on the communities in which we operate,” said Jan Jones Blackhurst, EVP of public policy and corporate responsibility. “Through the dedication of our remarkable team members, who volunteer their time, plus our leadership and continued commitment to our People Planet Play platform, we plan to continue deepening our impact for many years to come.”
People Planet Play is a strategic alignment of Caesars Entertainment’s corporate citizenship initiatives. Within these pillars Caesars recognizes and builds upon its support of the growth and equity of all team members.
Peter Strebel Named a Top CEO by Glassdoor
Omni Hotels & Resorts President Peter Strebel has been named a winner of Glassdoor’s annual Employees’ Choice Awards, honoring the Top CEOs in 2019 across North America and parts of Europe. The award recognizes CEOs that shine brightest according to those who know them best – their own employees, according to the job and recruiting site.
Strebel is a 30-year-plus veteran of the hospitality industry and has provided over 20 years of senior leadership to the Omni brand. He was promoted to his current role as president in March 2018 and has continued to elevate Omni’s vision while insuring all operational areas within the company align with the brand’s long-term goals and objectives.
With more than 1,000 associate reviews that celebrate Omni’s values, culture and leaders, it has achieved a score of 4.3 out of 5 and was recently named one of the Top 100 Best Places to Work by Glassdoor.
ISHC Rising Star Award goes to Paola Gomez Lopez
The International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) in partnership with the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) recognized Paola Gomez Lopez, director of Sales of the Hilton La Romana, with the 2019 Rising Star Award Caribbean. Paola was presented the award during plenary session of the CHRIS conference at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Gomez began her career at Playa Hotels & Resorts in 2013 as a sales executive and quickly became the youngest director of sales in the company’s history.
“We are honored to be a part of the Rising Star Award in the Caribbean. The nominations we received represent the very best and brightest in our industry,” said Andrea Belfanti, executive director, ISHC. “It is obvious that Paola is a deserving recipient of this award and I know we will continue to see great things from her. We would like to thank CHRIS, the Judges Panel and sponsors for their support.”
