This Years Winners
HSMAI’S BIG APPLE CHAPTER
ANNOUNCES ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS
Eight Winners Across Industry To Share Stage with
Berkman Honoree Mayor Michael Bloomberg at June Gala Dinner
NEW YORK (April 9, 2008) – Across a broad range of major hospitality brands, including Mandarin Oriental, Affinia Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and Disney Vacations, among others, eight professionals emerged as recipients of the 2008 HSMAI Big Apple Chapter Annual Awards.
The HSMAI Big Apple Chapter Awards go to:
- Hospitality Professional of the Year: Merrie Davis, President and Publisher, MVP, NY
- Marketing Executive of the Year: John Moser, Chief Marketing Officer, Denihan Hospitality Group
- Sales Professional of the Year: Diana Voto, National Sales Director, Disney Resort Destinations
- General Manager of the Year Award: Rudy Tauscher, General Manager, Mandarin Oriental, New York
- Revenue Management Professional of the Year: Kerry Mack, Regional Vice President of Revenue Management, Highgate Hotels
- E-Marketing Professional of the Year: Alex Zesch, Director, Interactive Marketing and Development, Affinia Hotels
- Operations Excellence Award: Mike Stengel, Market Vice President and Area General Manager, Marriott International
- Hospitality Student of the Year Award: Dominique N. Kun, New York University
In addition, HSMAI Big Apple Chapter President Brenda Fields, of Fields & Company, also announced this year’s recipient of the President’s Award: OPEN Hospitality, a leading provider of integrated web reservation and management solutions for independent and boutique hotels, including search engine optimization, email and internet marketing. Accepting the President’s Award on June 10 will be David Millili, CEO, Brian Dass, President, Marion Hughes, VP Interactive Services and Brian Kotula, Director of Sales, who is a past President of the Big Apple Chapter.
The President’s Award is given by the Executive Committee of the Big Apple Chapter to a hospitality and tourism entity that exhibits sustained organizational excellence, leadership in both HSMAI and the New York community and success in their respective industry segment.
The Big Apple Chapter Annual Awards acknowledge those professionals who consistently exhibit extraordinary leadership and exemplify a love of the tourism and hospitality industry. The winners will share the stage with The Honorable Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who will receive special recognition as recipient of the Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award at the Chapter’s annual black-tie awards gala on June 10 at New York City’s famed Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza. This award was inspired by industry visionary Frank W. Berkman, a former Executive VP and COO of HSMAI, who is credited with establishing HSMAI as a highly influential international organization.
“On behalf of the Big Apple Chapter, I am honored and excited to announce this remarkable slate of award winners who represent the best and brightest in New York’s thriving hospitality and tourism industry,” said Fields, in making the announcement today at the annual General Manager’s Roundtable, at Tavern on the Green, New York.
Tickets for the gala dinner and journal messages celebrating the honorees can be purchased at the Big Apple Chapter website, www.hsmainyc.org, or by contacting Kathie Stapleton at 914-762-1456; fax: 606-773-1456; or kstapleton@hsmainyc.org.