WASHINGTON, D.C.—August 3, 2017 Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® are pleased to announce the nominee finalists for the 2017 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. These Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence recognize and celebrate the finest historic hotels and hoteliers across the nation and around the world.
The 2017 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner will take place at The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) in Hot Springs, Virginia on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 6 pm. The final award winners will be announced to recipients before an audience of owners, senior management, industry leaders, and representatives from the finest historic hotels around the world.
Award recipients are selected from nominees received from historic hotels, historic preservation supporters, prior award recipients, community leaders, 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.
The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
From over 200 nominations, the awards committee evaluated, and after careful consideration selected the following 2017 award nominee finalists:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
• Inn at Willow Grove (1778) Orange, Virginia
• The Georges (1789) Lexington, Virginia
• Penn Wells Hotel (1869) Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
• Marriott Syracuse Downtown (1924) Syracuse, New York
• Hotel Saranac, Curio Collection by Hilton (1927) Saranac Lake, New York
• Silver Birches (1929) Hawley, Pennsylvania
Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
• The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
• The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (1876) Riverside, California
• Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
• The Otesaga Hotel and the Cooper Inn (1909) Cooperstown, New York
• Hotel Blackhawk, Autograph Collection (1915) Davenport, Iowa
• The Don CeSar (1928) St. Petersburg, Florida
Sustainability Champion
• Hotel El Convento (1651) San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
• Ledges Hotel (1890) Hawley, Pennsylvania
• The Lenox (1900) Boston, Massachusetts
• Inn at the Presidio (1903) San Francisco, California
• The Brown Hotel (1923) Louisville, Kentucky
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
• The Georges (1789) Lexington, Virginia
• The Inn at Montchanin Village & Spa (1799) Montchanin, Delaware
• Napa River Inn (1884) Napa, California
• OHEKA CASTLE (1919) Huntington, New York
• The Lord Jeffery Inn (1926) Amherst, Massachusetts
• The Dunhill Hotel (1929) Charlotte, North Carolina
Best Historic Hotel (76-200 Guestrooms)
• The Jefferson Hotel (1895) Richmond, Virginia
• Union Station Hotel Nashville, Autograph Collection (1900) Nashville, Tennessee
• Hotel Boulderado (1909) Boulder, Colorado
• The Gasparilla Inn & Club (1913) Boca Grande, Florida
• Historic Hotel Bethlehem (1922) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Mayflower Park Hotel (1927) Seattle, Washington
Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms)
• The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
• The Pfister Hotel (1893) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• West Baden Springs Hotel (1902) West Baden, Indiana
• The Hollywood Roosevelt (1927) Los Angeles, California
• Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection by Hilton (1931) Kansas City, Missouri
• The Hotel Hershey® (1933) Hershey, Pennsylvania
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
• Omni Parker House, Boston (1855) Boston, Massachusetts
• St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (1894) St. Louis, Missouri
• Amway Grand Plaza (1913) Grand Rapids, Michigan
• The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection (1925) Washington, DC
• Lord Baltimore Hotel (1928) Baltimore, Maryland
• InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile (1929) Chicago, Illinois
St. Louis Union Station Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton (1894) St. Louis, Missouri © Debbie Franke 2014
Best City Center Historic Hotel
• The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
• Fairmont Hotel San Francisco (1907) San Francisco, California
• Marriott Syracuse Downtown (1924) Syracuse, New York
• The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas
• Mayflower Park Hotel (1927) Seattle, Washington
• The Edgewater (1948) Madison, Wisconsin
Best Historic Resort
• Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
• Basin Harbor Club (1886) Vergennes, Vermont
• White Stallion Ranch (1900) Tucson, Arizona
• The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado
• The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
• The Hotel Hershey® (1933) Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hotel Historian of the Year
• Jim Hewes at The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
• Susan Wilson at the Omni Parker House, Boston (1855) Boston, Massachusetts
• Keith Scales at the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas
• Elaine R. Normile at The Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club (1925) in St. Petersburg, Florida
• Teresa Porter at the Benbow Inn (1926) Garberville, California
• Jacquelyn Jenke at the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile (1929) Chicago, Illinois
Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
• Woods Restaurant at Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
• Lemaire at The Jefferson Hotel (1895) Richmond, Virginia
• Murray Circle at Cavallo Point (1901) Sausalito, California
• Penrose Room at The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado
• The Wisconsin Room at The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
• The Circular at The Hotel Hershey® (1933) Hershey, Pennsylvania
Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
• The Smiley Family at Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
• Duane and Kelly Roberts at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (1876) Riverside, California
• The Beach Family at Basin Harbor Club (1886) Vergennes, Vermont
• The Kohler Family at The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
• The Melius Family at OHEKA CASTLE (1919) Huntington, New York
• The Korman Family at AKA.
Gardens of Kohler. The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
Historic Hotelier of the Year
• John “Rusty” Wallace at the Omni La Mansion del Rio, San Antonio (1852) San Antonio, Texas
• Bob Beach Jr. at Basin Harbor Club (1886) Vergennes, Vermont
• Philip Wood at The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
• Gayle Karolczyk at the Francis Marion Hotel (1924) Charleston, South Carolina
• John Beatty at The Dunhill Hotel (1929) Charlotte, North Carolina
• John Dewberry at The Dewberry Charleston (1965) Charleston, South Carolina
Stewards of History and Historic Preservation Award
• Oliver T. Carr at The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
• Duane and Kelly Roberts at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (1876) Riverside, California
• R.D. (Dan) Musser III at Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
• Ed Riley at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown (1924) Syracuse, New York
• Birney and Marie Dempcy at the Mayflower Park Hotel (1927) Seattle, Washington
• Larry Korman at AKA.
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in Europe
• Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden (18th Century) Dresden, Germany
• NH Collection Amsterdam Doelen (1815) Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna (1873) Vienna, Austria
• Hotel Waldhaus Sils (1908) Sils Maria, Switzerland
• Grand Hotel Tremezzo (1910) Tremezzo, Italy
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in Asia/Pacific
• Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar (1780) Bataan, Philippines
• Alsisar Haveli (1892) Jaipur, India
• Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (1901) Hanoi, Vietnam
• Laxmi Niwas Palace (1904) Bikaner, India
• Hotel New Grand (1927) Yokohama, Japan
• The Fullerton Hotel Singapore (1928) Singapore
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in the Americas
• Hacienda Uxmal Plantation & Museum (1673) Merida, Mexico
• Rosas & Xocolate Boutique Hotel (19th Century) Merida, Mexico
• Quinta Real Zacatecas (1866) Zacatecas, Mexico
• Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (1893) Québec City, Canada
• The Omni King Edward Hotel (1903) Toronto, Canada
• Alvear Palace Hotel (1932) Buenos Aires, Argentina
“It is an honor to congratulate all the 2017 award nominees,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “The nominee finalists exemplify the finest historic hotels and their hoteliers from across the United States of America and from around the world. The historic hotels nominated include small historic inns, boutique hotels, lifestyle hotels, and resorts. They represent small towns to large cities to UNESCO World Heritage destinations. We applaud the dedication and passion of the thousands of individuals working at these iconic hotels that keep the stories alive from the past and that make staying or celebrating a special occasion at these historic hotels a memorable experience. Keynote speakers will include recently named 2017 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year, Chef Walter Staib, culinary historian, author, ten-time Emmy® Award winning TV host of A Taste of History©. We will also recognize the recipient of the prestigious 2017 Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award.”
Tickets for The Historic Hotels of America 2017 Annual Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner are available. The awards ceremony and dinner will take place at The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) in Hot Springs, Virginia on Thursday, September 28, 2017 at 6 pm. Contact Historic Hotels of America at +1 202 772 8336.
The 2016 Annual Awards of Excellence and Gala Dinner was held at the Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort (1927) in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 3, 2016 Please click here to view past award winners.
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 298 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 46 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®
Historic Hotels Worldwide® is a prestigious collection of historic treasures, including historic hotels, castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide represents the finest global collection of more than 260 historic hotels in more than 34 countries. Historic Hotels Worldwide is dedicated to promoting heritage and cultural travel to prestigious historic treasures. Hotels inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide are authentic historic treasures, demonstrate historic preservation, and celebrate historic significance. Embracing luxury hotel brands, chains, collections, and the finest independent historic hotels, participation is limited to those distinctive historic hotels that adhere to the following criteria: minimum age for the building is 75 years or older; historically relevant as a significant location with a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of a historic event, former home of a famous person, or historic city center; hotel celebrates its history by showcasing memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance; recognized by national preservation or heritage buildings organization or located within UNESCO World Heritage Site; presently used as historic hotel. To learn more visit www.HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com
