Hilton Worldwide has announced honors for its top annual development awards in the Americas. Awards are presented in five categories across the company’s portfolio of hotels, including: Developer of the Year, Best Conversion, Deal of the Year, Outstanding Achievement and Lifetime Achievement. Recipients are recognized based on criteria ranging from total number and quality of hotels developed to impact on community and fastest construction time. Once nominated, the finalists are chosen by Hilton Worldwide’s global brand heads.
“We are proud to celebrate the achievements of these valued Hilton Worldwide partners with whom we have developed strong relationships that have allowed us to expand our footprint not only in Americas, but globally,” said Matt Wehling, senior vice president, development – U.S. and Canada, Hilton Worldwide. “The growth and success of our portfolio of brands can be attributed to our dedicated owners who share innovative vision and leadership, service-oriented culture, exceptional management skills, and committed values.”
A Lifetime Achievement Award is given each year to a developer based on the commitment to his or her quality of projects, impact on local community, significant work in the development arena over a minimum of 20 years, as well as loyalty to the Hilton family of brands.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Stephen L. Schwartz, chairman of First Hospitality Group, a leading developer, owner and operator of quality hotels in the Midwest since 1984.
“We couldn’t be happier to honor Steve and his entire team at First Hospitality Group with the Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Wehling. “Our relationship with Steve started more than 30 years ago, back in the Promus days of our company’s history, and since then we’ve cultivated an invaluable partnership that helps bring our brands to life at his 20 Hilton Worldwide properties. We wish to congratulate him on this achievement.”
Each full service and focused service brand within the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of 12 market leading brands honors a Developer of the Year. Developer of the Year winners are chosen based on the number of deals approved and a combination of new projects and quality of projects that meets or exceeds brand standards. The awards for 2014 include:
- Curio Collection by Hilton: Wintergreen Hospitality – The Franklin Chapel Hill Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton, NC
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Driftwood Hospitality Management – Hilton Tampa Downtown, FL
- DoubleTree by Hilton: Manga Hotels – The Hollis Halifax – A DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel, NS
- Embassy Suites by Hilton: DCG Development – Embassy Suites by Hilton Saratoga Springs, NY
- Hilton Garden Inn: First Hospitality Group & City Properties Group – Hilton Garden Inn Louisville Downtown, KY
- Hampton by Hilton: Openning SpA – Hampton by Hilton Rancagua, Chile
- Homewood Suites by Hilton: Northpoint Hospitality Group – Homewood Suites by Hilton Savannah Historic District/Riverfront, GA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton: Vista Host Hotel Development and Management
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Tuscaloosa Downtown University Boulevard, AL
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Tallahassee, FL
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Lexington University / Medical Center, KY
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Stillwater, OK
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Austin Round Rock, TX
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Pittsburgh Cranberry, PA
- Multi-brand: Kinseth Hospitality
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Omaha/West, NE
- Hilton Garden Inn Bettendorf/Quad Cities, IA
- Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Minooka, IL
- Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Mason City, IA
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Ankeny, IA
- Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton West Des Moines/SW-Mall Area, IA
- Homewood Suites by Hilton West Des Moines/SW-Mall Area, IA
- Dual-brand: Canalta Hotels
- Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Medicine Hat, AB
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Medicine Hat, AB
Franchisees honored in additional categories include:
Best Conversion award winners are chosen based on the nature of conversion, location and impact on community, total size and financial commitment, and creative use of set development standards.
- Curio Collection by Hilton: Thayer Lodging – Brookfield Hotel Properties – Diplomat Resort & Spa Hollywood, Curio Collection by Hilton, FL
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts: RLJ Lodging Trust – Hilton Cabana Miami Beach, FL
- DoubleTree by Hilton: Lodging Hospitality Management – The St. Louis Union Station – A DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, MO
- Hilton Garden Inn: HMB Management Inc. – Hilton Garden Inn Springfield, NJ
- Hampton by Hilton: Turf Hotels – Hampton Inn by Hilton Albany-Western Ave/University Area, NY
- Homewood Suites by Hilton: Alliance Hospitality Inc. – Homewood Suites by Hilton Columbus/Polaris, OH
Deal of the Year award winners are chosen based on the most creative process used to seal the deal against insurmountable obstacles, location and impact on community, unique look and feel of the hotel, as well as the size and scope of the project.
- Curio Collection by Hilton: Finard Hotel Group – Providence Biltmore, Curio Collection by Hilton, RI
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Carvalho Hosken Hotelaria – Hilton Barra, Rio de Janeiro
- DoubleTree by Hilton: Summit Hospitality Management Group – DoubleTree by Hilton St. Augustine Hotel Historic District, FL
- Embassy Suites by Hilton: North Drop Associates, LLC – Embassy Suites by Hilton St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Hilton Garden Inn: Landmark Holdings – Hilton Garden Inn Cusco, Peru
- Hampton by Hilton: The Malcolm Bryant Corporation – Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Downtown Owensboro/Waterfront, KY
- Homewood Suites by Hilton: Legacy Hospitality, LLC – Homewood Suites by Hilton Seattle-North/Lynwood, WA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton: SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts – Home2 Suites by Hilton West Edmonton, AB
- Dual brand: Widewaters Hotels, LLC
- Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown, AB
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Calgary Downtown, AB
Outstanding Achievement awards are given when a franchisee has achieved an extraordinary accomplishment, outside of the above categories.
- Conrad: Inmobiliaria Canels – Conrad International San Luis Potosi, SLP
- Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Penn Landing Partners – Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, PA
- DoubleTree by Hilton: Inmobiliaria Canels – DoubleTree by Hilton Queretaro, Mexico
- Hilton Garden Inn: Roslyn O-S Hotel Partners, LLC – Hilton Garden Inn Roslyn, NY
- Hampton by Hilton: Inmobiliaria Canels – Hampton Inn Irapuato, Mexico
- Home2 Suites by Hilton: Aston Management Company
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Edmond, OK
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Oklahoma City Quail Springs, OK
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Yukon, OK
- Dual brand: Widewaters Hotels, LLC
- Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown, AB
- Homewood Suites by Hilton Calgary Downtown, AB
