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Recipients were announced and honoured at a special evening Ceremony and Gala at the Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, Autograph Collection in Point Clear, Alabama, on Thursday, November 17, 2022. The Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) has been known as The Queen of Southern Resorts for 175 years and is set on 550 acres next to Mobile Bay. Awards were presented before an audience of more than 200 industry leaders, owners, senior management, and representatives of the world’s finest historic hotels.
Seventeen Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence were given in multiple categories ranging from Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotelier of the Year, Historic Hotels of America Hotel Historian of the Year, Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award, and others.
Winners were selected from nominations by historic hotels, preservation supporters, prior award recipients, community leaders, and leadership from Historic Hotels of America. As an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America provides the recognition to travellers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that member hotels are among the finest historic hotels from across the United States of America. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence program recognizes the pinnacle of this distinct group of nominees in a range of categories.
From over 350 nominations, the awards committee evaluated the nominee finalists and, after careful consideration, selected the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence award winners:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
This award is presented to a new member hotel that best demonstrates immediate engagement, activation, and passionate support of Historic Hotels of America.
Historic Hotels of America Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
This award is presented to a hotel that actively engages consumers by sharing the best of its history through social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with interesting historical facts and stories.
Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion
This award is presented to a hotel that best implements and practices innovative green initiatives and programs, demonstrating historic preservation is the ultimate green.
Winner: Presidio Lodging: Inn at the Presidio (1903) and The Lodge at the Presidio (1895) San Francisco, California
Historic Hotels of America Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
This award is presented to a hotel under 75 guestrooms that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Hotel (76 – 200 Guestrooms)
This award is presented to a hotel with 76-200 guestrooms that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Hotel (201 – 400 Guestrooms)
This award is presented to a hotel with 201-400 guestrooms that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) Hot Springs, Virginia.
Credit: Historic Hotels of America and The Omni Homestead Resort.
Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
This award is presented to a hotel with over 400 guestrooms that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Historic Hotels of America Best City Center Historic Hotel
This award is presented to a hotel located in a city center that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
The Wigwam (1929) Litchfield Park, Arizona. Credit: Historic Hotels of America and The Wigwam.
Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Resort
This award is presented to a historic resort that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Historic Hotels of America Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
This award is presented to a restaurant that is part of a historic hotel that offers the finest cuisine, historic atmosphere, and exceptional customer service.
Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Celebrating 25+ years of service)
This award is presented to an individual who has dedicated their career to a historic hotel for at least twenty-five years, has been an exemplary ambassador and steward of the history and stories of a historic hotel, and has shown exemplary hospitality and service to the hotel and its guests.
Winner: Sam Sealy at Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
Historic Hotels of America Hotel Historian of the Year
This award is presented to a hotel historian who best demonstrates a passion for preserving, displaying, and interpreting the history of their hotel, a true ambassador of the past.
Winner: Susan Stein at Grand Hotel Golf Resort & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
Historic Hotels of America Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
The Lodge at the Presidio (1894) San Francisco, California. Credit: Historic Hotels of America and The Lodge at the Presidio.
This award is presented to a multi-generational family ownership entity or management company which has served as an exemplary role model in the operation of the historic hotels entrusted to its stewardship, has demonstrated a long-term legacy of commitment to historic preservation, and has been an active champion of Historic Hotels of America.
Winner: The Hraba Family at Presidio Lodging: The Lodge at the Presidio (1894) and Inn at the Presidio (1903) Francisco, California
Historic Hotels of America Historic Hotelier of the Year
This award is presented to the recipient demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history at historic hotels as well as leadership and innovation.
Winner: Patty Henning at Jekyll Island Club Resort (1886) Jekyll Island, Georgia
Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award Winner
This award is presented to an individual whose lifelong passion has resulted in the preservation and celebration of the history and stories of a legendary historic hotel.
Winner: Elise Roenigk at 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Historic Hotels of America Legacy of Innovation and Inspiration Award Winner
This award recognizes the extensive accomplishments of Peter Strebel in pioneering innovative concepts and programs for achieving uncommon success, for being a thought leader on exceptional service, an inspiring leader in the hotel industry, and whose leadership and vision has resulted the donation of more than 25 million meals to help end hunger in America and whose leadership has resulted in the preservation, restoration, and celebration of fifteen iconic and legendary historic hotels and resorts.
Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Winner
The Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award recognizes the extensive accomplishments of Greg MacGillivray, American film director, cinematographer, preeminent storyteller, pioneer of the 70mm IMAX film format, Academy Award Nominee, and passionate ocean conservationist. This award recognizes him for making a unique contribution in the research, and presentation of history and whose work has encouraged a wide, if not provocative, discussion and greater understanding of the history and the diverse heritages and cultures of our nation, the world, and the planet.
“It is an honour to congratulate all of the 2022 Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence winners,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “The winners are the finest historic hotels and hoteliers from the across the United States. 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 and legendary hotels that keep the stories alive from the past and make staying or celebrating special occasions at these historic hotels memorable experiences. The hotels on this list represent the very best spirit of perseverance and preservation of Historic Hotels. Through the many chapters these buildings have seen, it is the care of their staff, owners, and operators and the support of travellers that allow these stories to continue.”
To be nominated for the Historic Hotels of America Annual Awards of Excellence, a hotel must be a member of Historic Hotels of America, demonstrate how the hotel increased the recognition and celebration of the hotel’s history, heritage, historic preservation, and its membership as well as how the hotel (through its ownership, leadership, and employees) contributes significantly as an industry leader in the designated award category.