January 27, 2016 (New York, NY): On Monday evening, January 25, 2016, the 2015 Hotel Excellence Awards (HEA) program was held at the iconic Cipriani Wall Street and hosted byWhere® IN New York, a multi-media publishing company—in cooperation with the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. and the New York City Association of Hotel Concierges.
The HEA program recognizes the qualities and characteristics that define superior service and achievement in New York City’s hospitality industry. More than 400 of the hospitality industry’s finest were in attendance to share in this memorable event.
“Each year, we are more than honored to host the Hotel Excellence Awards, which allows hospitality professionals to recognize their peers’ achievements,” says Adeline Tafuri Jurecka, Where® IN New York Publisher. “For Where® IN New York, this event serves as a great opportunity for us to say ‘thank you’ to the many hotels, concierges and hotel managers that help NYC visitors have memorable experiences while in our great city.”
The Hotel Excellence Awards is comprised of the Hotel Experience Awards, which recognizes hotels in eight categories and are selected by the readers of Where New York and IN New Yorkmagazines; and the Silver Plume Awards, which honor and recognize exemplary customer service in the Hotel Concierge and General Manager community, as chosen by their peers. New to the Hotel Experience Awards this year, the over/under 500-room feature was eliminated and two new categories were added: Best Budget-Friendly Hotel and Best Luxury Hotel.
“The New York City Association of Hotel Concierges is proud to partner with Where® IN New York on the Silver Plume Awards, which honor members of our association on their great achievements,” says Loida Diaz, New York City Association of Hotel Concierges President.
The Hotel Excellence Awards winners are as follows:
Hotel Experience Awards
Best Concierge Service: The Surrey
Best Family-Friendly: The Plaza
Best Business Service: The Benjamin
Best Hotel Amenities: Gansevoort Park Avenue NYC
Best Hotel Restaurant: The NoMad Hotel, NoMad
Best Luxury Hotel: Baccarat Hotel & Residences, New York
Best Budget-Friendly: Hampton Inn Manhattan – Times Square North
Best Overall Experience: The Benjamin
Silver Plume Awards
Concierge of the Year:
Ela Orosova, Loews Regency Hotel, New York
Chef Concierge of the Year:
Regena Falling, Park Hyatt New York
Best Supporting Manager of the Year:
Mujo Perezic, The Kimberly Hotel
Hotel Excellence Award for Community Service:
Raita Sawai, Kitano Hotel New York
The night also saw Alfred C. Cerullo III, president and CEO of Grand Central Partnership and a commissioner on the New York City Planning Commission, receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, which is given each year to a person or organization that demonstrates exceptional achievement in their field and outstanding contributions to New York City’s hospitality industry. This year, Lalique presented the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient with its beautiful Grand Modele Trophy.
On receiving this accolade, Cerullo says, “Anytime the work you do is acknowledged is always appreciated, but to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award from the industry that is so vital to our great City, makes this such an immense honor. As someone who has served in both the public and private sectors throughout my entire career, I am so fortunate my career path has always enabled me to partner with all of the many branches on the tourism tree, and to learn firsthand about the collective impact this sector can have on all our lives. So to be recognized by the industry that has this overwhelming impact on everyone it touches, that serves as the face of our city and is always working to create once-in-a-lifetime experiences and memories for the tens of millions of people who come here each year, is an honor beyond words.”
Entertainment for the evening included a selection from Broadway’s Something Rotten!, as well as music from Waitress, a new musical that will begin Broadway previews March 25. The event also included a charitable Silent Auction—containing almost one hundred luxury items—to benefit the Les Clefs d’Or Foundation, the New York City Association of Hotel Concierges’ Charitable Fund and the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. Scholarship Fund.
About Where® IN New York:
Where® IN New York is a division of Morris Media Network. Where® IN New York’s market-leading visitor publications include Where GuestBook® New York, Where® New York—now in its 80th year—and IN New York magazines and Where® IN New York Map. Reaching every segment of the visitor market—from leisure and family to business and luxury travel—Where® IN New York products appear at 375 of New York’s most distinguished hotels, and in upscale corporate housing, private clubs, airports, residential buildings, Amtrak trains and Acela VIP lounges, generating an annual readership in excess of 30 million. For more information, log on to www.mvpny.net
Media Contact:
Mackenzie Allison, Where® IN New York Marketing Editor 212.636.2760/mackenzie.