HEI Hotels & Resorts Wins Top Starwood Awards
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HEI Hotels & Resorts Wins Top Starwood Awards
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Category: Worldwide - Events -
Rewards
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2011-04-26
Special Recognition for Volunteer Work Following Flood in Nashville
NORWALK, Conn, April 25, 2011—HEI Hotels & Resorts (HEI), the nation’s fastest growing private owner/operator of hotel real estate, today announced that the company received four of the top awards for operating and development excellence from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. It was the largest number of awards given to any Starwood franchisee at the company’s recent North American Owners Conference. HEI and its hotels were selected to receive the following awards:
* President's Award – for hotel industry leadership and consistently partnering with Starwood in reaching its corporate objectives (HEI Hotels & Resorts)
* Social and Cultural Sustainability Award – for demonstrating an individual hotel’s positive impact on a local community, including a high level of associate participation (Sheraton Music City Hotel, owned/managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts)
* Conversion - Full Service – for top full-service hotel conversion of the year, including exceptional post-opening results (Le Méridien Philadelphia, owned/managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts)
* New Build - Luxury – for best new luxury hotel, including exceptional post-opening results (W Hollywood Hotel & Residences, owned/managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts)
“It is particularly gratifying to be recognized in four diverse categories,” said Gary Mendel, HEI chairman and CEO. “HEI and its associates are committed to setting and achieving the highest possible standards in all areas of hotel operations and guest service delivery. These awards recognize that commitment and our collective success in achieving our goals. We consider being named as recipient of four awards to be a singular honor.
“One award of which we are most proud is the Social and Cultural Sustainability Award, given to the Sheraton Music City Hotel in Nashville. Clearly, the associates at this property have taken community outreach to a new level, and this award formally recognizes their outstanding contributions, in both volunteer time and donations, and the positive impact they have had.”
The property participates in approximately 12 to 15 events each year, or about one every month. “The ideas come from our associates at our monthly Town Hall meetings,” said Jim Morrissey, general manager. “Among last year’s most gratifying projects was our one-year adoption of a home from the Volunteers of America with three developmentally challenged residents. Other activities included the county-wide Sober Ride event, a breast cancer walk, providing Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to the less fortunate, gift drives, and a Volunteers of America home improvement project. A good portion of the funding for these events was raised through our Blue Jean Fridays program. Associates can wear blue jeans on Friday for a $5 donation.”
Morrissey added that the Blue Jean Fridays program also contributed funds to the Nashville Rescue Mission, which provides shelter and hot meals to the homeless. “We raised enough money to fund about 1,000 meals, and provided the volunteers to serve them.” Following the severe flooding in Nashville last May, the hotel donated 5 percent of its gross revenues for one day to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. “We also provided relief to our own hotel associates affected by the May flooding with funds provided by our Blue Jean Fridays program.”
More than 50 percent of associates volunteer to help the community, he said. “Basically, our associates care about doing a good thing. We’re in the hospitality business, and these kinds of activities go hand in hand with what we do on a daily basis. We’re either helping our guests or helping each other.”
About HEI Hotels & Resorts
HEI Hotels & Resorts, headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., is a leading hospitality investment firm that acquires, develops, owns and operates full-service, upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States under such well-known brand names as Marriott, W, Westin, Le Meridien, Sheraton, Embassy Suites, and Hilton.
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