Preferred Hotels & Resorts Announces 2019 Awards of Excellence and GIFTTS Pineapple Award Winners

Preferred Hotels & Resorts Announces 2019 Awards of Excellence and GIFTTS Pineapple Award Winners

Recipients Honored at the 2019 Preferred Global Conference in Monte Carlo

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA: March 4, 2019 – Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2019 Preferred Awards of Excellence and GIFTTS Pineapple Award initiatives. With the luxury hospitality company entering its 15th year of ownership by the Ueberroth Family, the awards coincide with a key milestone in Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ history and demonstrate the brand’s unwavering commitment to championing the world’s finest independent hotels and promoting the philanthropic efforts of its member properties.

Celebrated among an audience of more than 270 hospitality industry leaders, renowned speakers, media, and independent hoteliers from around the world, the awards were presented at the closing ceremony of the 2019 Preferred Global Conference, which took place at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort in Monaco from February 25 to March 1.

“It is a genuine honor to host these awards each year in recognition of the remarkable hoteliers and their dedicated teams who are committed to excellence in the independent hotel space. They set a strong example for their peers, and I am continuously impressed by their ongoing efforts to set new industry standards across every region and every category, in addition to taking the time to execute on impactful initiatives that support their local communities,” said CEO Lindsey Ueberroth. “Distinctly unique and authentic in their approach, the award winners are connected through exemplary leadership and a passion for delivering diverse and memorable travel experiences.”

2019 Preferred Awards of Excellence

• The Preferred Awards of Excellence recognize partners across the company’s global network that epitomize excellence within the Preferred Hotels & Resorts brand promise and inspire the global travel community to pursue #ThePreferredLife. Spanning from New Hotel of the Year to I Prefer Hotel of the Year, this year’s honorees are as follows:
• Hotel of the Year – Asia Pacific: The Siam (Bangkok, Thailand)
• Hotel of the Year – United States & Canada: Edgewood Tahoe Resort (Nevada, United States)
• Hotel of the Year – Latin America: Hotel Unique (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
• Hotel of the Year – Mexico & Caribbean: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
• Hotel of the Year – Europe: The Alpina Gstaad (Gstaad, Switzerland)
• Hotel of the Year – India, Middle East & Africa: The Imperial New Delhi (New Delhi, India)
• New Hotel of the Year – Resort: Montage Los Cabos (Cabos San Lucas, Mexico)
• New Hotel of the Year – City Center: The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston (Texas, United States)
• Hotel of the Year Overall: The Leela Palace Udaipur (Udaipur, India)
• Hotelier of the Year: Stephan Stokkermans, Managing Director, Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands)
• I Prefer Hotel of the Year: Pacific Gateway Hotel at Vancouver Airport (British Columbia, Canada)                      

To qualify for nomination, hotels were required to rank among the top in their region as part of the bespoke Preferred Hotels & Resorts Integrated Quality Assurance program – which takes into account the results of a professional on-site inspection and real-time guest feedback from the world’s top consumer review sites – and actively demonstrate strong engagement in their partnership with the brand. From the pool of qualified hotels, the company’s team of regional leaders created a shortlist of nominees across the seven categories. The awards committee, chaired by the Ueberroth Family, selected the winners.

GIFTTS Pineapple Award Winners

At each Preferred Global Conference, Preferred Hotels & Resorts also recognizes member hotels that take the meaning of genuine hospitality beyond their front doors by showcasing an outstanding commitment to philanthropy, community, sustainability, and education as part of its GIFTTS (Great Initiatives for Today’s [Tomorrow’s] Society) program. With more than 75 properties nominated in 2019 for their exemplary efforts in the four GIFTTS categories, the winners of the 10th annual GIFTTS Pineapple Awards are as follows:

• Overall Corporate Entity Winner – Nordic Hotels & Resorts
• Overall Excellence Winner – Royal Plaza on Scotts (Singapore)
• Philanthropy Winner – Grand Hotel Excelsior (Valletta, Malta)
• Sustainability Winner – The Imperial New Delhi (New Delhi, India)
• Education Winner – Wynn Resorts (Las Vegas, Nevada, United States)
• Community Service Winner – The Peabody Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee, United States)

For more information on GIFFTS, visit www.preferredhotels.com/giftts.