Historic Hotels of America to Select 2016 Awards of Excellence Winners from Among Finalists

*Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928), the famous “Pink Lady” of St. Pete Beach, Florida, is a finalist for Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® will be announcing winners of the 2016 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence at a Gala Dinner at The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort (1927) in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 3. These Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence recognize and celebrate the finest historic hotels and hoteliers across the nation and around the world.

Award recipients are selected from nominees received from historic hotels, historic preservation supporters, prior award recipients, and leadership from Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. As official programs of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide provide the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that member hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America and around the world. The Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence program recognizes the pinnacle of this distinct group of nominees in a range of categories.

From over 200 nominations, the awards committee evaluated, and after careful consideration selected the following 2016 award nominee finalists:

Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year

Woodstock Inn & Resort (1793) Woodstock, Vermont
The Inn at Diamond Cove (1890) Portland, Maine
The Redbury New York (1903) New York, New York
XV Beacon (1903) Boston, Massachusetts
Hotel Warner (1930) West Chester, Pennsylvania

Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel

Hotel Monteleone (1886) New Orleans, Louisiana
Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco (1907) San Francisco, California
The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort (1927) Honolulu, Hawaii
Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928) St. Pete Beach, Florida

*Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928), St. Pete Beach, Florida © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Sustainability Champion

Hanover Inn Dartmouth (1780) Hanover, New Hampshire
The Boar’s Head (1834) Charlottesville, Virginia
Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama
The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
Lake Yellowstone Hotel & Cabins (1903) Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois

Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)

Concord’s Colonial Inn (1716) Concord, Massachusetts
Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn (1766) Rhinebeck, New York
Inn at the Presidio (1776) San Francisco, California
Inn at Leola Village, Est. 1867 (1867) Leola, Pennsylvania
The Chanler at Cliff Walk (1873) Newport, Rhode Island
The Wort Hotel (1941) Jackson, Wyoming

Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms)

The Otesaga Hotel and Cooper Inn (1909) Cooperstown, New York
The Hermitage Hotel (1910) Nashville, Tennessee
Hotel Blackhawk, Autograph Collection (1915) Davenport, Iowa
Historic Hotel Bethlehem (1922) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
La Fonda on the Plaza™ (1922) Santa Fe, New Mexico
Hawthorne Hotel (1925) Salem, Massachusetts

Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, Tennessee, a historic hotel — *The Hermitage Hotel (1910) Nashville, Tennessee, is nominated for Best Historic Hotel (75-200 guestrooms)* © *2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms)

The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (1876) Riverside, California
The Plaza (1907) New York, New York
Embassy Suites by Hilton Portland Downtown (1912) Portland, Oregon
Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (1927) Baton Rouge, Louisiana
The Edgewater (1948) Madison, Wisconsin

*The lobby of The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC, from which the term “lobbyist” derived © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com*

Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)

Palace Hotel (1875) San Francisco, California
Hotel Monteleone (1886) New Orleans, Louisiana
Moana Surfrider, A Westin Resort & Spa (1901) Honolulu, Hawaii
The Fairmont Hotel San Francisco (1907) San Francisco, California
The Drake Hotel (1920) Chicago, Illinois
Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio

Best City Center Historic Hotel

The Pfister Hotel (1893) Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Fairmont Heritage Place, Ghirardelli Square (1893) San Francisco, California
Le Pavillon Hotel (1907) New Orleans, Louisana
The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection (1925) Washington, DC
Boston Park Plaza (1927) Boston, Massachusetts
Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois

Best Historic Resort

The Omni Homestead Resort (1766) Hot Springs, Virginia
Keswick Hall (1912) Charlottesville, Virginia
The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Spring, Colorado
The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
Ojai Valley Inn & Spa (1923) Ojai, California
The Hotel Hershey® (1933) Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hotel Historian of the Year

Susan Wilson at the Omni Parker House, Boston (1855) Boston, Massachusetts
Tom Vickstrom at The Hermitage Hotel (1910) Nashville, Tennessee
Tina Malasics at The Gasparilla Inn & Club (1913) Boca Grande, Florida
Beth Davis at The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Spring, Colorado
Teresa Porter at the Benbow Historic Inn (1926) Garberville, California
Lora Gallagher at the Hilton Hawaiian Village® Waikiki Beach Resort (1955) Honolulu, Hawaii

Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel

Chez Philippe at The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee
The Spiced Pear at The Chanler at Cliff Walk (1873) Newport, Rhode Island
Circa 1886 at Wentworth Mansion (1886) Charleston, South Carolina
Woods Restaurant at Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Penrose Room at The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado
The Wisconsin Room at The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin

Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year

The Widman Family at Wentworth Mansion (1886) in Charleston, South Carolina
The Monteleone Family at Hotel Monteleone (1886) New Orleans, Louisiana
The Smiley Family at Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York
The Kohler Family at The American Club (1918) Kohler, Wisconsin
The Melius Family at OHEKA CASTLE (1919) Huntington, New York
The Genzlinger Family at The Settlers Inn at Bingham Park (1927) Hawley, Pennsylvania

Mohonk Mountain House (1869) New Paltz, New York, still owned and managed by the Smiley Family, is a finalist for Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service)

Shirley St. Peter at the Hanover Inn Dartmouth (1780) Hanover, New Hampshire
Steve Blum at The Willard InterContinental, Washington DC (1847) Washington, DC
Doug Weatherford at The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee
Ken Price at The Palmer House®, A Hilton Hotel (1871) Chicago, Illinois
Anna Alba at The Broadmoor (1918) Colorado Springs, Colorado
Linda Shoe at The Hotel Viking (1926) Newport, Rhode Island

Historic Hotelier of the Year

Terry Haney at the Inn at the Presidio (1776) San Francisco, California
Doug Browne at The Peabody Memphis (1861) Memphis, Tennessee
Randy Howat at the Inns of Distinction, LLC (1867) Pennsylvania
Duane and Kelly Roberts at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa (1876) Riverside, California
Kathy Faulk at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington DC (1930) Washington, DC
Jim Waldrop at The Wort Hotel (1941) Jackson, Wyoming

Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in Europe

NH Collection Grand Hotel Convento di Amalfi (1212) Amalfi, Italy
Bernini Palace Hotel (15th Century) Florence, Italy
Pulitzer Amsterdam (17th Century) Amsterdam, Netherlands
Antica Dimora Suites (1820) Crete, Greece
Hotel Schweizerhof Luzern (1845) Lucerne, Switzerland
Ciragan Palace Kempinski (1867) Istanbul, Turkey

Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in Asia/Pacific

Fort Seengh Sagar (1670) Rajasthan, India
Alsisar Haveli (1892) Jaipur, India
Hotel New Grand (1927) Yokohama, Japan
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi (1901) Hanoi, Vietnam
The Fullerton Hotel Singapore (1928) Singapore
Mansion Hotel (1932) Shanghai, China

Best Historic Hotels Worldwide hotel in the Americas

Alfiz Hotel (17th Century) Cartagena, Colombia
Hacienda Xcanatún (1789) Merida, Mexico
Quinta Real Puebla (1893) Puebla, Mexico
Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (1893) Québec City, Canada
The Omni King Edward Hotel (1903) Toronto, Canada
Alvear Palace Hotel (1932) Buenos Aires, Argentina

Historic Hotels of America

Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating historic hotels, was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members and today has more than 290 historic hotel members. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 46 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties. More than 30 of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, visit HistoricHotels.org.

Historic Hotels Worldwide

Historic Hotels Worldwide®, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, is a prestigious collection of historic treasures, including historic hotels, castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning more than ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes authentic cultural treasures that demonstrate historic preservation and their inspired architecture, cultural traditions, and authentic cuisine. HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com allows travelers to book their next getaway from more than 3,000 historic and cultural experiences, and view special offers at participating historic hotels from 30 countries. To be nominated and selected to be featured on this supplemental marketing program website, historic lodging must be at least 75 years old; utilize historic accommodations; serve as the former home or be located on the grounds of the former home of famous persons or significant location for an event in history; be located in or within walking distance to a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of historic event, or a historic city center; be recognized by a local preservation organization or national trust; and display historic memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance. To be selected in the United States for inclusion in Historic Hotels Worldwide, a hotel must meet the above criteria plus be a member of Historic Hotels of America. For more information, visit HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com.

Click here to see the Historic Hotels of America video. To receive special offers, including the monthly enewsletter,Discover & Explore, which includes hotel specials, offers and historic fun facts, click here. View the Historic Hotels of America 2016 Annual Directory ebook or download the free app on iTunes, Amazon, Google play, and the Windows Store.