POINT CLEAR, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Historic Hotels Worldwide® is pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence. The Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence recognize and celebrate the finest historic hotels and hoteliers from around the world.
Recipients were honored 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 finest historic hotels in operation today.
Nine Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence were presented, including awards for Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Europe, Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Asia / Pacific, and Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in the Americas.
Winners were selected from nominations by historic hotels, preservation supporters, prior award recipients, community leaders, and leadership from Historic Hotels Worldwide. As a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels Worldwide provides the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage, and historic travel market that member hotels are among the finest historic hotels in 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 350 nominations, the awards committee evaluated the nominee finalists and, after careful consideration, selected the 2022 Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence award winners:
Historic Hotels Worldwide 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 Worldwide.
Winner: Solar do Castelo (18th century) Lisbon, Portugal
Historic Hotels Worldwide 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.
Winner: Hotel Maximilian’s (1722) Augsburg, Germany
Historic Hotels Worldwide 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: Dromoland Castle Hotel (1014) Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, Ireland
Historic Hotels Worldwide Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
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 Worldwide.
Winner: The Dietrich-Kienberger Family at Hotel Waldhaus Sils (1908) Sils Maria, Switzerland
Historic Hotels Worldwide 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.
Winner: Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian (1903) Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.
Historic Hotels Worldwide 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.
Winner: Erinvale Estate Hotel & Spa (1666) Somerset West, South Africa
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Europe
This award is presented to a historic hotel in Europe that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: San Clemente Palace Kempinski (1131) Venice, Italy
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in Asia/Pacific
This award is presented to a historic hotel in Asia/Pacific that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: The Murray Hong Kong (1969) Hong Kong, China
Best Historic Hotels Worldwide Hotel in the Americas
This award is presented to a historic hotel in the Americas that best celebrates its history in the guest experience and provides exceptional customer hospitality and service.
Winner: Quinta Real Zacatecas (1866) Zacatecas, Mexico
“It is an honor to congratulate all the 2022 Historic Hotels Worldwide 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 around the world. 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 travelers that allow these stories to continue.”
To be nominated for the Historic Hotels Worldwide Annual Awards of Excellence, hotels must be a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide, 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.
About Historic Hotels Worldwide®
Historic Hotels Worldwide® is a prestigious and distinctive collection of historic treasures, including luxury historic hotels built in former castles, chateaus, palaces, academies, haciendas, villas, monasteries, and other historic lodging spanning ten centuries. Historic Hotels Worldwide represents the finest and most distinctive global collection of more than 320 historic hotels in more than 46 countries. Hotels inducted into Historic Hotels Worldwide are authentic historic treasures, demonstrate historic preservation, and celebrate historic significance. Eligibility for induction into Historic Hotels Worldwide is limited to those distinctive historic hotels that adhere to the following criteria: minimum age for the building is 75 years or older; historically relevant as a significant location within a historic district, historically significant landmark, place of a historic event, former home of a famous person, or historic city center; hotel celebrates its history by showcasing memorabilia, artwork, photography, and other examples of its historic significance; recognized by national preservation or heritage buildings organization or located within a UNESCO World Heritage Site; and presently used as historic hotel. For more information, please visit HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com.
