HERSHEY, Pa.
Two established Midwestern hotels were among the top honorees at this year’s Historic Hotels of America 2014 Awards of Excellence.
Michael Sheer of The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) in Cincinnati, Ohio, was chosen as the Best Hotelier, and The Palmer House Hilton (1871) in Chicago was honored as the Best Historic Hotel of over 400 guest rooms.
The Netherlands Plaza also took honors for hosting the best historic restaurant, and the Palmer House was hailed additionally for having the best hotel historian on staff, Ken Price.
The 2014 Annual Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner took place at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pa., on Thursday, Oct. 2. Awards were presented to recipients before an audience of owners, senior management, industry leaders and other hotel representatives.
Other key honorees included:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
- Benbow Inn (1926) Garberville, California.
Historic Hotelier of the Year
- Michel Sheer, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio.
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 guest rooms)
- Inn at the Presidio (1776) San Francisco, California.
Best Historic Hotel (75-200 guest rooms)
- Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (1896) Portland, Maine.
Best Historic Hotel (200-400 guest rooms)
- Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 guest rooms)
- The Palmer House Hilton (1871) Chicago, Illinois.
Best City Center Historic Hotel
- Lord Baltimore Hotel (1928) Baltimore, Maryland.
Best Historic Resort
- The Royal Hawaiian, A Luxury Collection Resort (1927) Waikiki Beach, Hawaii.
Hotel Historian of the Year
- Ken Price, The Palmer House Hilton (1871) Chicago, Illinois.
Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
- Orchids at Palm Court, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio.
Recipients were selected from nominees received from across America submitted by historic hotels, historic preservation supporters, and leadership from Historic Hotels of America.
Historic Hotels of America is an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
