Marketing excellence in travel and hospitality was on display when the 14th Annual Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Adrian Awards for Advertising, Public Relations and Web Marketing were handed out in New York City last evening at a gala black-tie event hosted by Sex and the City’s Mario Cantone.
More than 700 travel and hospitality industry marketing executives, advertising and public relations executives and media attended the annual awards dinner to find out who received the sought-after 14 Platinum Awards as well as the coveted Best of Show for advertising, public relations and marketing. The Adrian Awards Gallery displayed all the Gold-winning entries, and Silver Merit and Bronze Merit recipients were also recognized. In what is the largest travel-related competition of its kind in the world, which began 45 years ago, the winners were chosen by a prestigious panel of judges from more than 1,500 entries received from 50 countries.
HSMAI also paid tribute to two individuals who have made lasting impressions on the industry, with the Albert E. Koehl Award presented to Stanley Plog, a trendsetter in travel industry research, and the Winthrop W. Grice Award bestowed on Marilyn Carlson Nelson, chairman of The Carlson Companies. The evening also saw the debut of the DEPARTURES Magazine Luxury Marketing Achievement Award presented to St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, and the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London was named HSMAI eMarketer of the Year, sponsored by TravelCLICK.
“This annual awards competition and evening of recognition is a way of showing the entire industry the year’s best of the best – creative, innovative and cutting-edge marketing campaigns and the great talent behind them,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. In each of the three categories, one entry is judged “Best of Show,” recognizing the most outstanding entry in that individual competition.
The 2003 winners were:
Advertising Best of Show
Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts – Fallon Worldwide (agency)
Adrian Public Relations Best of Show
Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa – M Booth & Associates (agency)
Web Marketing Best of Show
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises – Zentropy Partners (agency)
Platinum Awards (listed below) recognized the most outstanding entry from each category of the travel industry and were judged the best-of-the-best from all the gold winning entries in their respective categories. Fourteen winners were presented via a dazzling multi-media video presentation, and were welcomed on stage to accept their awards. Case studies on the best of show and platinum award winners are also featured in a special section of the winter issue of the HSMAI Marketing Review, which was distributed to all attendees at the end of the dinner.
HSMAI is the leading organization of sales and marketing professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI has become the industry leader in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry while operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and sales and marketing management disciplines. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprised of nearly 7,000 members from 35 countries and 60 chapters worldwide. For more information, contact the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, 8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA 22102, phone (703) 610-9024; fax (703) 610-9005; or visit www.hsmai.org.
2003 ADVERTISING PLATINUM AWARD WINNERS
Category: Hotel Under 300 Rooms
Company: The Madison
Agency: Nasuti & Hinkle Creative Thinking
Category: Hotel Over 300 Rooms
Company: Lajitas
Agency: David Carter Design Associates
Category: Hotel Chain, Franchise
Company: Holiday Inns Hotels & Resorts
Agency: Fallon Worldwide
Category: Attraction
Company: New Orleans Saints
Agency: Peter A. Mayer Advertising
Category: Cruise Line
Company: Celebrity Cruises
Agency: Arnold Worldwide
Category: Transportation
Company: JetBlue Airways
Agency: The Ad Store
Category: Destination or CVB
Company: New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
Agency: Zehnder Communications
2003 PUBLIC RELATIONS PLATINUM AWARD WINNERS
Category: Hotel Under 300 Rooms
Company: Spring Creek Ranch
Agency: Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations
Category: Hotel Over 300 Rooms
Company: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Agency: M Booth & Associates
Category: Hotel Chain, Franchise
Company: Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Agency: (NA)
Category: Transportation
Company: Singapore Airlines
Agency: Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Category: Destination or CVB
Company: Tourism New Zealand
Agency: Spring O’Brien & Co.
2003 WEB MARKETING AWARD WINNER
Category: Cruise Line
Company: Radisson Seven Seas Cruises
Agency: Zentropy Partners
Category: Transportation
Company: Jetsgo Corporation
Agency: Agence Braque (Montreal)
