San Francisco Hotel Industry Honors Its Heroes
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, March 9, 2006. The 2006 Hotel Hero Awards, held at the San Francisco Marriott on March 2, honored two hotels and six dedicated individuals whose generosity of spirit, unparalleled devotion to their hotels and guests, and old fashioned hard work continue to make San Francisco "Everybody's Favorite City."
The Hotel Council of San Francisco and the 2006 Hotel Hero Steering Committee of industry professionals organized the competition and event, which was started three years ago by Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre Hospitality. "The various award winners were chosen for their commitment to service, their efforts in innovation to develop new strategies and techniques to "wow" guests, as well as community service," said Julie Fallon, Hotel Hero steering committee member.
The six individuals who won awards are:
Chris Giuntoli of the San Francisco Marriott, "Lifetime Achievement Award - Department Manager"
John Hutar of the Hotel Nikko, "Lifetime Achievement Award - Hotel Executive"
Steven Pace of the Palace Hotel, "Lifetime Achievement Award - Hotel Operations"
Ken Luc of Hotel Palomar, "Beyond the Call of Duty Award"
Raya Galang of the Omni San Francisco, "Rising Star Award"
Elaine Tomita of the Palace Hotel, "Unsung Hero Award"
The hotel winners included the Phoenix Hotel - Joie de Vivre, which was awarded the "Community Spirit Award" and the Villa Florence Hotel which won the "Innovation Award".
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
