Four Inducted Into Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame
AmericInn of Mt. Iron/Virginia, Bluefin Bay on Lake Superior Named 2007 MLA Properties of the Year
ST. PAUL, MN, December 7, 2007. Tom Chase, John Holland, Kirby Payne, CHA and Candice Sweeney are the 2007 lodging inductees into the Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame. They will be honored at the Minnesota Lodging Association's Holiday Party Thursday, December 13, at the Minneapolis Marriott Southwest in Minnetonka. Chase is a recently-retired general manager of the Minneapolis City Center Marriott, Holland is the owner of The Lodge on Lake Detroit and Best Western Holland House & Suites in Detroit Lakes and the Best Western Superior Inn and Suites in Grand Marais and Payne is president of HVS/American Hospitality Management Company and Sweeney is director of Twin Cities market development for the American Express Company.
Tom Chase started in the hospitality industry young, serving as a car runner and porter at the Radisson Downtown Minneapolis when he was 16. He then worked as a bellman at the Bloomington Marriott Hotel before being drafted in the U.S. Army. When he returned, he moved with his family to properties in Portland, Oregon; South Bend, Indiana and Albuquerque, New Mexico before he came back to Minneapolis. The last 18 years he was the area general manager in Minneapolis and the general manager of the Minneapolis City Center Marriott.
John Holland was 10 years old when his parents opened the 13-unit Holland Motel in Detroit Lakes. He later took over the property, now known as the Best Western Holland House & Suites, with a total of 56 rooms. In 1983, he and his wife purchased the 20-unit Best Western Superior Inn in Grand Marais. This property is now the Best Western Superior Inn and Suites. In partnership with his daughter and son-in- law, Holland and his wife opened The Lodge on Lake Detroit in Detroit Lakes in June of 2006. In total, Holland's properties consist of 177 rooms.
Kirby Payne began his professional career as a management trainee in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles with the InterContinental Hotels Corporation although it could be said that he actually started at 4 years old when he moved into the InterContinental in Belem, Brazil when his father was assigned as the hotel's Controller. He subsequently held various management positions with Hilton Inns, Laventhol & Horwath, Pannell Kerr Forster, Southern Host Hotels, and Groupo Quetzalli, a hotel and resort company based in Mexico City. Immediately prior to starting his own company, Payne was vice president of the hospitality division for ManaDyne, based in Minneapolis. In that capacity, he was responsible for operating more than 30 hotels in 15 states. Presently, Payne and his company, HVS/American Hospitality Management Company, operates limited- and full-service hotels for third parties and its own affiliates; undertakes consulting assignments and provides asset management and receivership services for institutional hotel owners. Payne, the 2002 Chair of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, was a 19 year resident of Minnesota who recently relocated to Rhode Island.
Candice Sweeney recently celebrated her 30th anniversary with American Express(R). She began her career as the sole territory manager for merchants and key hospitality associations in Minnesota, Iowa and the Dakotas. She later was the field liaison for American Express with national lodging and restaurant associations for more than 20 years. After being promoted to regional industry director and to the central region management team, she has been director of Twin Cities market development for the past four years.
The Minnesota Hospitality Hall of Fame was established to recognize those individuals who exemplify the professionalism and service of the industry. Inductees are nominated by their peers. Each inductee has given more than 20 years of service to the lodging industry, been deemed "a legend" by their colleagues and influenced generations of hoteliers.
Previous inductees include Al Brodie, the past executive director of the Minnesota Motel Association and the past executive director of the Minnesota Association of Campground Owners and Henry Fisher of the Registry Hotel Corporation in 2006 and Harvey Hollenback, Earl Jorgensen, John Kahler and Roy Watson, all from the Kahler Corporation in Rochester in 2005.
About the Minnesota Lodging Association
The Minnesota Lodging Association is a leading provider of lobbying, education and marketing to Minnesota hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and their suppliers. It is managed by and is part owner of Hospitality Minnesota, which also manages the Minnesota Restaurant Association and the Minnesota Resort & Campground Association. Based in St. Paul, the Association is served by a staff of 14. The Minnesota Lodging Association and Hospitality Minnesota can be found on the Web at www.hospitalitymn.com.
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 
