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| The Grand Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan, was named Best Historic Resort for 2015. |
Do you know someone looking to stay in a part of history? Historic Hotels of America recently announced the 2015 winners of its Awards of Excellence, which are presented to historic hotels demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history and demonstrating leadership and innovation.
This year's awards were presented at West Baden Springs Hotel (1902) at French Lick Resort in West Baden Springs, Indiana. Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotelier of the Year, and others.
From more than 200 nominees, the 2015 winners are:
Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year: Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois
Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms): Green Park Inn (1891) Blowing Rock, North Carolina
Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms): The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms): Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928) St. Pete Beach, Florida
Best City Center Historic Hotel: Hawthorne Hotel (1925) Salem, Massachusetts
Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms): The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee
Best Historic Resort: Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan
Hotel Historian of the Year: Michaelene Lusk Norton, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas
Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year: The Lusk Family, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas
Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel: Plume, The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC
Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel: French Lick Resort (1845) French Lick, Indiana
Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion: Xanterra Parks & Resorts
Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service): Bill Ott, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas
2015 Historic Hotelier of the Year: Dean Lane, Palmer House, A Hilton Hotel (1871) Chicago, Illinois
2015 Lifetime Achievement Award: Gayle Cook
2015 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award: Stanley Turkel, Author and Consultant
2016 Historic Hotels of America Journalist of the Year Award: Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News
The hotels were nominated by fellow members, past award recipients, and honorees. A panel of experts judged and weighed the nominees in each category in order to determine a winner.