Washington, D.C. – The Palmer House Hilton of Chicago, the Inn at the Presidio of San Francisco, Portland Regency Hotel & Spa in Maine, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa in Pennsylvania and The Lord Baltimore of Baltimore were among the Historic Hotels of America 2014 Awards of Excellence winners announced at a gala ceremony at The Hotel Hershey® (1933) in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Thursday, October 2.

Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Best Historic Resort and Historic Hotelier of the Year.

From more than 160 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America hotels and hoteliers were honored with these prestigious awards:

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 Guestrooms)

• Inn at the Presidio (1776) San Francisco, California

Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms)

• Portland Regency Hotel & Spa (1896) Portland, Maine

Best Historic Hotel (200-400 Guestrooms)

• Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa (1806) Bedford, Pennsylvania

Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)

• 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

Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year

• Barker Family, The Strater Hotel (1887) Durango, Colorado

Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel

• Orchids at Palm Court, Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza (1931) Cincinnati, Ohio

Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel

• Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa (1847) Point Clear, Alabama

Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion

• Lord Jeffery Inn (1926) Amherst, Massachusetts

Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service)

• Patty Henning, Jekyll Island Club Hotel (1886) Jekyll Island, Georgia

Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award

• Terry Richey, National Trust for Historic Preservation

Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award

• Stanley Turkel, Author and Consultant

“Historic Hotels of America is proud to congratulate the 2014 Awards of Excellence winners,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These historic hotels and hoteliers represent the pinnacle in historic hotels and their achievements from Portland, Maine to Waikiki Beach.”

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. As the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America provides the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage and historic travel market that the members hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America.

To find more information about award winners from previous winners, click here.

Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with 32 charter members. Today, Historic Hotels of America has more than 260 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties, however, more than 30 of the world’s major hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; be designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, visit HistoricHotels.org.

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