VisitGainesville and the Alachua County Hospitality Council Celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week!
VisitGainesville and the Alachua County Hospitality Council celebrated the 18th Annual Bed Making Contest, on Monday, May 9th, 2011, in which 22 hotel housekeepers representing eleven Alachua County lodging properties competed to make the fastest, neatest bed! Hosted by VisitGainesville at the Paramount Plaza Hotel & Suites, the event has become a fun tradition here in Alachua County and a way to recognize and thank the housekeepers for the role they play in our tourism success story.
Congratulations to our winners:
First Place- Antonia Kocelova, Quality Inn University
Second Place- Shannon Berry, Residence Inn 13th St.
Third Place- Denisa Kocelova, Quality Inn University
Fastest Bed Maker- Patricia Combs, Hilton Garden Inn
And a BIG thank you to all of our participating hotels! We appreciate your continued enthusiasm for this event!
Our celebration continued Wednesday, May 12th, 2011 with our annual Tourism Week Luncheon and Awards Ceremony. VisitGainesville and the Alachua County Hospitality Council recognized three outstanding individuals in the tourism industry for their dedication to customer service:
Raymond Francois with the Hampton Inn I-75
Tammy Johnson with the County Inn and Suites
Etenesh Tegegne with the Hilton University of Florida
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the luncheon! We are thrilled to have had a record turnout for the event and appreciate all of our wonderful tourism partners.
Looking forward to another successful Tourism Week in 2012!
About the Alachua County Hospitality Council
The Alachua County Hospitality Council is a non-profit organization comprised of local and regional hospitality professionals dedicated to promoting, protecting, preserving, and enhancing those characteristics that make our unique North Central Florida community interesting, memorable, and attractive; benefiting both economic health and quality of life in the community.
Hospitality Council meets the first Wednesday of every month at various locations throughout the county. Contact Susan Perkins, President, at susan.perkins@hilton.com to be added to the meeting notice list and recieve Hospitality Council updates, or feel free to visit the website at Hospitalitycouncil.com.
The current Hospitality Council Board is as follows:
Susan Perkins
Hospitality Council President
susan.perkins@hilton.com
Erica Chatman
Hospitality Council Vice President
chatmanej@cityofgainesville.org
Mark McClain
Hospitality Council Treasurer
mark_hiwgville@yahoo.com
Raymond Francois
Hospitality Council Secretary
raymond.francois@hilton.com
Megan Eckdahl
Hospitality Council Community Liaison
sales@gainesvillecomfort.com
