NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Hotel & Lodging Association announced today that Arthur Keith, Gaylord Opryland Resort senior vice president and general manager, is the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Outstanding General Manager of the Year in the large property category. The award was officially presented this morning during the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) "Stars of the Industry" awards breakfast at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.
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According to the Association, the award recognizes "outstanding accomplishments and exceptional service in the lodging industry."
This marks the second consecutive year that a Gaylord Hotels' General Manager (GM) was named AH&LA Outstanding General Manager of the Year. John Caparella, current COO of Gaylord Hotels and former senior vice president and general manager of Gaylord Palms Resort, was also honored with the award in 2005.
"It's very satisfying for Gaylord Hotels to be honored with this prestigious award two years in a row," said Colin Reed, chairman, president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment. "Not only is this well-deserved recognition for Arthur Keith, an extremely talented and successful general manager, I believe it also serves as a testament to the creativity, dedication and passion of all Gaylord Hotels' STARS."
AH&LA also honored Gaylord Opryland with awards in two additional categories: guest relations, large property and good earthkeeping, large property. Gaylord Palms was recognized as the winner in the special events, ongoing, large property category.
Under Keith's leadership, Gaylord Opryland has received many awards including the fourth consecutive Gold Key Elite Award from Meetings & Conventions, Gold Platter Elite Award from Meetings & Conventions, Best of the South from MeetingSouth, Inner Circle Award from Association Meetings Magazine, Merit & Distinction Award from Medical Meetings, DiRoNA Award of Excellence, the Successful Meetings Pinnacle Award and many more.
Keith joined Gaylord in February 2004 from Harrah's, where he was vice president, hotel operations for the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before Harrah's, Keith held similar positions at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino and at the Doubletree Hotel Lincoln Centre in Dallas. He also served as assistant general manager of Station Casino Hotel & Casino in Kansas City, Mo., and was part of the team that opened the $300 million Station Casino complex. Keith's other positions included the Stouffer Renaissance Hotel Company, where he began his career as a management trainee and rose to become assistant general manager of the Stouffer Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md.
He is a graduate of Cornell University's renowned School of Hotel Administration, where he served on the Cornell Student Management Corporation Board. He has been a guest speaker in the Dean's Distinguished Guest Lecture Series, as well as a participant in Cornell's Master's Program.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association is a 96-year-old association of lodging properties and companies throughout the United States. With some 10,000 members in the United States and internationally, AH&LA represents more than 1.3 million guest rooms. As the voice of the industry ensuring a positive business climate for hoteliers, AH&LA provides advocacy on Capitol Hill, education, marketing, information, and bottom-line benefits.
Gaylord Hotels(R) is a collection of upscale, meetings-focused resorts which also afford endless entertainment options for leisure travelers. The hotel company's hallmark -- "everything in one place" -- provides meeting attendees and vacationers with diverse dining options, quality spa and fitness center services, top-notch entertainment, on-site shopping and numerous resort activities -- all within the confines of each resort. Gaylord Hotels is a pioneer in the hotel and convention industry with properties in attractive event destinations. Gaylord Hotels include Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.; Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Fla., near Orlando; Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center on Lake Grapevine, near Dallas, Texas; and the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac in Prince George's County, Md., opening early 2008.
Gaylord Hotels is owned and operated by Gaylord Entertainment , a leading hospitality and entertainment company based in Nashville, Tenn. Gaylord Entertainment (http://www.gaylordentertainment.com/) includes two other industry-leading brands -- ResortQuest (http://www.resortquest.com/), the nation's largest vacation rental property management company, and the Grand Ole Opry (http://www.opry.com/), the weekly showcase of country music's finest performers for 80 consecutive years. For more information about Gaylord Hotels, visit http://www.gaylordhotels.com/.
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