The HSMAI Greater New York Chapter presents the Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Award to recognize those individuals or organizations that have made inspiring and significant contributions to the tourism industry in New York City. Frank W. Berkman, CHME, was a former Executive VP and COO for HSMAI. This esteemed award was named after him because of his love for the city and his dedication to building HSMAI into the influential international hospitality industry organization that it is today.
Annual Frank W. Berkman Tourism Achievement Awards
Join us for the 29th Annual Frank W. Berkman Awards Gala at the JW Marriott Essex House, May 1st, 2025.
Congratulations to this year’s Frank W. Tourism Achievement Award recipient, and congratulations to this year’s Awards of Excellence Finalists:
Hospitality Professional of the Year
- Georgette Blau, Owner/President, On Location Tours
- Patti Golden, VP Events, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Events
- Neptaly Mirrieles, Senior Area Manager, Expedia Group
- Garrett Ronan, COO, Blace
Marketing Executive of the Year
- Kristin Collett, Global Head of Digital Marketing, Club Quarters
- Ryan Eddy, VP Sales & Marketing, Highgate Hotels
- Michael Gerasimov, Key Account Manager, Booking.com
- Amanda Wierbowski, Global Marketing Manager, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
Revenue & Distribution Executive of the Year
- Daniel Borkowski, Area Director of Revenue, IHG
- Barbara Brown, Director of Revenue, Four Seasons Hotel
- Abe Salam, CEO, Epic Revenue Consultants
- Paul Tillman, Director of Revenue Management, Thompson Central Park
Sales Executive of the Year
- Chastity Cruz, Senior Group Sales Manager, InterContinental New York Barclay
- Andrea Puizina, Director of Sales, Virgin Hotel
- Esther Song, Director of Sales, Yotel
- Robert Turner, Director of Sales, ArtHouse
- Michael Vellos, Director of Sales, Highgate Hotels
General Manager of the Year
- Omar Bouchaar, General Manager, Wyndham Garden Brooklyn Sunset Park
- Jeffrey Harvey, Managing Director, Highgate Hotels – NoMo SoHo
- Anu Malhotra, General Manager, The Kixby Hotel
- Sofia Vandaele, General Manager, Regional Director of Operations, InterContinental New York Barclay
Rising Star
- Brett Hoffman, Group Sales Manager, Sofitel New York
- Khianna Parks, Hotel & Local Partnerships Manager, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
- Rachel Shabtai, Revenue Manager, Sonesta Hotels of New York
- Delaney Shiers, Group Sales Manager, InterContinental New York Barclay
Hotel of the Year
- The Bryant Park Hotel
- Kimpton Hotel Eventi
- Refinery Hotel
- The Wall Street Hotel
Our Awards of Excellence
2023 Madison Square Garden
2019 Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
2018 9/11 Memorial & Museum
2017 Central Park Conservancy
2016 The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
2015 Marriott Hotels
2014 The Empire State Building
2013 Rockefeller Center
2012 NYC & Company
2011 IMG Fashion & Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
2010 Times Square Alliance
2009 United States Tennis Association U.S. Open
2008 New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
2007 Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes
2006 Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels
2005 ING New York City Marathon
2004 The Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting
2003 Macy*s
2002 THE FDNY, EMTs, NYPD & Port Authority Police
2001 Starwood Hotels
2000 The League of American Theaters & Producers
1999 The Today Show
1998 Donald Trump
1997 New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
1996 Arthur Surin, Senior Vice President of Hilton Hotels Corporation
1995 Robert Preston Tisch, Chairman of the Board for Loews Hotels
1994 Charles Gillette, Chair of the New York Convention & Visitors Bureau
(after the criteria)
2023
2019 Selena Rogers, CCTE
2018 Antonietta Tardugno-Mazzola
2017 Derek Brewster, CRME
2016 Haydee Fernandez, CRME
2015 Calvin Anderson, CRME
2014 Dominik Gomez-Muschenborn, CRME
2013 Alan Gonzalez
2012 Samir Bhatnagar, CRME
2011 Tom Buoy, CRME
2010 Terence Sham
2009 Fred Heintz, CRME
2008 Kerry Mack
2007 Steven Rubin
(after the criteria)
2023
2019 Charles E. Daley, CTIS, CTP
2018 Yelena Pshennaya
2017 Debra Surden
2016 Yaniv Didi
2015 Kristin Forkin-Collins
2012 Paula Horowitz
2011 Sean Hennessey
2010 Donna Quadri-Felitti, Ph.D., CHE
2009 Florence Quinn, CHA
2008 Merrie Davis
2007 Peter Warren, CHME
2006 Cristyne L. Nicholas
2005 (TIE) Julie Andrews, CHME and Dr. Lalia Rach
2004 Jody Merl
(after the criteria)
2023
2019 Isaac Pacheco
2018 Stan Kravitz
2017 (TIE) P. Dean Altvater (tie) Marissa Hou 2016 Vincent Sciabarassi
2015 Andrea LoPiccolo
2014 David Shenman
2013 Adisa Feratovic
2008 Diana Voto, CMP
(after the criteria)
2023
2019 Jason Price
2018 Jessica Rothstein Berman, CMP
2017 Mohini Merchant
2016 Joe Gaeta
2015 D. C. Becker
2014 Catherine J. Pascale
2013 Leon Goldberg
2008 John Moser
(after the criteria)
2023
2019 Sean Verney
2018 Karin Kopano
2017 Robert Gaeta, CHA
2016 Steve Sasso
2015 Robert F. Cardillo
2014 Holly Waterbor-Breuche
2013 Marc Sternagel
2012 Hervé Houdré
2011 Frank Nicholas, CHA
2010 Jan Rozenfeld
2009 Takis Anoussis
2008 Rudy Tauscher
2007 Mary Lou Pollack
2006 Conrad M. Wangeman
2005 (TIE) Thomas G. Lewis and Eric O. Long 2004 Nasser Samman
2003 Thomas J. Travers
2002 Christopher R. J. Knable, ISHC
2012 Dan Paradiso, CMP
2011 Adele Gutman Milne
2010 Geraldine Traino
2009 Kevin Croke
2007 Lucille Yokell, CHME
2006 Richard J. Keating
2005 Kristin M. Ruble
2004 Christopher R. Perry
2003 Rose Genovese, CHME
2010 Leora Halpern Lanz
2009 Makiko Matsuda Healy
2010 Fred Kleisner
2009 Daniel R. Flannery
2008 Mike Stengel
2006 Vijay Dandapani, CHA
2008 Alex Zesch
2023
2015 Patrick Tan
2014 Michelle Berenst
2013 Nancy Nie, Michelle Park
2012 Thomas J. Burke
2011 Sooyon Park
2010 Laura Arneson (graduate)
2010 Greg Bodenlos (undergraduate)
2023
2019 Julian Emanuel
2018 Consuela Hooblal
2017 The HSMAI Greater New York Chapter Professional Development Team 2016 Kathie Stapleton
2015 Lori O’Connell
2014 Thomas J. Travers
2013 Donna Quadri-Felitti, PhD, CHE
2012 Adele Gutman Milne
2011 Ted Schlecht
2010 Julie Andrews, CHME
2009 Joan Wolff
2008 OPEN Hospitality
2007 Denihan Hospitality Group