VisitGainesville.org- Hospitality Council



	VisitGainesville and the Alachua County Hospitality Council Celebrate National Travel and Tourism Week! VisitGainesville kicked off their Tourism Week celebration early on May 6th, 2010, hosting a front desk familiarization tour with 17 participants representing 12 industry partners. Area hotel and attraction staff met at the Thomas Center and toured seven area attractions from the Matheson Museum, Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville Regional Airport, Morningside Nature Center, Greathouse Butterfly Farm, and the Hippodrome Theater. The group enjoyed hearing about things to do in the region, learning more about our attractions, and indulging in tasty local cuisine! VisitGainesville offers front desk familiarization tours twice yearly, with the next one coming soon in October 2010. Stay tuned for registration information this fall. Other festivities included the 18th Annual Bed Making Contest, on Monday, May 10th, 2010, 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, 2010 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 Country 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 2011! 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 Mark McClain, Treasurer, at mark@paramountplaza.com to be added to the meeting notice list and recieve Hospitality Council updates, or feel free to visit the website at www.hospitalitycouncil.com. The current Hospitality Council Board is as follows: Patrick Lewis Hospitality Council President Susan Perkins Hospitality Council Vice President Mark McClain Hospitality Council Treasurer Alex Alston Hospitality Council Secretary Click here to review the current meeting minutes.