Congratulations once again to the 31 outstanding hotels and resorts chosen by our readers as Premium Circle Award winners in 1998, the seventh year of our awards program. Launched by Insurance Conference Planner in 1992, the program recognizes top meeting facilities preferred by insurance executives and planners. Insurance companies' meeting executives cast their ballots based on meeting room quality, staff, catering and convention services, food and beverage service, guest room quality, and audiovisual and technical support. We offer a round of applause to all of our winners, and a special nod to Opryland Hotel in Nashville, which has been a winner every year since the award's inception. The ballot for the eighth annual Premium Circle Awards will appear in the March/April and May/June 1999 issues of Insurance Conference Planner.
Doubletree La Posada Resort, Scottsdale
Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, Tucson
Scottsdale Princess, Scottsdale
Westin La Paloma, Tucson
California Hotel del Coronado, Coronado
Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego
Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point
Colorado
The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs
Cheyenne Mountain Conference Resort, Colorado Springs
Inverness Hotel and Golf Club, Englewood
Florida Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Lake Buena Vista
Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa, St. Petersburg Beach
Marco Island Marriott Resort and Golf Club
Marriott at Sawgrass Resort, Ponte Vedra Beach
Renaissance Vinoy Resort, St. Petersburg
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, Lake Buena Vista
Georgia Marriott's Evergreen Conference Center and Resort, Atlanta
Hilton Hawaiian Village, Island of Oahu
Orchid at Mauna Lani, Island of Hawaii
Massachusetts Sheraton Boston Hotel and Towers
Nevada MGM Grand Hotel/Casino, Las Vegas
New York Hilton New York and Towers, New York City
New York Marriott Marquis, New York City
South Carolina Charleston Place, An Orient-Express Hotel, Charleston Hyatt Regency Hilton Head Resort, Hilton Head Island
Westin Resort Hilton Head, Hilton Head Island
Tennessee Opryland Hotel, Nashville
West Virginia The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs
British West Indies Four Seasons Resort Nevis
Canada Rimrock Resort Hotel, Banff, Alberta
Mexico Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Cancun
Premium Circle - AWARD WINNER Hilton Hawaiian Village 2005 Kalia Road Honolulu, HI 96815
Phone (808) 949-4321, (800) HILTONS Fax (808) 947-7898 www.hawaiianvillage.hilton.com
General Manager Noel G. Trainor
Director of Sales Jon Conching
Director of Catering, Meetings, Conventions Ivis Rose
Hilton Hawaiian Village has more than 100,000 square feet of meeting, convention, and outdoor function space. Set on Waikiki's beautiful beach, on the island of Oahu, it's an ideal resort for mixing business with pleasure.
Location/Access: The resort is 20 minutes from Honolulu International Airport. Limousines, taxis, and shuttles are available.
Accommodations: All 2,545 guest rooms, including 363 suites, feature balconies, refreshment centers, premium movie channels, voice mail, and fax/modem hookups.
Recreation: Three pools, a variety of aquatic activities, and the Atlantis Submarines are on site. Golf and tennis are nearby, as is downtown Honolulu.
Dining/Entertainment: Each Friday evening the resort's Super Pool becomes the venue for a free Polynesian extravaganza.
Meeting Facilities/Services: There is a total of 65,000 square feet of exhibit space and 36 meeting rooms, the largest of which seats 1,750 people banquet-style. The resort also has an on-site audiovisual department, business center, and amphitheater
Hilton New York and towers 1335 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10019
Phone (212) 586-7000, (800) HILTONS Fax (212) 315-1374 www.newyorktowers.hilton.com
Senior Vice President/ Managing Director Arthur A. Surin
Director of Sales and marketing Brian A. Winston
Located midtown at Rockefeller Center close by Manhattan's many famous attractions, the Hilton New York and Towers is engaged in a major redesign, which includes the lobby, new concourse-level meeting rooms, and a new fourth-floor conference center.
Location/Access: The hotel is 15 miles from LaGuardia Airport, 25 miles from Kennedy, and 15 miles from Newark. Both Grand Central Station and Penn Station are 15 minutes away.
Accommodations: The 2,041 guest rooms include 95 suites. In-room amenities include refreshment centers, coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards, two line telephones, voice mail, and computer data ports.
Recreation: A fitness center with extensive exercise equipment, sauna, and massage facilities is on site.
Dining/Entertainment: Two new restaurants, Etrusca and New York Marketplace, will open in June 1999.
Meeting Facilities/Services: The hotel's 47 meeting and banquet rooms include four ballrooms, the largest of which seats 3,300 people theater-style or 2,800 banquet-style. The Americas Hall and second-floor complex have more than 81,000 square feet of exhibit space. The business center has its own computer workstation and rents and installs computers in guest rooms.
