Choice Hotels International Founder and Visionary Stewart Bainum Receives Prestigious Hospitality Heritage Award
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Choice Hotels International Founder and Visionary Stewart Bainum Receives Prestigious Hospitality Heritage Award
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Category: Worldwide - Exclusive experiences
- Rewards
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2010-03-24
Worldwide lodging franchisor Choice Hotels International, Inc. is pleased to recognize the driving force and visionary behind the company, Mr. Stewart Bainum as he receives the prestigious America Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AH&LA) Hospitality Heritage Award.
Mr. Bainum was the sole focus of the exclusive evening reception and award dinner held on Tuesday, March 16th at the J.W. Marriott of Washington, D.C., where he received the annual recognition among his family, friends, colleagues and industry peers. He was recognized for his life-long achievements and unparalleled leadership and commitment to the lodging industry.
“The core values of hard work and perseverance that Mr. Bainum instilled in Choice Hotels are represented in every aspect of the way we do business today,” said Stephen P. Joyce, president and chief executive officer for Choice Hotels International. “His accomplishments are truly outstanding -- he shaped not only our organization, but the face of the entire hospitality industry, we all owe him a great deal of congratulations and thanks.”
Just two decades after arriving in Montgomery County, Md. with three dollars in his pocket, Mr. Bainum joined the board of directors of Quality Motels in 1961, which would one day become Choice Hotels International. With his influence, the board began to explore the possibility of restructuring the organization from a non-profit membership organization, which had been its structure since its 1939-inception among seven independent motel owners in Florida, effectively created the nation’s first hotel, into a for-profit corporation in order to build and leverage the financial resources needed to drive growth and remain a leader in the lodging industry.
As a leader, Mr. Bainum has always served as a pillar of strength within the travel industry but has shown that his commitment to serve extends far beyond the reaches of hospitality. His spirit to serve was further illustrated with the launch a nonprofit organization, the Commonweal Foundation, meaning “for the common good,” which works to give back to the local community by emphasizing the importance of family, hard work, perseverance and education as the cornerstones of life success.
Proceeds from the annual Hospitality Heritage Awards Dinner benefit the research and scholarship efforts of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation.
Special thanks to several event and table sponsors who made special contributions to the evening, making the fundraising efforts of the event a true success – American Express, Heartland Payment Systems, Choice Hotels International, Choice Hotels International Foundation, Sunburst Hospitality Corporation, American Hotel Register Company, AS Hospitality, Asian American Hotel Owners Association, HD Supply, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Simmons Hospitality Group, The Wall Street Journal, 1888 Mills, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Grainger, Marriott International and media partners, Hotel Business and Hotel/Motel Management.
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