When we first started our Roaming Boomers website in 2010, our focus was predominantly to share luxury travel destinations and experiences with our readers.

However, one niche of the travel experience that has always had a fond place in our hearts are the many historic hotels and resorts that dot our nation’s landscape.

In fact, in 2012, Carol and I did a Historic Hotels of America Tour: Arizona Edition touring 6 of the historic hotels here in Arizona.

Growing up in Michigan, I suppose my love of grand historic hotels grew from my impressionable first visit to the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. That first visit left me wide-eyed with wonder and it has never left.

Let us help you plan a Historic Hotel Getaway!

I share all of this because the Historic Hotels of America have just announced their 2015 Awards of Excellence Winners.  Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and we highly recommend that you consider a visit to one of the 275 member hotels and resorts.

For the best of the best in the list, take a peek at this year’s winners…

Historic Hotels of America 2015 Awards of Excellence Winners

Historic Hotels of America 2015 Awards of Excellence winners were announced at West Baden Springs Hotel (1902) at French Lick Resort in West Baden Springs, Indiana on Thursday, October 8. Awards were presented before an audience of more than 200 owners, senior management, invited media, industry leaders, and representatives from the finest historic hotels across America. Honors were given in multiple categories ranging from Hotelier of the Year and Hotel Historian of the Year to Best Historic Resort, Historic Hotelier of the Year, and others.

Each year, these awards honor, encourage, and recognize the most exemplary historic hotels, hoteliers, and leadership practices. The Awards of Excellence are presented to historic hotels demonstrating the highest contribution to furthering the celebration of history and demonstrating leadership and innovation.

From more than 200 nominees, the following Historic Hotels of America hotels and hoteliers were honored with these prestigious awards:

Historic Hotels of America New Member of the Year
• Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois

Best Small Historic Inn/Hotel (Under 75 Guestrooms)
• Green Park Inn (1891) Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Best Historic Hotel (75-200 Guestrooms)
• The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC

Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms)
• Loews Don CeSar Hotel (1928) St. Pete Beach, Florida

Best City Center Historic Hotel
• Hawthorne Hotel (1925) Salem, Massachusetts

Best Historic Hotel (Over 400 Guestrooms)
• The Peabody Memphis (1869) Memphis, Tennessee

Best Historic Resort
• Grand Hotel (1887) Mackinac Island, Michigan

Hotel Historian of the Year
• Michaelene Lusk Norton, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas

Legendary Family Historic Hoteliers of the Year
• The Lusk Family, The Lancaster Hotel (1926) Houston, Texas

Best Historic Restaurant in Conjunction with a Historic Hotel
• Plume, The Jefferson, Washington, DC (1923) Washington, DC

Best Social Media of a Historic Hotel
• French Lick Resort (1845) French Lick, Indiana

Historic Hotels of America Sustainability Champion
• Xanterra Parks & Resorts

Historic Hotels of America Ambassador of the Year (Quarter Century Service)
• Bill Ott, 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa (1886) Eureka Springs, Arkansas

2015 Historic Hotelier of the Year
• Dean Lane, Palmer House®, A Hilton Hotel (1871) Chicago, Illinois

2015 Lifetime Achievement Award
• Gayle Cook

2015 Historic Hotels of America Historian of the Year Award
• Stanley Turkel, Author and Consultant

2016 Historic Hotels of America Journalist of the Year Award
• Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor for CBS News

“Historic Hotels of America is proud to congratulate the 2015 Awards of Excellence winners,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “These historic hotels and hoteliers represent the pinnacle in historic hotels and their achievements from Portland, Oregon to St. Pete Beach, Florida.”

The hotels were nominated by fellow members, past award recipients, and honorees. A panel of experts judged and weighed the nominees in each category in order to determine a winner. As the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Historic Hotels of America provides the recognition to travelers, civic leaders, and the global cultural, heritage and historic travel market that the members’ hotels are among the finest historic hotels across America.

About Historic Hotels of America™
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels. Historic Hotels of America was founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation with 32 charter members. Today, Historic Hotels of America has more than 275 historic hotels. These historic hotels have all faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity in the United States of America, including 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Historic Hotels of America is comprised of mostly independently owned and operated properties. More than 30 of the world’s finest hospitality brands, chains, and collections are represented in Historic Hotels of America. To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance. For more information, please visit HistoricHotels.org.

If you would like our help planning a fun getaway at one of the 275 historic hotels that dot our nation’s landscape, then give us a call at (480) 550-1235, or use our convenient online information request form by clicking here, and we’ll reach out to you.  Thanks!
 
If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.