Our Annual Meeting & Awards Celebrated the Hospitality Industry Workforce Thursday September 22, 2022 Share St Louis SpotlightSt. Louis in the News By Rachel Huffman Visitors and residents alike can agree that it’s the hard-working hospitality professionals who make St. Louis a world-class destination. This year, at Explore St. Louis’ Annual Meeting & Awards, we celebrated the vibrancy and resilience of St. Louis travel, tourism, meetings and events, as well as the outstanding accomplishments of our All Stars, Hospitality Superheroes and Hospitality Heroes. In this fiscal year (July 2021 to June 2022) alone, St. Louis’ tourism assets have grown to include The Factory, a live music venue in Chesterfield; the Food Hall at City Foundry in Midtown; and the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway. The arts scene in St. Louis also reached new heights with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis-commissioned Fire Shut Up in My Bones, which opened the 2021 season at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, followed by the world premiere of STAGES St. Louis’ production of The Karate Kid – The Musical at the newly opened Kirkwood Performing Arts Center. Event activity at America’s Center improved sharply over the year prior, as well. The convention complex hosted 52 events, including the WWE’s Royal Rumble and the opening of The Rolling Stones tour, generating more than 185,000 contracted room nights and attendance of 395,034 people. For more information about our achievements as an industry in FY22, check out our annual report. “Our hard work is for naught if we don’t have our top leaders engaged in what our industry does for our community,” Explore St. Louis president Kathleen “Kitty” Ratcliffe said in the meeting. We are lucky in this case, as Mayor Jones and County Executive Page support our efforts to propel the local travel and tourism industry forward. Both spoke at the meeting, sharing their pride in St. Louis. Travel & Tourism Champion Award To honor Senator Roy Blunt and congratulate him on his retirement, Explore St. Louis presented an award recognizing him for his tireless support of the travel and tourism industry in St. Louis and across the state of Missouri. Kim Tucci Heart of St. Louis Award Board members of the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation created the Kim Tucci Heart of St. Louis Award to honor the man who devoted his life to making St. Louis a better place. “While few can or will match Kim’s boundless heart, energy, passion and talent, this award recognizes St. Louisans who best embody his spirit and, by their selfless efforts, lift our community and serve our people,” David Robert, chairman of the St. Louis Civic Pride Foundation, said in the meeting. This year’s recipient, Robert F. O’Loughlin of Lodging Hospitality Management, has lived in St. Louis for almost 40 years, working every day to improve the area for both residents and visitors. Some of his many projects have saved historic places and given them new life, including The Cheshire, Westport Plaza and St. Louis Union Station, where he also brought us the St. Louis Aquarium and The St. Louis Wheel. O’Loughlin’s generosity is boundless. Recently, he provided hotel rooms for people who had to evacuate their homes due to flooding, and he is the primary donor for a new athletic training center on the Saint Louis University campus. All Stars “St. Louis is filled with giving people who want the best for their community,” Ratcliffe said in the meeting. “From time to time, we have individuals and/or organizations that really step up to help us achieve something that we couldn’t have done alone. These are our All Stars.” This year, we recognized four groups that made great strides in bringing people and positive attention to the St. Louis area. This year’s All Stars are STAGES St. Louis and the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center for the world premiere of The Karate Kid – The Musical, World Wide Technology Raceway for securing the NASCAR Cup Series race, KSDK for its partnership in broadcasting a live episode of Show Me St. Louis during National Travel and Tourism Week and Lufthansa for establishing direct air service between St. Louis and Frankfurt, Germany. Hospitality Superheroes When you travel, the people who you meet can influence your perception of a place, which is why we’re so proud of the 91,000 hard-working hospitality professionals who make the St. Louis visitor experience magical every day. At the meeting, eight Hospitality Superheroes were spotlighted as impressive examples of extraordinary customer service. We hope that you’re as wowed by them as we are. Sabitra Bartaula, River City Casino While working at River City Casino, Sabitra Bartaula noticed a woman struggling in a bathroom stall. Bartaula asked if the woman was OK, but she didn’t answer, so Bartaula immediately contacted security. The woman became incapacitated, but because of Bartaula’s intuition and actions, the woman received the medical attention she needed to save her life. Tommy Brown, Saint Louis Zoo When a woman in hospice contacted Tommy Brown about her final wishes, he arranged a behind-the-scenes experience for her and her family at the Saint Louis Zoo. The day included time with the sea lions and lunch, with Brown putting forth the extra effort to make sure everyone had a good time. A few days later, the family notified the Saint Louis Zoo team of the woman’s passing, expressing their gratitude for everything that Brown did for them and their loved one. Alexandria Dent, St. Louis Lambert International Airport At St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Alexandria Dent overheard a traveler say that her rings were missing. Immediately offering to help, Dent began to dig through the trash bin where the woman thought she had lost them when she was drying her hands. Dent didn’t stop until she found the rings towards the bottom of the bin, stealthily wrapped in a paper towel. How many people do you know who would riffle through trash for a stranger? Stephanie Friz, River City Casino After being notified that a woman had collapsed in the parking lot of River City Casino, officer Stephanie Friz administered CPR, refusing to stop or to allow anyone to take over for her until an ambulance had arrived. A few days later, the woman’s daughter told the casino that her mother had survived due to Friz’s dependability and persistence. William “Scott” Hunsche, Element St. Louis Midtown When a group of guests of the Element St. Louis Midtown couldn’t find a nearby place for happy hour, front office manager Scott Hunsche took it upon himself to brighten their night. Hunsche gathered beverages from around the hotel and created a mini bar in the lobby. His story is a prime example of the thoughtfulness of hospitality workers. Claudia Lombard, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis – Westport Over time, server Claudia Lombard has developed a deep connection to a patient of HavenHouse St. Louis, Havyn, who stays at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis – Westport with her family in between treatments. As a testament to their relationship, Havyn was recorded saying that Lombard is her “favorite thing about HavenHouse” – the video later aired at a gala where Havyn received an award. Brandi Napier, Element St. Louis Midtown Becoming aware of an unresponsive guest, housekeeper Brandi Napier performed CPR until an ambulance arrived. Napier’s quick thinking saved the guest’s life, and although Napier now works at Kingside Diner, she will always be remembered at the Element St. Louis Midtown. Loyd Rogers, Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel Loyd Rogers, a shuttle driver for the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel, goes above and beyond his job description every day. In one instance, Rogers did everything in his power to make sure a guest in a wheelchair was safe and comfortable, including procuring a wheelchair-accessible vehicle to take the guest to the hotel and finding a suitable room for the guest at a neighboring location when the Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel didn’t have one. With care and hard work, Rogers was able to make another visitor to St. Louis feel valued. Hospitality Heroes Hospitality workers have had to overcome innumerable challenges in the last year, and yet, they continue to serve every guest with enthusiasm, expertise and respect. Nominated by their co-workers and employers, the Hospitality Hero honorees exceed all expectations. Anheuser-Busch Brewery Experience Carolyn Burton Scott Zlatic Bi-State Development – Gateway Arch Derrick Brooks Kyle Hensley Tatiana Jones Blain McVey Diamond Morris Sandy Smith The Blue Owl Restaurant & Bakery Mary Hostetter Butler’s Pantry Ben Bui Erica Johnson Bill Wallheimer Julie Weldele Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site Lori Belknap The Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta Hotel Brenda Trahan Crowne Plaza St. Louis Airport Roberta Cooper DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis – Chesterfield Zeeba Zaman DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel St. Louis – Westport Berrin Abdullah Drury Inn & Suites Kurt Magnah Drury Inn & Suites Brentwood Alexander Quinones Drury Inn & Suites Creve Coeur SueVona Blocker Drury Inn & Suites Forest Park Amos Isaac Drury Inn & Suites St. Louis Convention Center Shawnyee Burnett Drury Inn at Union Station Latisha Barnes Diane Hill Shirley Montgomery Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch Melinda Halford Element St. Louis Midtown Lillian Morris Colisha Robinson Deszrey Williams Forest Park Forever Patricia Calcaterra Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis Jessica Fisher Luke Sinak Hampton Inn St. Louis – Downtown at the Gateway Arch Christopher Jackson Hilton Garden Inn Winghaven Anita Janes Hilton St. Louis Airport Asmeret Bezabeh Gregory McKenzie Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark Wenniel McIemore Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. Louis South Dawn Staton Hollywood Casino & Hotel St. Louis Tanya Percy Hyatt Place Chesterfield Carmen Aguayo Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch Nasif Mehmedovic Roshonda Miller Katherine Neer Jordan Rogers Live! By Loews Hannah Bryant Ryan Ebert Robert Etter Erica Gilmore Keith Gowdy Brian Jackson Mayscree Jackson Justin Johnson Nathen Mullaney Deanna Swayne Magnolia Hotel St. Louis Pam Robtoy Marriott St. Louis Airport Thomas Berry Marriott St. Louis Grand Mackenzie Anderson Kay Barnett Kossuth Barnett Tunya Barnett-Finley Kenisha Bickley Minnie BoBo Clay Gerdine Shyra Huddleston Michael Jones Samuel Knox Tanisha Parker Ruth Phillips Eliza Scherer Marriott St. Louis West Rhonda Woods Metro Transit Michelle Conner Missouri Botanical Garden Cassandra Custis Johanna Fuehne Marcy Rahn Greg Rohde Katie Scharf Missouri Historical Society Lincoln Calvin Denise Smith Moonrise Hotel Anna Bogucki MX Movies & Bar Matt Sanders National Blues Museum Deborah Jackson Purina Farms Dale Beste Red Roof Inn St. Louis Kathy Young Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel Eddie Moore Residence Inn by Marriott St. Louis Galleria Tanzania Bates The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis Hishar Alissa Mark Baker Shawket Barway Kelly Bock Margaret Bonfanti Aaron Cannon Danielle Doederkvist Breia Dunning Ronald Edgeston Donovan Foster Terry Gilbert Gettu Gonnete Charles Hardy Felicia Harvey Almedin Hasanovic Denise Heflin Advija Helac Kenna Herdrich Timothy Ingoldsby Alichka Jarrett Kay Johnson Sabrina Kapic Alice Klein Alicia Lamountain Carlos Macias De la Torre Laura Mathis Nancy McEnroe Helena McGettigan Charlene Miller Juan Morales Suada Mutapcic Josephine Page Saeed Saeed Taylor Segelle Maureen Weiser River City Casino Nick Dehner Saint Louis Science Center Victor Appleby Dave Gioia Mike Harris Jackie Rowark Saint Louis Zoo Mike Bobbitt Mike Butler Bob Fritschle Scott Gagen Sharron Higgs Amber Lew Greg Schumacher Nina Williams Sheraton Westport Plaza Hotel Donna Wiggins St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station Tylen Gea St. Louis Lambert International Airport – G2/STL Richard Holder Neisha Wiggins St. Louis Lambert International Airport – HMS/Starbucks Georgene Spencer St. Louis Lambert International Airport – Hudson & Associates, LLC Millie Ocasio St. Louis Lambert International Airport – Regency Enterprise Service, LLC Janella Dent St. Louis Lambert International Airport – Transportation Security Administration Ciara Baldwin St. Louis Union Station Kristina Flowers John Scott Tempus Drew Lucido Vandalia Bus Lines Terry Edwards Finally, we’d like to extend a special thank you to our sponsors, without whom the Annual Meeting & Awards would not be possible. 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