The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) presented the winners in its 52nd annual Adrian Awards at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on Monday, January 26, 2009.

The Adrian Awards honors the top companies and individuals in hospitality, travel and tourism advertising, public relations and Web marketing.

The evening, emceed by Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company Bruce Himelstein, Vice President and CEO of Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Kim Schaller and Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales for Fairmont Raffles Jeff Senior, also featured specialty awards from DEPARTURES magazine, Google, Tourism Cares and TravelCLICK.

“HSMAI congratulates our 2008 winners, who represent a group of hard-working and talented leaders,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. “The Adrian Awards is a time to celebrate our achievements as an industry.”

The 2008 Adrian Awards received nearly 1,300 entries from around the globe. The prestigious Platinum winners were judged to be the most extraordinary from a field of 100 Gold winners. And out of those awarded Platinum, the highest distinction of Best of Show for the divisions of advertising, public relations and Web marketing went to:

• Advertising Best of Show: Emirates and its agency ISM earned the Best of Show for an integrated campaign that was literally and figuratively NONSTOP, from powerful messaging to broad execution.
• Public Relations Best of Show: For the first time in Adrian Awards history, the Best of Show for public relations went to two recipients, Singapore Airlines and its agency Weber Shandwick and Holiday Inn Express and its agencies Digitas and Weber Shandwick. Singapore Airlines not only raised awareness of its product within its target audiences, but crossed over from just being the day’s news into the realm of popular culture. Holiday Inn Express garnered excellent publicity for its “telling America how to Stay Smart” campaign.
• Web Marketing Best of Show: Holiday Inn Express and its agency Digitas created a Web site to engage an audience and drive public relations and social media buzz. Riding on a timely and relevant theme, the message carried loud and clear and earned the Best of Show.

Advertising Platinum winners included (company, agency):

• Norwegian Cruise Line, GSD&M Idea City
• Louisiana Office of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, Peter A. Mayer Advertising
• Holiday Inn Express, Fallon Worldwide
• Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts, Dave
• Nevada Commission on Tourism
• Emirates, The Glenn Group
• ISM 

Public Relations Platinum winner included (company, agency):

• Amtrak, Images USA
• Holiday Inn Express, Digitas and Weber Shandwick
• Tourism New Zealand, Spring O’Brien & Co.
• Cunard Line, Redpoint Marketing PR Inc.
• Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp.
• Marriott and Renaissance Hotels of New Orleans
• Singapore Airlines, Quinn & Co.
• Weber Shandwick

Web Marketing Platinum winners included (company, agency):

• Desires Hotels
• Marriott International, Electric Studio
• Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, Firefly
• The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, Team One
• Holiday Inn Express, Digitas 

Case studies on the Best of Show and Platinum Award winners will also be featured in a special section of the HSMAI Marketing Review, and in the Adrian Awards Winners Gallery at www.adrianawards.com.

HSMAI presented two individuals with Lifetime Achievement Awards this year. The awards are presented in recognition of significant contributions and lasting impressions on the hospitality and travel industry. Jonathan M. Tisch, chairman and CEO of Loews Hotels, office of the president, Loews Corporation, co-chairman of the board, Loews Corporation received the Albert E. Koehl Award for advertising, and Florence Quinn, president and founder of Quinn & Co. Public Relations received the Winthrop W. Grice Award for public relations.

A new addition to the Adrian Awards line-up was Google’s Wisdom of the Crowd Award, which was awarded to South Carolina for its "Time to Thaw" integrated marketing campaign.

Also new this year was the Tourism Cares Sustainability Award, presented to The Saunders Hotel Group for displaying ongoing investment and recognizable progress in sustainability initiatives.

The DEPARTURES magazine Luxury Marketing Achievement Award was presented to Leading Hotels of the World for its QUEST Print Ad Series created by Taglairino Advertising Group.

TravelCLICK paid tribute to the best integrated e-marketing program in the hotel industry with the eMarketer of the Year award, presented to the Strathcona hotel, a 194-room property located in the heart of downtown Toronto with 24 percent of its bookings coming direct through its Web Site.

Founded in 1957, the Adrian Awards embraces every segment of the industry, including hotels, airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies, destinations, credit card companies and more. Winners are selected from a field of 1,300 entries by senior industry and media experts.