THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS, March 2003 ... Benchmark Hospitality has announced the 2003 recipients of its annual Sales Executives Awards.  Presented at Benchmark�s annual sales meeting held recently at Cheyenne Mountain Resort of Colorado Springs, Colorado, award winners were selected from among 140 sales and marketing executives company-wide.   Awards are given out based on exemplary sales performance, team participation, and strong leadership.

Winners of the 2003 Benchmark Sales Awards were as follows:

1. The top honor, the Director of Sales & Marketing of the Year Award, was presented to Hal Powell, director of sales and marketing for Lansdowne Resort.  Lansdowne is Benchmark�s east coast flagship property located in Leesburg, Virginia, just outside Washington, DC.  Mr. Powell received the award due to his remarkable effectiveness in focusing his sales team during intensely challenging times, creating total team synergy and producing outstanding sales and revenue results in all areas for the resort.  He also developed exemplary results-oriented marketing campaigns, which effectively supported sales programming. 

2. Sales Leader of the Year Award was presented to Brett Boreing of The Founders Inn, located in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  This award is given annually to the company�s most outstanding senior sales manager or director of sales who has had the most significant impact on the results of his or her entire sales team.  Mr. Boreing was recognized as being a unique �out of the box� thinker and performer, responsible for many innovative marketing programs which generated significant business for the property.  He is a professional who, through his actions, motivates and uplifts an entire team � a person who truly leads by example.

3. The Sales Executive of the Year Award was given to Rachel Park, sales executive at The Chattanoogan, an urban-based hotel and conference center located in the heart of Chattanooga, Tennessee.  Ms. Park achieved remarkable results during the year at a new property located in a market unfamiliar with the conference center concept and in a struggling economy. She did so with enthusiasm, high energy and forward thinking.  Her director of sales and marketing described her as one of the most exemplary sales professionals he has had the privilege to work with.  Ms. Park was also one of Benchmark�s top referral sources of new business to other properties.

Other awards and recipients included the annual Marketing Award, which went to the Del Lago Resort sales team of Montgomery (Houston), Texas; the Complete Meeting Package Sales Award received by Sheila Manzanares of Cheyenne Mountain Resort; the Rookie of the Year Award, which went to Steve Franz of Scottsdale Conference Resort, located in Scottsdale, Arizona; and the Benchmark Bulldog Award, presented to Scott Mumma of Lansdowne Resort.  The Award of Excellence went to six sales executives, including Mickie Ward of Lansdowne Resort, Randy Morris of the Resort at Squaw Creek located in Lake Tahoe, California, Stacy Sander of Del Lago Resort, Sally Johnson of Scottsdale Conference Resort, Traci Parker of The Chattanoogan, and Melissa Georges of The Founders Inn.

Benchmark Hospitality, an international hospitality management company based in The Woodlands, Texas, operates luxury resorts, hotels, spas, golf clubs and conference centers throughout the United States, in Canada, and Japan.