MCLEAN, Va. – Sept. 26, 2016Hilton (NYSE: HLT) today announced honors for its top annual development awards in the Americas. Awards are presented in five categories across the company’s portfolio of hotels, including: Developer of the Year, Best Conversion, Deal of the Year, Outstanding Achievement and Lifetime Achievement. Recipients are awarded based on criteria ranging from total number and quality of hotels developed to impact on community during the course of 2015.


”We owe much of Hilton’s success to the efforts of our owner partners, and we are proud to honor them with this well-deserved recognition,” said Bill Fortier, senior vice president – development, Americas, Hilton. “Thanks to these owner relationships, we are consistently expanding our brands globally through our organic growth strategy. With the support of our partners, we look forward to continue leading the way in innovation and service in the hospitality industry.”


The Developer of the Year award for 2015 goes to:

  • Hilton Garden Inn: Carmen Sam and Greg Fenton, Landmark Holdings
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton: Jim Karam, First Bristol
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Steve Gupta, Easton’s Group of Hotels, Inc.
  • DoubleTree by Hilton: Sam Chang, McSam Hotels
  • Embassy Suites by Hilton: David Patel, Indus Hotels
  • Curio – A Collection by Hilton: Stephen Miller, The Thornhill Companies
  • Canopy by Hilton: Monty Hoffman, PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette Companies
  • Dual Brand: Robert G. Schaedle III, Chartwell Hospitality
  • Multi Brand: David Hogg, Springwood Hospitality

The Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Robert G. Schaedle III, of Chartwell Hospitality.
In 2015, Robert G. Schaedle III and Chartwell Hospitality exemplified their commitment to Hilton with a number of noteworthy developments all of which were in high barrier to entry markets. 

”Robert G. Schaedle III of Chartwell Hospitality has been a long-time and fervent supporter of Hilton and he and his staff are very deserving of this Lifetime Achievement Award,” said Fortier. “Robert’s experience in developing and managing high-quality, Hilton brands that continue to perform well make him a cherished partner and we congratulate him on this achievement.”


Franchisees honored in additional categories include:

Best Conversion

  • Hampton by Hilton: Don Schappacher, American Hospitality Management, Inc.
  • Hilton Garden Inn: Gary Holmes, CSM Phoenix Downtown, LLC
  • Hilton Garden Inn: Al Patel, Baywood Hotels
  • Home2 Suites by Hilton: Prakash Sundaram, 1660 University, LLC
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Salim Manji, Barney River Investments
  • DoubleTree by Hilton: Ricardo Cajiao, Fideiscomiso Insignia
  • Curio – A Collection by Hilton: George Aquino, Amway Hotel Corporation
  • Dual Brand: Sanjay Rateja, Morguard Hotels Limited

Deal of the Year

  • Hampton by Hilton: Jay Singh, Mint Development, L.P.
  • Hilton Garden Inn: Stanley Rattner, Grupo Leumi
  • Home2 Suites by Hilton: David and Leigh Willis, BBS Corporation
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton: Bill Hamrick, TMH Hotels
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Eva Wassermann, GEM Realty Capital
  • DoubleTree by Hilton: Mike Patel, T2 Hospitality
  • Embassy Suites by Hilton: Michael Whalen, Heart of America
  • Curio – A Collection by Hilton: Eric Habermann, Host Hotels & Resorts
  • Canopy by Hilton: Michael Beatty, Beatty Development
  • Canopy by Hilton: Alan Naul, The Javelin Group
  • Dual Brand: Parag & Vinay Patel, SREE Inc.

Outstanding Achievement

  • Hampton by Hilton: Mike Daood and Jim Friend, LodgeWorks Partners, L.P./Friend Development Group
  • Hampton by Hilton: John Murphy, Murphy Development Group, LLC
  • Hilton Garden Inn: Carlos Lecueder, Shopping Centers (Uruguay) S.A.
  • Hilton Garden Inn: Al Patel, Baywood Hotels
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton: Edurado Cordero, Edco Turismo Bajío SA de CV and Ing Eduardo Cordero Staufert
  • Homewood Suites by Hilton: Al Patel, Baywood Hotels
  • Home2 Suites by Hilton: Hemant H. Patel, Visions Hotels
  • Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Juan Pablo Garcia, Inmobiliaria Canel's S.A. de C.V.
  • DoubleTree by Hilton: Andrea Phillips, Executive House Ltd
  • Embassy Suites by Hilton: Bo Aughtry III, River Street Lodging, LLC
  • Curio – A Collection by Hilton: Jose Herrerra, Aventura Hotel Properties LLC
  • Canopy by Hilton: Dave Pollin, The Buccini/Pollin Group
  • Dual Brand: Bhulesh Lodhia and Chuck Lodhia, JM Hospitality
  • Multi Brand: Dr. Atul Patel, HTS Hospitality LLC, HTS Yukon LLC

For more information about Hilton’s Development Awards, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com.