Connie Pride of the Year Award winners for North America Chris Cramarossa and Heather Schaffnit of Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh/Crabtree Valley, NC accept their award from Chris Nassetta, president and chief executive officer of Hilton; John Greenleaf, global head, Hilton Garden Inn and Phil Cordell, global head, focused service and Hampton by Hilton brand management. Credit: Hilton Garden Inn. — Photo by Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton garden Inn

MCLEAN, Va. -- Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton's upscale global brand of hotels, has recognized Connie Pride Hotel of the Year Award winners, Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh/Crabtree Valley, NC (North America winner) and Hilton Garden Inn Kirov, Russia (International winner) for their outstanding achievements in 2016. Each year, the brand awards the Connie Pride Hotel of the Year Award to two outstanding properties worldwide. The prestigious Connie Award, named after Hilton founder Conrad Hilton, is award based on three key components:

  • Quality assurance audits measuring cleanliness, condition and brand standards
  • Customer satisfaction scores which rate each hotel's staff in terms of service
  • Quality of the hotel's accommodations

Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh Crabtree Valley, NC also won top honors with the Barbara Bejan General Manager of the Year Award presented to Chris Cramarossa and Heather Schaffnit receiving the Director of Sales of the Year Award. Also, Hilton Garden Inn Kirov, Russia also took home top honors with Anastasiya Lesnitser receiving the Barbara Bejan General Manager of the Year International Award while Aleksandr Laptev was recognized as Director of Sales of the Year for the International Region. These four team members were rewarded for their exceptional performance, leadership and dedication to the brand.

"I am pleased to extend congratulations to these outstanding leaders and team members for their remarkable achievements for the Hilton Garden Inn brand over the past year," said John Greenleaf, global head, Hilton Garden Inn. "Our brand is committed to ensuring our guests have a warm and positive stay backed by personalized service from each of our team members. I can truly say that these hotel team leaders are helping to brighten the day of our guests all across the world."

The awards were presented at the brand's bi-annual conference held during the week of January 8 in Chicago. Other awards presented at the conference include:

For a complete list of 2016 award winners, visit the Hilton Garden Inn Media Center.

Hilton Garden Inn hotels boast amenities including complimentary Wi-Fi, a state-of-the art fitness center, guest rooms featuring fresh, white duvets and crisp linens and an in-room "hospitality center" with a mini fridge, microwave and Keurig coffee maker.

Read more about Hilton Garden Inn at www.hgi.com and news.hgi.com.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2021 World's Best Workplaces list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Jennifer Hughes
Director, Brand Public Relations - Hilton Worldwide
+1 901 374 6518
Hilton