The Woodlands (Houston), Texas… They are the “Oscars of the Travel Industry”, coveted trophies of gold, silver and bronze that showcase the creative talent of marketing teams around the globe. The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International’s prestigious Adrian Awards set the Gold Standard for travel marketing excellence. This year, BENCHMARK®, global hospitality company, swept the Adrian’s with 15 prizes for achievements in branding, web design, public relations, social media and destination marketing. The HSMAI's Adrian Award recipients were formally recognized at a Dinner and Gala on February 20, 2018, in New York City.

The honors spanned both corporate campaigns and marketing efforts from eight luxury properties representing the company’s major brands: Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection. Two of Benchmark’s corporate branding initiatives took top honors with Gold Awards of Excellence for Benchmark’s signature multidimensional Digital Marketing campaigns, Wanderlust Lifestyle Travel Guide and Experiential & Transformational Marketing. Benchmark is a pioneer in experiential and transformational travel, which has increasingly gained significant traction in the industry. Experiential travel is an extension of Benchmark’s original mission to inform, inspire, and provide dynamic, immersive and memorable travel experiences. Forged by Benchmark’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Ted Davis, The Wanderlust Lifestyle Travel Guide raises the bar with an innovative, content-rich, and broad-ranging print and digital platform that showcases Benchmark’s exciting and diverse properties and the singular destinations that enrich the travel experience for the leisure, business, meeting and special occasion traveler.

Ted Davis notes, “Travel is more than a great hotel, resort, spa or travel itinerary. Travel is immersing oneself into something new, different, life enriching, and in some circumstances, life affirming.” The Wanderlust Lifestyle and Travel platform inspires guests to make plans for an Hawaiian Talk Story at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's legendary North Shore, or a tour of Haunted Miami and stay at one of Benchmark’s properties in the area, or an exploration tour of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, or to simply enjoy the spectacular Pepsi Sculpture Garden near New York's Doral Arrowwood Resort.

At the property level, hotels took home gold, silver and bronze awards in a variety of categories. These ranged from website design and social media marketing to SEO optimization and highly effective social media influencer campaigns.

“Receiving an Adrian Award is always an honor, particularly since we are being recognized by our peers in the hospitality industry.” says Ted Davis. The company has consistently taken top honors in public relations, web design and marketing communications categories since 2001.  However, Davis notes that “15 awards for both our corporate branding initiatives and an array of Adrian Awards for eight of our exceptional properties is a tribute to how progressively Benchmark has developed and implemented its ground-breaking marketing concepts and programming.”

In going for the gold, Benchmark successfully looked to the theme of this year’s Adrian Awards, “Be a Travel Marketing Super Hero.”  The company’s adventurous strategy paid off. Said HSMAI President Robert A. Gilbert, “The winners have all taken bold and dynamic approaches that inspire and advance the hospitality industry as a whole.”

Benchmark's 2017 Adrian Awards Include:
 
Entry Title: Experiential & Transformational Marketing Campaign
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Award: Gold
 
Entry Title: Wanderlust Lifestyle Travel Guide
Integrated Digital Consumer Marketing Campaign
Award: Gold
 
Entry Title: The Inn at Virginia Tech
Website Development
Award: Gold
Marketing Partner, Interactive Sites, Inc.
 
Entry Title: Garden of the Gods Collection- Website UX - Driving Incremental Conversions
Website User Experience
Award: Gold
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Costa d’Este Beach Resort & Spa
Website Development
Award: Silver
Marketing Partner, Interactive Sites, Inc.
 
Entry Title: Benchmark Global - Cyber Tuesday
Integrated B2C Marketing
Award: Silver
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: The Grove Resort & Spa Orlando - Social Media Opening Support
Social Media Campaign
Award: Silver
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Cheyenne Mountain Resort - An Extraordinary Escape from The Ordinary
Mobile Campaign
Award: Silver
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Copley Square Hotel
Website Development
Award: Silver
Marketing Partner, Interactive Sites, Inc.
 
Entry Title: Florida/Caribbean Region 
Social Media Influencer Campaign
Public Relations
Award: Bronze
 
Entry Title: Benchmark Holiday eGift Card Sweepstakes
Content / Sweepstakes
Award: Bronze
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Costa d'Este Beach Resort & Spa SEO Campaign
Search Marketing Strategy
Award:  Bronze
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Hotel Contessa - Define Your Destination
Integrated Marketing Campaign
Award: Bronze
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Garden of the Gods Collection - Membership Sales Drive
Geo-Targeted Campaign
Award: Bronze
Marketing Partner, Screen Pilot
 
Entry Title: Snow King Hotel 
Website Development
Award: Bronze
Marketing Partner, Interactive Sites, Inc.
   
About HSMAI
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI's Revenue Optimization Conference, Digital Marketing Strategy Conference and Adrian Awards. HSMAI offers organizational and individual membership, with more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region.  There are three regions: the  Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, and a chapter in the UAE.  Each region has geographic chapters and signature programs and services for association members. 
 
About BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company.
 BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, is a trailblazer in the development, management, marketing and owner-advisory services of resorts, hotels, conference centers and exclusive private clubs. In addition to the company’s iconic Benchmark Resorts & Hotels  portfolio, the Gemstone Collection is a distinctive luxury portfolio of independent hotels & resorts in highly preferred destinations.  BENCHMARK’S distinguished and proven reputation is deeply-rooted in core values that are focused and aligned with exceeding ownership and stakeholder performance expectations. The combined portfolios feature nearly 70 unique and distinctive properties domestically and internationally. The company leadership and valued employees are passionately committed to delivering the industry’s most authentic, enchanted, soulful, vibrant, unrivaled and memory-making experience.  BENCHMARK’S progressive “Be The Difference” culture and values are a cornerstone to the company’s nearly 40 years of extraordinary achievement and prosperity. Many properties have been recognized with the Benchmark Conference Centers® mark of meeting excellence.  BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, is based in The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, and has regional offices in Park City, Utah; Miami, Florida; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Seattle Washington; and Tokyo, Japan.   www.benchmarkglobalhospitality.com To become a fan on Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/BenchmarkResortsandHotels,  www.facebook.com/GemstoneHotelCollection.  Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/BenchmarkHotels, www.twitter.com/GemstoneHotels , on Instagram at www.instagram.com/benchmarkresortsandhotels, www.instagram.com/gemstonehotels, and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/benchmarkhotels/gemstone-hotels .  At LinkedIn,  https://www.linkedin.com/company/15251771/