• Ft. Lauderdale Hotelier Bob Gill Receives Florida Hotel & Motel Association�s �Special Recognition Award�

• Hospitality Education Award Won By Tampa�s Wilfried Iskat, CHA, FMP

TALLAHASSEE � September 3, 2002 - William W. (Bill) McCreary, complex general manager of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, was announced during the Florida Hotel & Motel Association�s (FH&MA) 90th Anniversary Celebration on Wednesday evening as Florida�s �Hotelier of the Year� -- the industry�s highest honor.  The award recognizes McCreary�s �outstanding contributions of leadership, service and exemplary professionalism in the lodging industry.�

McCreary was chosen by his colleagues for this award due to his continued dedication to the hospitality business and his outstanding professional and personal accomplishments.  Thomas A. Waits, FH&MA�s president/CEO, says this about McCreary, �He is a leader in the industry and a role model for up and coming hoteliers.�

McCreary has more than 30 years experience in the lodging industry.  He spent 22 years with Westin Hotels and Resorts and opened hotels across the United States and Asia.  In 1993, he moved from Westin to Sheraton to direct the Walt Disney World Dolphin.  In his current position, McCreary oversees all comprehensive daily functions and long-term objectives for the 2,267-room Dolphin and Swan conference complex.  He was named Central Florida Hotel & Motel Association�s (CFH&MA) �Hotelier of the Year� in 1999, and received the �Sheraton Hotel of the Year� award in 1993 and 1997.  Last July, he was one of the first inductees to The Dedman School of Hospitality at Florida State University Hall of Fame, naming him for his significant contributions to the field of hospitality.

McCreary is past chairman of FH&MA and past president of CFH&MA.  He is a member of the board and executive committee of the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, and serves on the board of Florida 2012, Central Florida�s task force for securing the 2012 Summer Olympics.

A former U.S. Army Officer, an Airborne Ranger and decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, McCreary is a graduate of Linfield College in Oregon.

Hospitality Education Award

Dr. Wilfried Iskat, CHA, FMP, Dean of the Hospitality Program at Schiller International University, was presented with Florida�s 2002 Paul Brown Award for Distinguished Service to Hospitality Education. 

Named for the late St. Petersburg hotelier who founded the FH&MA Educational Trust Fund and served as the association�s president in 1963-64, the award is given annually to a Florida educator or hotelier who creates significant advances in the industry�s education and training programs.  Iskat became the twenty-first recipient of the award since its inception in 1979, honoring his outstanding leadership and accomplishments in hospitality education.

�Dr. Iskat�s accomplishments in the Tampa Bay area are to be revered and commended,� said George Fetherston, general manager of Sawgrass Marriott Resort.  He added, �The education that Dr.  Iskat provides is not only fundamentally thorough, it�s genuinely useful for the student who is entering the workplace.�

He is on board of the Pinellas County Hotel/Motel Association and has served with a number of organizations including Tampa Bay SKAL, the Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Dunedin tourism marketing committees.

This educator has been in the hospitality industry for 48 years and worked in some capacity in more than 40 countries, starting as a pastry chef in Vienna.  He is one of 15 USA hoteliers who hold a fellowship in the British Hotel Catering Institute.  Under Iskat's direction, more than 100 nationalities are represented at all of the Schiller International University campuses, with 51 nations represented at the Dunedin campus alone.  Iskat works closely with students, industry managers and staff to help place prepared and qualified students in hospitality positions.  He works closely with the local tourism industry, as well as FH&MA, to ensure qualified student placements.

�Special Recognition Award�

George W. (Bob) Gill, president of Gill Hotels and owner of the Sheraton Yankee Trader and Sheraton Yankee Clipper hotels, has been recognized with a �Special Recognition Award� by the Florida Hotel & Motel Association (FH&MA).  The award was made to Gill at the statewide lodging industry�s annual conference on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at The Renaissance Orlando Resort--SeaWorld.

In selecting Gill for this special honor, his FH&MA colleagues commend his tireless efforts in promoting Florida as a visitor destination for more than 55 years.  According to Thomas A. Waits, FH&MA�s president/CEO, �Since 1947, Bob has provided exemplary leadership and support to all facets of Florida tourism.  Much of our association�s growth is the result of his long-ago vision and sustained encouragement.�

During the late 1940s, Gill was one of the first Ft. Lauderdale hoteliers to revolutionize the city�s hospitality industry by departing from the traditional concept of formal, seasonal hotels.  Open year-round and offering such innovations as air conditioning, swimming pools and gourmet dining rooms, these properties included The Escape, The Jolly Roger, The Tradewinds, The Wynholm Hotel, The Sheraton Yankee Clipper and Sheraton Yankee Trader.

 In 2001, Gill was inducted into the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame.  Also last year, Gill received the Honored Founder Award from the Ft. Lauderdale Citizens� Board of Recognition, which consists of all former mayors of the city.  He was recognized for 50 years of civic and cultural activities that were instrumental in shaping Ft. Lauderdale�s emerging tourism industry and for his key role in starting the Broward County Hotel/Motel Association, now known as the Greater Ft. Lauderdale Lodging & Hotel Association.