France was singled out for the first time AH&MA award in recognition of his volunteer efforts in the North Carolina hospitality industry.  Since his arrival at The Grove Park Inn Resort in 1991, France has been involved in numerous local, regional, statewide and national organizations: He is a member of the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority Board, a board member and former Vice Chairman of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and a Buncombe County member of the board of the NCH&MA.  He is on the NCH&MA Management Committee, and was Chairman of the Association in 1996-1997.  In 1993, France was chosen the NCH&MA General Manager of the Year.

France is also a board member of the North Carolina Travel & Tourism Coalition and the state Travel Council, and Chairman of the Travel Council's International Marketing Committee; a member of the American Hotel & Motel Association Resort Committee; a board member of the Southern Innkeepers Association; and a member of the Society of Incentive Travel Executives and of Meeting Professionals International.

He was an appointee to the 1995 White House Conference on Travel and Tourism, and is the founder and leader of the Asheville Chapter of La Chaine des Rotisseurs, a prestigious, international gourmet organization dating from 1248.

The Grove Park Inn is one of the South�s oldest and most famous grand hotels.  On the National Register of Historic Places, the Inn houses the world's largest collection of Arts & Crafts antiques under its red-tiled roof. Amenities at the 510-room resort include a nearly - century-old, Donald Ross-designed golf course, indoor and outdoor tennis, two pools, sports center, shops, fine dining and children's programs. Conference facilities include 42 meeting rooms and 50,000 square feet of meeting space.

The resort is currently building a 40,000 square foot day Spa, scheduled to open in the summer of 2000.