Leesburg, Virginia, October 2017The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, has been recognized by the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association (VRLTA) with two very prestigious awards. The National was recognized as Hotel of the Year, and General Manager Geoff Lawson was named Hotelier of the Year. The awards were presented during the VRLTA Awards banquet this past week. The 2017 Ordinary Awards featured 16 individual and organizational awards across four primary categories. Each award given demonstrates exemplary passion for the hospitality and travel industry.

“These very prestigious awards recognize the tremendous performance of each and every team member in delivering exceptional hospitality to our guests and our communities,” said Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Chuck Ocheltree. “We are fortunate to have the leader that we have in Geoff Lawson as well as the amazing team that works with our guests every day. What makes this two-award recognition so special is the understanding that you cannot have one without the other—great leadership leads to great hospitality and great hospitality results in Hotel of the Year. We are excited to share this recognition with our associates and within our vast communities.”

On a winning streak this year, The National has received eight other industry awards including:

  • Ambassador Tourism Award to Jamil Chaudhry from Visit Loudoun
  • Tourism Action Award to Project Search from Visit Loudoun
  • Tourism Branding Campaign “Go Big” from Visit Loudoun
  • Partner of the Year from Loudoun County Public Schools
  • Smart Star Award as “Best of the Best” from Smart Meetings magazine
  • Award of Excellence from Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine
  • Stellar Award from Northstar Meeting Group, including Successful Meetings and Meetings & Conventions magazines
  • Meetings Trendsetter Award to Mary Watson from Meetings Today magazine

Chuck Ocheltree, Chief Marketing Officer Dahlia Williams, Sales Manager Kelli Mueller, Director of Conference Services Kahllua Herlihy, Chief Financial Officer Geoff Lawson, Vice President and General Manager Juan Garcia, Executive Director of Sales