• Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah (Best Facility), 
• Wequassett Inn Resort & Golf Club in Cape Cod/Chatham, Massachusetts (Best Service), 
• Mr. Sayed Saleh, President and Managing Director of The Orchards Hotel in Berkshires/Williamstown, Massachusetts (Hotelier of the Year), 
• Mr. Brian Scheehser, Executive Chef of the Sorrento Hotel in Seattle, Washington (Outstanding Employee Service Award) and 
• Topnotch at Stowe Resort & Spa in Stowe, Vermont (Preferred Week Grand Champion).

The recipients of the Standards of Excellence� honors were determined according to the scores achieved during their annual quality assurance inspections.  These unannounced inspections are a key component of Preferred�s Standards of ExcellenceTM program--an award-winning quality assurance program that evaluates 1,600 aspects of a hotel�s facilities and service delivery, ensuring the consistent experiences for Preferred guests at any property worldwide.

The �Hotelier of the Year� award was determined through a voting process conducted among Preferred�s general managers.  Along with working at a Preferred member hotel for at least two years, the recipient must be a leader in both their community and the hotel industry while also  demonstrating a commitment to the Preferred brand through their marketing efforts and committee participation. The recipient, Mr. Sayed Saleh, President and Managing Director of The Orchards Hotel, purchased this boutique hotel 10 years ago and prior to that, he worked with Preferred for 20 years.  Mr. Saleh was instrumental in establishing MOTT (Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism) and he received the 1989 �Spirit of Massachusetts Tourism Leadership Award.�  Along with holding a seat on Preferred�s Advisory Board, he has also continuously served on the boards of the Massachusetts Lodging Association and the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was praised by a fellow Preferred general manager as being �an outstanding leader at his hotel, highly-respected among fellow hoteliers and a strong advocate of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.�

The �Outstanding Employee Service� award was determined from nominations submitted by the general managers of Preferred member hotels.  The 2003 recipient, Mr.Brian Scheehser, Executive Chef of The Hunt Club at Sorrento Hotel in Seattle, Washington, has been with the hotel for 10 years when he started as an assistant banquet chef.  Today he can often be found chatting with guests in the intimate dining room of the hunt club or educating kitchen and hotel staff on the menu of the restaurant.  He constantly looks for ways to promote the hotel and the restaurant through fundraisers, incentives and other activities.  He also has acquired two acres of land where he tends to organic produce, and many times the freshest items from the garden are found on Hunt Club�s menu.  In his free time, he teaches classes, cultivates honey from his 200,000 honey bees or cooks dinner in a private mansion for 12 people.

The �Preferred Week Champion� was awarded to the Preferred member hotel that demonstrated the most creativity during the festivities surrounding �Preferred Week,� an annual �spirit week� campaign designed to build brand awareness at the property level. The recipient, Topnotch at Stowe Resort & Spa, featured signature dishes from sister hotels around the world along with various other activities to educate both staff and guests about the Preferred brand.

Preferred Hotels® & Resorts Worldwide is a wholly owned subsidiary of IndeCorp Corporation, an organization dedicated to providing independent hotel brands with the resources needed to compete effectively with global hotel chains and preserve the diversity and distinctiveness of the world's independent hotels.