BROOKFIELD, Wis. (November 18, 2009) � Brian Brandstetter, President of Cornerstone Hotel Management, DeForest, has been awarded the prestigious Wisconsin Innkeepers Association (WIA) 2009 Innkeeper of the Year award. The award was presented at the Wisconsin Lodging Conference & Trade Show, held October 26-27 at the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort, Wisconsin Dells. The WIA Innkeeper of the Year award annually recognizes one individual for outstanding leadership in the Wisconsin lodging industry.

Brandstetter, a 27-year hotel industry veteran, began his service on the WIA Board of Directors in 1992. While a member of the Board, he has served as chair of every committee and was named Chairman of the Board in 2002. Brandstetter was also awarded with the American Hotel & Lodging Association�s Most Valuable Volunteer Award for Wisconsin in 2003.

A graduate of UW-Stout, Dale Carnegie Training, a Certified Hotel Administrator and a Certified Pool Operator, Brandstetter has helped to develop a Tourism Commission in DeForest, and has served on room tax committees in three different communities in the state.

For his service to the hospitality industry, Brandstetter also earned a special commendation from Gov. Jim Doyle.

The 2009 Innkeeper of the Year award was judged by the WIA Awards committee based on the following criteria: human resource skills, ongoing WIA involvement, other industry and community involvement, personal and property achievements and leadership ability.
 

Joe Holland Named Wisconsin Innkeepers Associate of the Year Joe Holland, professor in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, has been honored with the 2009 Associate of the Year award by the Wisconsin Innkeepers Association (WIA). This prestigious annual award, presented at the 2009 Wisconsin Lodging Conference & Trade Show, held October 26-27 at the Wilderness Hotel and Golf Resort, Wisconsin Dells, recognizes one professional who services Wisconsin�s lodging industry in an exemplary manner. As an associate director of the WIA Board of Directors, Holland, along with student directors, has helped to re-engage and bring together students in hospitality and lodging industry professionals. Through his participation in articulation agreements in places as far as Singapore, to assisting with development of the Lodging Management Program at Lake Geneva high schools and Gateway Technical Collage, Holland has learned and shared his expertise through UW-Stout for 23 years. Part of Holland�s work has been to coordinate the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Foundation scholarships for students in the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management program at UW-Stout, with many students being awarded valuable scholarships to assist with the rising cost of higher education.

The Wisconsin Innkeepers Association (WIA) represents nearly 1,000 hotels, motels, resorts, inns, hotel condos, and bed & breakfasts throughout Wisconsin. Established in 1896, the WIA provides marketing, education, legislative, and information services to Wisconsin�s lodging industry.