Platforms: Peninsula, Fairmont, MTM Luxury Lodging Win Hotel Visionary Awards

By Abigail A. Lorden
Since 2005 Hospitality Technology has been recognizing visionary lodging companies for their outstanding achievement in technology innovation, particularly as it relates to fostering operational excellence and providing an exceptional guest experience. These Hotel Visionary Awards are presented each year at the annual Hotel Technology Forum.

Selecting the three winning companies for the Hotel Visionary Awards becomes an increasingly difficult task for Hospitality Technology's editors, as the pool of esteemed nominees continues to grow in size and accomplishment each year. And 2008 is no exception.

We received the highest number of nominees ever recorded for the contest, and narrowed the pool down to 40 highly-qualified entries. All of this year's nominees deserve recognition for their efforts. But there can be only three.

The first two categories, Overall Technology Innovation and Exceeding Guest Expectations, are permanent fixtures of the awards. The third and final category is identified annually based on market trends surrounding innovation. The third category for the 2008 Awards is Outstanding Achievement in In-Room Innovation. Winners are judged by HT editorial staff on a basis of innovation, thought leadership, and forward-thinking vision.

It's with great pleasure that we announce the winners of this year's Hotel Visionary Awards. The award for Outstanding Achievement in In-Room Innovation goes to The Peninsula Hotels; The award for Exceeding Guest Expectations goes to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; and the award for Overall Technology Innovation goes to MTM Luxury Lodging.

Consumers have become increasingly technology-savvy and expect greater levels of personalized service during their hotel stay. The lodging industry continues to strive to exceed guest expectations, and the hotels selected for the 2008 Hotel Visionary Awards are leading the way. It's our pleasure to recognize them for their efforts