Tourism Update

submitted by Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association


(L. to r.) David Bartek, 2016 and 2017 Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association board chairman; Steve Hogan, 2017 Charles Andrews Memorial Hospitality Award honoree; Fred Sawyers, incoming 2018 CFHLA board chairman; and Rich Maladecki, CFHLA president and CEO, attend the CFHLA Hospitality Gala.

At the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association Hospitality Gala on Dec. 16, the Charles Andrews Memorial Hospitality Award for Community Leadership was presented to Steve Hogan, chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Sports. More than 1,200 CFHLA members and community leaders were in attendance at the Hyatt Regency Orlando for the annual black-tie event. Hogan was chosen as the 2017 recipient of CFHLA’s highest honor for his contributions to the hospitality industry through his success in securing major sports tourism events in Central Florida, in addition to his community initiatives relating to his leadership at Lift Orlando.

The award is named after the first CFHLA board of directors chairperson, Charles Andrews, and exemplifies perseverance and dedication to a cause. Since being promoted to CEO of Florida Citrus Sports in 2006, Hogan has been a champion of the Central Florida community and has significantly raised Orlando’s status as a world-class sporting event destination. Among his many achievements, CFHLA recognized Hogan’s efforts in the following initiatives: securing Orlando as the host site for the 2017 and 2018 NFL Pro Bowl; developing the Camping World Kickoff series, part of a multiyear agreement between Florida Citrus Sports and ESPN Events to host a major neutral-site college football game in Orlando during the opening weekend of the college football season; and cofounding Lift Orlando, an organization that brings business leaders into the community to help families build a better life for themselves through education, mixed-income housing, community health and wellness, and economic development.

CFHLA also recognized its members of the year at the gala, including Jay Leonard, general manager of the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs Resort Area, honored as the 2017 CFHLA Lodging Member of the Year; Maureen Haggerty of SpinOut Guest Laundries Inc., 2017 CFHLA Allied Member of the Year; and Gerry Tarantino of the DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld, 2017 CFHLA Engineer of the Year. ♥