American Group Travel Awards Announce Nominees & Call for Vote

Hosted by HotelPlanner, the black-tie charity gala takes place on November 12th at the iconic Boca Raton Resort to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Grammy Award nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav to be honored as World Hospitality Award winner. Hip Hop legend Rob Base to perform. Dylan Ratigan to be host alongside HotelPlanner Co-founder & CEO Tim Hentschel.

Attendees and industry partners can cast their vote online until November 1, 2023.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HotelPlanner, a leading individual and group travel technology platform, today announced the nominees for the American Group Travel Awards (AGTA), a black-tie charity gala the company created to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The philanthropic event will take place on Sunday, November 12, 2023 at the iconic Boca Raton Resort.

This year's theme "Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence" commemorates the 20^th Anniversary of HotelPlanner's founding in 2003 as one of the first online travel sellers to specialize in group travel.

Honoring the Finest in Group Travel

The American Group Travel Awards (AGTA) recognizes organizations and destinations that showcase the very best in group travel & hospitality. There are 10 award categories recognizing the best operators or destinations that service and deliver outstanding group travel experiences. All AGTA attendees and industry partners are encouraged to cast their vote for the 10 award category nominees below.

Destination Award Nominees

Best Wedding Destination

• Honolulu
• New York City
• Orlando
• Nashville
• Miami
  

Best Destination for Sporting Events

• Phoenix
• Tampa Bay
• Los Angeles
• Washington, DC
• Boston
  

Best Destination for Youth Sports

• Orlando
• Dallas
• Atlanta
• Cooperstown
• Scottsdale
  

Best Destination for Music Festivals

• Manchester, TN (Bonnaroo)
• Chicago (Lollapalooza)
• Indio, CA (Coachella)
• Austin, TX (Austin City Limits)
• Ft. Lauderdale (Tortuga)
  

Best Destination for Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties

• Ft. Lauderdale
• Las Vegas
• Cancun
• New York City
• Atlantic City
  

Hotel Awards

Best Hotel Brand - Youth Sports Team Travel

• Best Western Hotels & Resorts
• Comfort Inn & Suites
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Courtyard by Marriott
• Hampton Inn by Hilton
  

Best Hotel Management Company - Groups & Meetings

• Highgate
• Aimbridge Hospitality
• Pyramid Global Hospitality
• Hersha Hospitality Management
• Hotel Equities
  

Best Hotel Brand - Groups & Meetings

• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Marriott International
• Westgate Resorts
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• InterContinental Hotels & Resorts
  

Best Hotel Brand - Luxury Meetings & Events

• Waldorf-Astoria
• Wyndham Grand
• The Ritz-Carlton
• Park Hyatt
• Four Seasons
  

Best Hotel Brand - New Group Technology

• Choice Hotels International
• Best Western Hotels & Resorts
• Hilton Worldwide
• Marriott International
• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
  

"This year's AGTA nominees represent the very best destinations, hotels, and hotel management companies across all major group travel categories," says Tim Hentschel, Co-founder & CEO, HotelPlanner. "We will be actively encouraging voting to select the winners."

Cast Your Vote

All gala attendees and industry partners are encouraged to cast their vote for the 10 award category nominees above.

Thank You to our Sponsors

HotelPlanner is honored by the support of our diverse sponsors and thanks them for their financial commitments to our charity event.

• Platinum Sponsors include Amadeus; Expedia; Prime Travel; Cohn Reznick; and Laurence Gartel and The Gartel Art Museum.
  
  
• Gold Sponsors include PNC Bank; Westgate Resorts & Hotels; Best Western Hotels & Resorts; Corpay; Gunster; Winners Circle Trophies; Hotelbeds.com; and TBOHolidays.com.
  

If you are interested in attending and/or sponsoring this year's charity gala, please contact the event's Executive Producer Aioni Bashara at [email protected]

About HotelPlanner

HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company and hotel booking platform that combines proprietary artificial intelligence, and a 24/7 global gig-based reservations and customer service network. HotelPlanner is one of the world's leading providers of individual, group and corporate travel bookings. Founded in 2003, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with the world's largest online travel agencies, well-known global hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers, corporations, sporting organizations from youth to professional, universities, and government agencies. HotelPlanner's family of brands includes its flagship site HotelPlanner.com, its meetings & events-focused sites Meetings.com; EventConnect.com; and VenueExplorer.com. Lucid Travel, the company's most recent acquisition focuses on sports team travel and events. Learn more at https://www.hotelplanner.com/

About the American Group Travel Awards (AGTA)

The American Group Travel Awards was founded in 2014 by Tim Hentschel, Co-founder & CEO of HotelPlanner. AGTA honors the finest in group travel with awards given to leading suppliers or premier destinations that deliver best-in-class group travel experiences across North America. This black-tie charity gala is held at a premium hotel and is hosted by Dylan Ratigan. AGTA is attended by HotelPlanner senior executives, suppliers, customers and partners from well-known hotel chains, affiliate partners, the media, celebrity VIPs and entertainment. All net proceeds and donations go directly to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. To learn more, visit www.americangrouptravelawards.com

MEDIA CONTACTS
Philip Ballard
Chief Communications Officer & Head of Investor Relations
HotelPlanner
Email: [email protected]