York, PA December 17, 2020 Springwood Hospitality today announced it has been honored with yet another Hilton Legacy Award, the 2019 Focused Service Brands Developer of the Year award. The annual awards program celebrates development partners in the Americas for contributions toward brand excellence and development efforts. This year Hilton recognized more than 50 high-performing owners and developers across 15 different categories. Springwood is the sole 2019 Focused Service Brands Developer of the Year honoree in North America.
Hilton’s development team was particularly impressed with Springwood’s performance on the Tru by Hilton Hershey Chocolate Avenue. Early in the development process, Springwood voluntarily met with community groups to modify the exterior appearance of the planned hotel to give it more of a “Hershey flavor”. Community input completely changed the hotel’s exterior color palate, resulting in the only “Chocolate Tru” in the world.
Springwood’s team meticulously prepared the hotel for a successful opening at the peak of the Hershey tourist season. “We knew that every guest room had to be 100% guest-ready,” says Justin Shelton, President of Springwood Hospitality. “When Hilton’s pre-opening inspection team arrived they were shocked. The hotel was spotless and ready to open, so their job was fast and easy. They’re not used to seeing that.”
Springwood also participated in a second 2019 Hilton Legacy Award. It opened and manages The Wilbur Lititz, a Hilton Tapestry Collection Hotel, for owner Oak Tree Development of Lancaster. Hilton honored this hotel as the 2019 Tapestry by Hilton New Build of the Year for North America.
The leadership of Hilton’s development and brand teams select the Legacy Award winners based on strict criteria including, but not limited to, hotel quality and commitment to guest experience. To see the full list of Hilton’s 2019 Legacy Award winners click here.
“Our relationship with Hilton is mutually beneficial, and their brands have been consistently successful for us,” says David Hogg, Springwood CEO. In 2019 Springwood opened three Hilton focused-service hotels and began construction on four more, all of which opened this year.
Springwood and its affiliates have profitably developed 31 projects worth more than $300 million in central Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland. They have helped high-net-worth entities and individuals invest $90 million of private capital in these projects. Just three years ago Springwood won Hilton’s Multi-Brand Developer of the Year award for North America. It has been honored with two other national development (and many other) awards from Hilton and Marriott, plus numerous other awards from Central Penn Business Journal, United Way and other organizations.
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