HSMAI Set to Honor Kahn, Kong with Lifetime Achievement Awards

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will honor Richard Kahn (pictured), president of KTCpr, and David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western International, with lifetime achievement awards during its annual Adrian Awards Gala on Feb. 24 at the New York Marriott Marquis.

Kahn will be given the Winthrop W. Grice Lifetime Achievement Award for public relations excellence. He was chosen as the Grice winner due to outstanding dedication to his work and to the education of future hospitality professionals throughout his career. Kong has been named winner of the Albert E. Koehl Award, which is given for distinction in advertising and marketing.

Kahn, a former journalist, specializes in public relations and marketing for the hospitality, travel and tourism industries. He began as a reporter, editor and publisher for the first 22 years of his career. Most notably he served as a reporter at Aviation Week and Space Technology, covering the introduction of the wide-bodied jet aircraft including a the first Pan Am Boeing 747 inaugurated in January 1970.

In 1973, he joined Travel Agent magazine as managing editor, overseeing a staff of 45 writers and editors. He was later named editor-in-chief and eventually associate publisher. He left in January 1989 to launch his own company, RSK Travel Consultants, which eventually was renamed Kahn Travel Communications and then KTCpr, now headquartered in Rockville Centre, N.Y.

During his public relations and communications career, Kahn has represented the Caribbean Tourism Organization, Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA), Spice Island Beach Resort and Interval International. Other clients include Victoria Cruises, Mango Bay Group of Hotels and Travel Impressions.

Kahn served two terms as president of the New York Travel Writers Association and once as vice chairman of the Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) Northeast Chapter. He currently serves on several travel and tourism industry boards including CHTA and chapters of HSMAI and PATA and is the current chairman of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation.

Kahn was hired by CTO in 1989 to create a self-sustaining and profitable CTO Newsletter for members, helped create the ACCT travel agency education and loyalty program, and produced the first educational manual for the region. In the mid-1990s, CTO hired Kahn’s agency as its U.S. public relations agency and he served the Caribbean group for 14 years.

Kahn also developed the new HSMAI awards program and he served as a volunteer on public relations, educational programs. He was later elected to a variety of positions eventually becoming an HSMAI chapter president in 1999. His agency was subsequently hired to handle the HSMAI public relations account in 2000 and he served the group for the next eight years.

Kong has been chosen as the Albert E. Koehl award winner for the strategic and innovative thinking he has continued to bring to his role. Under his leadership, he has led Best Western to its highest revPAR index in 2012 and 2013, and helped the company achieve high performance in guest loyalty and hotel satisfaction.

Kong, who has served as the president and CEO of Best Western since 2004, has established a reputation as both a strategic thinker and innovator. By implementing a comprehensive brand strategy, he has raised overall brand standards and helped Best Western earn numerous accolades, including best midscale hotel chain in customer loyalty the past four years by Brand Keys; best hotel website the past two years by Compuware; industry best mobile website in 2013 by EyeForTravel; and E-Marketer of the Year in 2013 by Travel Click.

Prior to joining Best Western, Kong held leadership positions with KPMG Consulting, Hyatt Hotels, Omni International and Hilton Hotels. He served three years on the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board beginning in 2010. He also served as the chairman of the AH&LA in 2010 and continues to be active on the CEO Council and Government Affairs Council.

Previous winners of the Winthrop W. Grice Award include Howard Feirertag, Mary Gendron, Vivian Deuschl, Laura Davidson, Yvonne Middleton, Peggy Bendel, René Mack, Lou Hammond, Bunny Grossinger, Herbert Kelleher and Steve Wynn.

Previous winners of the Albert E. Koehl Award include Roger Dow, Eric Danziger, Sol Kerzner, Ian Schrager, Barbara Talbott, Barry Sternlicht, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, Horst Schulze, John Russell, Michael Leven and Richard Branson.

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