HOSPY Nomination FAQs and Category Information
This event is the largest hospitality awards gala in North Texas. Since the Gala's inception in 2007, the Hotel Association of North Texas has maintained the tradition of recognizing and honoring excellence within the hospitality industry for those that have gone above and beyond to leave a positive impact on their guests, team, and property.
The prize is the coveted Crystal Pineapple Award. You don't want to miss this year's event!
2023 HOSPY Awards and Gala - November 9, 2023
Sheraton Dallas
DEADLINE for nominations - October 25, 2023
Nominations are now closed.
Nomination Guidelines and FAQs:
Who is eligible to be nominated? All nominated individuals and organizations must be current HANTX Members. To verify membership status, please call 214-484-7060.
How many individuals may I nominate? Only one (1) nominee per category is allowed. There is a max of four (4) nominations per property with 300 rooms and under; and a max of six (6) nominations per property with 301 rooms or more. Please note that no one may be nominated if they have won a HOSPY award in the past three (3) years. Hotel of the Year and Allied Member of the Year do not count as part of your individual hotel nominations. They are separate categories.
Is a form required for each nomination? Yes. One (1) form per nomination is required.
Why is a photo of the nominee being requested? A "Faces of the Industry" slideshow will be shown during the Gala and we would like to showcase each nominee during this presentation.
May I nominate myself? No, you may not nominate yourself but you may have someone from your team, management company or corporate office nominate you.
Do nominees receive a complimentary seat at the Gala? Each nominee receives one (1) complimentary ticket. Please note in the nomination application if your hotel property would like to underwrite the cost for your nominee.
When's the deadline? Wednesday, October 25, 2023 is the extended deadline.
HOSPY Award Application Forms: There are three types of Award applications - one for hotel employees, one for Hotel of the Year and one for Allied members. Allied Members may be nominated by a hotel but their award is based on different criteria which will also include how these companies engage with HANTX - not just as sponsors but through a variety of ways including volunteering.
What positions are considered part of each "Stars of the Industry" category? The following are a few examples of, but not limited to, job positions that fall under each "Stars of the Industry" category. For 2023, there is not a Heart of the House Guest Services category - those positions were reclassified under other existing categories and the Concierge of the Year category is back.
Please note: The nominees in these categories are for non-management positions. The "Director/Manager of the Year" category is for management positions.
- Front of the House F & B: Server, bartender, room service, host/hostess, cashier, bus person
- Heart of the House F & B: Cook, catering secretary, cafeteria employee, bar back, butcher, steward, dishwasher
- Front of the House Guest Services: Bell person, driver, front desk agent, valet attendant, butler, rooms control
- Sales & Marketing: Sales representative or coordinator, reservations agent
- Events & Convention Services: Catering coordinator, event planner, banquet employee
- Loss Prevention/Security: Security officer, investigator
- Housekeeping/Laundry Services: Room attendant, linen room attendant, laundry attendant, housekeeper, floor attendant, seamstress, public area cleaner
- Administrative: accountant, executive assistant, income auditor, purchasing agent, operations employee, human resources assistant, human resources coordinator, payroll administrator
- Engineering/Maintenance: Engineer, maintenance employee
- Concierge
A nominee for "Director/Manager of the Year" category can be a director or manager in any department. This year, there are three Director/Manager of the Year awards - one for Administration, Front and Heart of the House. There are also other categories for Allied Member of the Year, and General Manager of the Year, and Hotel of the Year.
- Administrative Director or Manager of the Year: Human Resources Manager, Director of Loss Prevention, Revenue Manager, IT Manager
- Front of the House Director or Manager of the Year: Senior Sales Manager, Director of Event Planning, Director of Food & Beverage, Marketing Manager, Front Desk Manager, Restaurant Manager, Banquet Manager
- Heart of the House Director or Manager of the Year: Housekeeping Manager, Director of Rooms, Engineering Manager, Kitchen Manager, Executive Chef
- General Manager of the Year: Hotel Manager, General Manager, Managing Director, Dual General Manager
Nomination Submission and Review Process: Please complete the questions about your nominee to the best of your ability. These are very competitive award categories and a good, concise, and well-written nomination is key to communicating the qualifications of a candidate to the review committee.
The review committee will assign points based (1-10 scale) on your answers and supporting examples.
The judging panel consists of the Executive Directors of other local Texas hotel associations and industry professionals with no affiliations or ties with the nominees. The identifying information from each nominee packet is redacted to ensure everything remains impartial, and the judges are asked to evaluate each nominee based upon a set of criteria. As a reminder, HANTX staff members and board members are not part of the judging panel.
Our judges to have to make difficult decisions because every one of these nominees are dedicated, talented, and deserving individuals. The only information our reviewers can rely on is the information and details you provide about your nominee and if these claims are effectively backed up by supporting examples.
Following are just a few examples of question responses from prior year's winning nominations - please note that nominee's names and identifying information have been changed.
Despite the overwhelming amount of work that everyone has to do, Mary consistently finds ways to help her co-workers and our support service. Her willingness to assist others and commitment to educating our hosts is unequaled. During department feedback sessions this year, all departments have noted that Mary is thorough in training, provides great detail about the subject matter including benefits, training, guidance during personal emergencies, and she consistently follows-through to ensure understanding by not just by our hosts, but by the other team members and even family who might have to questions too. She’s an advocate to our hosts and our families!
Mary participates in our program that the hotel hosts once a month, providing food for kids of low income families. The program requires our colleagues to step away from their normal duties and put together food and bagged lunches for kids. She is also very caring for all individuals at the Hotel and supports them during the most difficult time. Recently a room attendant lost her husband and she received the news while at work. Mary was present when the news was communicated to the associate so she can be there as a shoulder to cry on. She did not want to see her fellow employee alone in this awful situation. To see the love and compassion she has for those around her, whether that is her fellow employees, guests, or the community, is very admirable and something all of us could learn from. We are very lucky to have Mary on our team.
John is second to none when it comes to going above and beyond the call of duty. John is always willing to go the extra mile for the good of the team and the hotel. It is not uncommon to see John assisting in other departments during high demand times. In addition he has cultivated an excellent relationship with Bob our Sr. Banquet Manager and works in tandem with him to ensure a seamless and exceptional customer experience. John will go above and beyond the call of duty to provide assistance to his fellow Event Operations leader. It is quite a site to see. Like Bob, John lives by the creed “yes is the answer now what is the question?”
My nominee easily develops and fosters relationships with our team as well as our guests. He can be found listening to our guests needs and wants to be able to create off the cuff cocktails that our guests continue to talk about during their stay with us. Not only does John care for his guests but he also cares for his team members, he can be seen running food and helping create craft cocktails for the servers guests as well. He continues to help keep the energy and moral up every day he is at work. He is terrific in welcoming our new team members and he helps them adjust to the style of our restaurant with ease. John can also be found actively participating in group conversations and events; his participation enables him to understand the departments’ implicit needs and initiate ideas to support our efforts to promote the brand standard.
Please be as concise and as accurate as possible. You have a maximum of 1000 characters per answer.
May we get a paper copy of the nomination form and questions? Yes, however all applications MUST be completed online to be accepted. Please see the links below:
- 2023 HOSPY Hotel Employee Nomination Packet - download
- 2023 HOSPY Hotel Nomination Packet - download
- 2023 HOSPY Allied Member Nomination Packet - download
The 16th Annual HOSPY Awards Gala will be held on Thursday, November 9, 2023 at the Sheraton Dallas.
For any other questions or assistance, please contact our office at 214.484.7060.