(McLean, VA, March 15, 2019) The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is pleased to announce the HSMAI Hotel Sales Professional of the Year Award recipients. Amy Champagne, Director of Sales & Catering, Antlers Hotel, will be recognized as the Hotel Sales Professional of the Year in the On-property category. Laura Dinu, Director, Groups & Meetings, Global Sales Americas, IHG, has been selected as the Above-property Hotel Sales Professional of the Year Award recipient. Champagne and Dinu will be honored with the awards at HSMAI’s Mike Leven Leadership Conference, March 18-19, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, CO.
The HSMAI Hotel Sales Professional of the Year Awards honor individuals that exemplify strong sales performance producing measurable results and demonstrate excellence in the following areas: creativity and initiative; sales acumen; innovative leadership; and advancement of the discipline.
“HSMAI is proud to honor Amy and Laura for their outstanding achievements in hotel sales,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHBA, president & CEO of HSMAI. “They are succeeding through a combination of innovation and teambuilding that should be models for the industry.”
Amy Champagne, Director of Sales & Catering at the Antlers Hotel in Colorado Springs, CO, will receive HSMAI’s On-property Hotel Sales Professional of the Year Award. Champagne began her career at the Antlers Hotel in 2000 as a front desk agent. Over the years, has cross trained in all facets of hotel operations. Champagne left the Antlers in 2012 for a position that encompassed overseeing multiple select service properties. She returned to her home at the Antlers in 2015, and was promoted to her current position in February 2018, where she oversees the onsite day to day successful operation of sales, catering, and marketing productions. Since obtaining her current role, Champagne has exponentially increased the hotel’s overall revenue and cultivated a team passionate to provide the best guest experience in the city.
Champagne was especially cited for her leadership in the promotion and advancement of the sales discipline at the regional and local level, serving as a leader of HSMAI Southern Colorado Chapter and supporting and mentoring colleagues at her hotel and community. She also demonstrated sales and business acumen – from her keen business development skills to her work maximizing food & beverage spend on property and creatively utilizing hotel function space and partnerships to drive revenue in the slower season.
Laura Dinu, Director, Groups & Meetings, Global Sales Americas, IHG, will be honored as the recipient of HSMAI’s Above-property Hotel Sales Professional of the Year Award. Dinu leads the Corporate Group and Intermediary Sales, USA for IHG, based in San Francisco, CA. In this role, she and her team are responsible for delivering groups and meetings business to all IHG hotels globally. An experienced leader with more than 15 years working in the Domestic, International Group, and Luxury Segments, Dinu helps guide her team to find strategic ways to build IHG’s customers business, and IHG’s partnerships. Prior to joining IHG, Dinu worked for Omni Hotels & Resorts in a global capacity in New York City and San Francisco, overseeing their regional offices. Dinu’s experience also includes various roles in New York City, primarily focusing on luxury brands such as Peninsula and St. Regis.
Dinu was especially cited for demonstrated sales and business acumen, going beyond the hotel business to the business of hotels to drive results. She leveraged her more than 15 years’ experience in the industry to drive significant growth from the corporate and association sectors, increase IHG’s support of and engagement with the events industry at the national level (and in key markets), and increase profitability for her hotels. She also showed innovative leadership, successfully implementing new ideas that created a new dimension of performance.
