Shannon Bowles named "Hotelier of the Year"

Shannon Bowles, General Manager of the Nashville Airport Marriott was awarded '2008 Hotelier of the Year Award' by Tennessee Hotel & Lodging Association for her outstanding achievements within the hospitality industry.

The "2008 Hotelier of the Year Award" is reserved for those demonstrating outstanding leadership, professionalism, and community service and/or civic affairs. Nominees are submitted and judged by previous award recipients who base their decision on the significant contributions made by the hotelier in the advancement of the hotel lodging industry.

Shannon joined the Marriott Corporation more than 22 years ago as a Front Desk Clerk at the Nashville Airport Marriott. Since then, she has held positions which include Courtyard General Manager, Director of Operations, Hotel General Manager, and Area General Manager for the cities of Nashville and Kingsport, TN.

Read the entire press release at 24-7 Press Release.

Nashville Seeing Growing Success Despite Country's Recession Worries

In a time where a slowing economy is on everyone's mind, Nashville continues to see positive travel industry growth.

Tourists and business travelers continue to flock to the famous Music City, notes Butch Spyridon, President of the Nashville Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB).

"Nashville is in a great position to minimize any impact from an economic downturn,' says Spyridon. 'Our diverse economy has created a very stable economic environment--health care, automotive, education, government, music and hospitality are all significant economic engines for the area. In addition, we are experiencing one of our best sales years ever and have just received initial approval for a new $600 million downtown convention center."

From the perspective of a Nashville airport hotel, the Nashville Airport Marriott continues to steady increase in group proposals through the CVB.

'We've seen a 148% increase in the number of group bookings we saw in January, verses the same time last year,' notes Jim Kintzler, Director of Sales and Marketing at the Nashville Airport Marriott. 'In addition to draw of the Nashville market overall, our clients are very pleased with our multi million dollar renovation and once again we rank in the top 10% of all North American Marriott hotels in guest satisfaction. We're proud to show our guests the kind of hospitality for which Nashville is known."

There's no wonder that even in the midst of a time when travelers are hesitant about spending money on hotels, dining and travel, the Airport Marriott's Nashville accommodations are booked, and out-of-towners are happily experiencing all that Nashville has to offer.

Read the entire Press Release.