Arlington, VA - This morning, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce hosted the Hospitality Awards at the Hilton Garden Inn Reagan National Airport. The event, sponsored by StayArlington, honored 66 front-line workers in Arlington's hospitality industry. This is the 17th Hospitality Awards and the first since the pandemic. These prestigious awards are presented to hospitality workers who deliver outstanding customer service, exhibit excellence in their roles, and continuously exceed their job descriptions. 

Flavia Sampaio, General Manager of Residence Inn Arlington Rosslyn and Chair of the Arlington Chamber Hotel General Managers Committee opened the program. "Throughout the last three years, we have seen the incredible resilience of the hospitality industry, and its especially incredible workforce. We are thrilled to be able to resume this program to recognize the dedication of the workers who helped keep the lights on in 2020," said Sampaio.

Following the opening remarks, Kate Bates, Arlington Chamber President & CEO presented the awards. "This event is our celebration of the people who make a difference in the Arlington hospitality industry," said Bates. "These individuals truly are the heart of the Arlington hospitality industry and our community is lucky to have each and every one of them."

During the awards ceremony, Kate Bates read inspiring testimonials of how each Hospitality Superstar Award winner has displayed integrity and dedication in his or her work, along with examples of how they care for guests above and beyond the call. One winner, Milagro Lazo of the Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City ensured that hotel staff were equipped with the necessary information and tools to keep themselves and the guests safe during the pandemic. She created notebooks with all the new standards for housekeepers and even translated that information into Spanish.

Another award winner, Odilia Ruiz of Residence Inn Arlington Ballston always goes above and beyond to help her colleagues. On one occasion, housekeeping linen orders were delayed with no delivery date, so she brought her sewing machine from home and started making pillowcases with clean and recycled linen. As a result of her thinking outside of the box and going the extra mile, the housekeeping team were able to have the necessary supplies for guest rooms. Everyday she gives 100%. She does an outstanding job with taking care of the hotel guests and is always willing to help anywhere in the hotel without hesitation.

The ceremony also honored 11 individuals with the Bob Klein Legendary Service Award for their 25 or more years of service in the Arlington hospitality industry. This award was renamed a number of years ago in honor of Bob Klein, the late General Manager of the Holiday Inn National Airport, who was instrumental in creating the Hospitality Awards program and ensuring its success for the first five years. 

Among those awarded was Gerald Gminder of the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport who has been working for his company for over 42 years and has spent the entirety of those 42 years at the same hotel. He has never called out of work or been late. His positive attitude, patience, and dependability set him apart. He aspires to do the best at his job and strives to ensure his managers are pleased with his performance. He never complains, even with the high demands that come from large banquet events. He communicates potential changes that could benefit his department and looks for efficiencies. His kindness is unmatched, and his peers highly value him. There were many exceptional stories shared of long-time service and dedication to the hospitality industry. 

The 2023 Bob Klein Legendary Service Award winners include: 

Hugo Alonzo

Silver Diner

Walter Grispo

Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City

Juan Flores

Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City

Jember Gebrewahid

Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport

Gerald Gminder

Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport

Goran Gvozderac

Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City

Jose Osorio

Crystal Gateway Marriott

Fernando Robelly

Crystal Gateway Marriott

Emee Torrez

Hyatt Centric Arlington/Our Town Hospitality

Senol Yeniceli

Renaissance Arlington Capital View

Husniya Yusuf

Crystal Gateway Marriott