Signature Expands Hotel Program, Announces Michelle Morgan Leadership Award at Sales Meeting

signature hotels & resorts collection 2016 brochureSignature Travel Network's three-day Sales Meeting & Trade Show just opened November 5 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. At the event the company announced an expansion to its Hotel & Resort Program, as well as this year's recipient of the Michelle Morgan Leadership Award

For 2016, Signature's Hotel & Resort Program will include 934 hotels, resorts, lodges, and spas in 460 unique destinations worldwide. In total, 91 new hotels and resorts have joined the collection for 2016.

All participating hotels offer breakfast for two daily and a special Signature benefit, such as a $100 hotel/resort credit, a lunch/dinner for two once during each stay, a complimentary round of golf, a spa treatment, airport transfers, or another amenity. These Signature benefits are in addition to late check-out, early check-in, an upgrade based on availability, and preferential rates.

Signature’s 2016 Hotel & Resort directory will be released on December 1, 2015. The new hotel directory will be customized for Signature’s member agencies. A companion hotel program direct mail piece will be mailed to clients who do not receive the directory. Signature’s hotel program now has over 20,000 pages of proprietary online content, available to front-line consultants and consumers through members’ websites. 

Notable additions to Signature’s preferred program include city hotel properties such as the Ritz Paris; The St. Regis Abu Dhabi; The PuLi Hotel and Spa; Hotel Brunelleschi; Loews Boston Hotel; Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Francisco; The Beekman; Hotel 1000; China World Summit Wing, Beijing – A Shangri-La Hotel; Das Stue Hotel Berlin Tiergarten; Hotel Continental; Hotel Único Madrid; Delano Las Vegas; OPUS Hotel Vancouver; Aman Tokyo; Rosewood London; Mandarin Oriental, Milan; COMO The Treasury; Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro; and more. For travelers seeking countryside retreats, Signature added Entre Cielos in Argentina; La Bastide de Gordes in Provence; Borgo dei Conti Resort in Italy’s Umbria; Hotel Marqués de Riscal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Elciego in Spain; Calistoga Ranch, an Auberge Resort in California’s Napa Valley; Chateau de la Barre in France’s Loire Valley; and the Castello del Nero Hotel & Spa in Tuscany. For clients seeking activity and adventure, Signature added Awasi Patagonia; Rio Perdido in Costa Rica; Solitaire Lodge in New Zealand; Longitude 131° in Australia’s Outback in Uluru; and other lodges worldwide. Signature also announced the addition of resorts such as Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, W Retreat & Spa – Maldives; Malliouhana, an Auberge Resort in Anguilla; Ladera Resort in St Lucia; Txai Resort Itacaré in Brazil; Regent Porto Montenegro; Conrad Algarve; The Cape, a Thompson Hotel in Cabo San Lucas; Qamea Resort & Spa in Fiji; Casa Turquesa Maison d'Hôtes in Paraty, Brazil; The Miami Beach Edition; and the new Amanera in Playa Grande, Dominican Republic

Tim Smith Honored as Recipient of Michelle Morgan Leadership Award for 2015

Also at the event, Signature named Tim Smith, president of San Diego Travel Group, as the 2015 recipient of the Michelle Morgan Leadership Award

"While serving as Signature’s chairman of the board for eight years, Tim’s leadership and guidance were instrumental as the network experienced incredible membership and sales growth," said Karen Yeates, executive vice president of information technologies for Signature. "And like Michelle, Tim’s success goes beyond building a strong business—Tim is committed to his colleagues’ personal happiness as much as their professional growth."

The Michelle Morgan Leadership Award honors the memory and work of Michelle Morgan, Signature’s previous president who passed away in September 2013 from acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive and complex form of leukemia. The award recognizes travel industry professionals who embody the qualities that made Morgan successful in both her professional and personal life, Signature said. 

Signature chose a small group of close friends and family as the award’s selection committee. They identified the following qualities as the determining characteristics for the recipient of the Michelle Morgan Leadership Award:

  • Adaptive and nimble, responsive to an ever-changing business environment
  • Proactive, with a willingness to act decisively, even in difficult circumstances
  • Determined to work towards what is right, even when those choices are not popular
  • Committed and passionate about a cause, be it work or an ideal
  • Ability to empower others to achieve success
  • A great communicator
  • Passionate about people, truly cares about others
  • Humble and always gives credit where credit is due
  • Overcomes adversity

Tim Smith's career in the travel industry has ranged from his early days with PSA Airlines to his current position as president of San Diego Travel Group, which he has held since 1998. San Diego Travel Group companies include the leisure-focused Carefree Vacations, GlobalPoint Travel Solutions for corporate travel, and World Passports & Visas.

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