Congratulations to the 2026 Award Winners! We were pleased to have over 700 people attend the Stars of the Industry Gala at the Governor's Conference on Hospitality & Tourism in Gatlinburg. From outstanding employees to community service, we handed out over 40 awards to the best of the best in our industry. Thank you to all of the nominees for your hard work and dedication to making Tennessee so wonderful.
If you are inspired by our award winners, please come back here next May to help us find our Stars of the Industry for 2027. You can nominate someone you know or nominate yourself or your business. We'll post the full list of categories as well as the link to submit your nomination. We look forwarding to continuing to honor the outstanding individuals and companies that are members of Hospitality Tennessee.
View the full 2026 Stars of the Industry photo gallery here
Outstanding Individual Awards
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Christopher Kelley
Senior Coordinator (UTK Hospitality and Tourism Internship Coordinator), The University of Tennessee - Department of retail, hospitality, and tourism management
Industry Educator of the Year
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Blaina Best
Tourism Director, Monroe County Department of Tourism
Women in Hospitality and Tourism
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Sarah Fleming
Membership and Development Manager, Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association
Special Recognition Awards
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Sky Pirates of Mermaid Bay An Epic Golf Adventure
2420 Parkway
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
United States
Community Service Award: Tourism
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Puckett's Cares
Community Service Award: Restaurant
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Compass by Margaritaville Hotel Pigeon Forge
125 Music Mountain Drive
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863-5244
Community Service Award: Lodging
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Four Seasons Hotel & Private Residences Nashville
100 Demonbreun Street
Nashville, TN 37201
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Rhythm on the Rails - Discovery Park of America
Employee Excellence Awards
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Lexi Dearborn
Marketing Specialist, City of Columbia
DMO Employee of the Year: Small
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Tammy Ursery
Director of Sales, Discovery Park of America
DMO Employee of the Year: Large
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Anthony Mylott
Bourbon Steak, JW Marriott Nashville
Restaurant Employee of the Year: Independent
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Restaurant Employee of the Year: Chain
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Claritza Matos
Hampton Inn - Pigeon Forge
Lodging Employee of the Year: Small
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Melvin De La Cruz
The Park Vista, A DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton Hotel
Lodging Employee of the Year: Large
Industry Leadership Awards
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Madie McCormick
Tourism and Main Street Coordinator, City of Springfield
DMO Manager of the Year: Small
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Jeannine O'Malley
Social Media Manager, Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority
DMO Manager of the Year: Large
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Aaron Gicking
Director of Sales, Topgolf Knoxville
Tourism Manager of the Year: Large
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Jonathon Jenkins
Old Country Store in Casey Jones Village
Restaurant Manager of the Year: Ind.
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David Hansen
Calhoun's - Gatlinburg
Restaurant Manager of the Year: Chain
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Ben Patton
Manager, Hampton Inn & Suites - Hamilton Place
Lodging Manager of the Year: Small
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Jesse Hayes
Director of Revenue Management, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
Lodging Manager of the Year: Large
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Kellye Murphy
Tourism & Marketing Director, City of Columbia
DMO Director of the Year: Small
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Ivy Albright
Director of Cultural & Heritage Tourism, Rutherford County Convention and Visitors Bureau
DMO Director of the Year: Large
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Stacie Overman
Owner, Lavender Kisses Farm
Tourism General Manager of the Year: Small
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Chris Madderom
General Manager, Old Town Trolley Tours of Nashville, Inc.
Tourism General Manager of the Year: Large
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Ashley King
General Manager, Old Country Store in Casey Jones Village
Restaurant General Manager of the Year: Ind.
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Reiko French-Whittington
General Manager, Huey's
Restaurant General Manager of the Year: Chain
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Brandon Pickett
Chef, The Read House Hotel
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Taylor Hall
General Manager, Hotel Indigo Chattanooga - Downtown
Lodging General Manager of the Year: Small
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Peter Marks
General Manager, The Chattanoogan Conference Center & Hotel
Lodging General Manager of the Year: Large
Best in the Industry Awards
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Expedia Group Media Solutions
1111 Expedia Group Way W.
Seattle, WA 98119
Allied Partner of the Year
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Sugarlands Distilling Company
805 Parkway
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
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Visit Franklin
400 Main Street Suite 200
Franklin, TN 37064
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Grinder House Coffee Shop
73 North Main Street
Crossville, TN 38555-4576
Tourism Property of the Year: Small
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Discovery Park of America
830 Everett Boulevard
Union City, TN 38261
Tourism Property of the Year: Large
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Frank Adams
Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center
Hospitality Achievement Award
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Randy Watson
General Manager, Gatlinburg SkyPark
Hospitality Achievement Award
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Jill Thompson
Executive Director, Greater Knoxville Hospitality Association (GKHA)
Tourism Professional of the Year
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Shailesh Patel
Owner, The 9 Group
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Ashley Boggs Robilio
President, Huey's
