IMI Salutes 2016 VIBE Vista Awards Winners
March 28, 2016
IMI Agency is proud to congratulate our Clients for their outstanding achievements at this year’s VIBE Vista awards. The 2016 VIBE Vista awards represent both innovation and achievement in beverage programs.
Ed Korry, President of the Society of Wine Educators and Beverage Department Chairman at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, developed the judging criteria and selected two panels of judges from the beverage faculty.
The 2016 Winner for Best Overall Beverage Program was
HILTON WORLDWIDE
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Accepting the award for HILTON WORLDWIDE was Shirley Whelan, Senior Director of Restaurants & Bars for the Americas.
Presenting the award was E. & J. GALLO.
The team of judges was impressed by the beautiful execution of HILTON WORLDWIDE’s all-encompassing objective to give its guests a better bar experience. To accomplish this, they developed and published The Better Bar Experience Guide on the Flavors Of Hilton intranet site, to be viewed as an e-zine or downloaded as a fully interactive PDF with interactive links and catalogs. HILTON covered all the bases: team member training and engagement supported by newsletters, pre-shift rundowns, uniforms, glassware, bar tools and ice – even standards on atmosphere, music and lighting. Congratulations on Best Overall!
The Best Spirits Program was awarded to
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL
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Accepting the award for MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL was James Addison, Vice President of Food & Beverage.
Presenting the award was BEAM SUNTORY.
MARRIOTT strategically expanded its Bourbon program by increasing its premium and super-premium selection to eight, and by training its bartenders – on-property, off-property and online – to flawlessly create specialty Bourbon cocktails, offer Bourbon flights accompanied by bite-size food pairings, and to regale guests with stories about Bourbon. New glassware, upscale barware and specialty ice presses act to fully engage the audience. It’s a premium spirits program that has raised the bar at MARRIOTT. Congratulations!
The Best Beer Program was awarded to
INTERSTATE HOTELS AND RESORTS
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Accepting the award for INTERSTATE HOTELS AND RESORTS was Bradley Moore, Vice President of Food and Beverage Operations.
Presenting the award was THE BOSTON BEER COMPANY.
INTERSTATE’s goal was to provide its hotels with a powerful beer selection and upscale menus to engage its guests, with a minimum of five tap handles at every property. The program offers 16- and 23-ounce pours from a balance of domestics, imports, craft beers, seasonals and ciders. LTOs (limited time offers) and promotions engaged both guests and associates, resulting in beer sales rising year-over-year, with a 2015 increase of 3.67 percent overall. Congratulations to INTERSTATE HOTELS AND RESORTS!
