‘Milestones,’ members highlighted in CVB annual meeting

MARTHA SHERIDAN, president and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, noted the highlights of the last year in the hospitality and tourism industry and pointed to positive expectations for the coming year at the organization's annual meeting, held Thursday at the R.I. Convention Center. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE WARWICK CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
MARTHA SHERIDAN, president and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, noted the highlights of the last year in the hospitality and tourism industry and pointed to positive expectations for the coming year at the organization's annual meeting, held Thursday at the R.I. Convention Center. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE WARWICK CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

PROVIDENCE – The last 12 months have brought numerous highlights to the region’s tourism industry, according to Martha Sheridan, president and CEO of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, including hotel occupancy rates that exceeded 80 percent in multiple months.
While calling out a number of organizations and institutions, Sheridan emphasized the strong meeting and convention business that the area enjoyed in the last year, the key to the strong hotel bookings that were seen through the summer.
In remarks made at the CVB’s annual meeting, held Thursday at the R.I. Convention Center, Sheridan also praised the work of her staff, which she said has met its goal for the fiscal year 2013 of generating more than 110,000 room night bookings for the future. “We are looking at the future and it is bright,” she said.
In addition to giving its members a recounting of the last year and expectations for the coming year, the organization handed out its annual awards, including member of the year, which went to Sylvia Moubayed, the owner of Cav restaurant. Sheridan noted that “stepping through the door and down the little ramp at the entrance [to the restaurant] feels like entering the parlor of a favorite relative or an old friend,” an experience driven by the “value she places on courtesy and harmony” in Cav.
Also celebrated at the annual meeting were the winners of the annual Recognition of Service Excellence awards:

  • Mick Ahern, lead bartender at the Wicked Good Bar & Grill.
  • Kate Bastien, event planning assistant, Newport Marriott Hotel.
  • Dina Caldarone, human resource coordinator, Marriott Courtyard Providence.
  • Michael Christofaro, marketing & sponsorship coordinator, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture & Tourism.
  • CJ Davenport, security officer, Providence Biltmore Hotel.
  • John Gonyea, dishwasher, Elizabeth of Portofino’s.
  • Elizabeth Gonzales, room attendant, Hilton Providence.
  • Dave Martin, valet attendant, Twin River Casino.
  • Peg Myers, education coordinator, The Hall at Patriot Place Presented by Raytheon.
  • David Porteous, front desk associate, Comfort Inn Pawtucket.

Playing off the event theme of “Milestones,” the CVB made note of organizations celebrating significant anniversaries in 2013 and 2014, including:

  • Brown University, 250th anniversary.
  • Bryant University, 150th anniversary.
  • Camille’s restaurant, 100th anniversary.
  • Johnson and Wales University, 100th anniversary.
  • The Dunkin’ Donuts Center, 40th anniversary.
  • The R.I. Convention Center, 20th anniversary.

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