Jan. 4, 2016 – The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will honor the San Francisco Travel Association with a Gold Adrian Award for the redesign of their website, www.sanfrancisco.travel,  in the 59th annual Adrian Awards, the largest and most prestigious global travel marketing competition.

This year's contest was one of the most competitive in history, garnering more than 1,300 entries from around the world, with entries judged by distinguished executives from all sectors of the industry.

“We completely redesigned our website a little more than a year ago and have continued to make changes and enhancements.  Our team is constantly finding new ways to be more visually appealing and inspiring and to use responsive design to provide a truly interactive experience,” said Joe D'Alessandro, president and CEO of San Francisco Travel.  “Like the city we represent, our online destination never stops evolving and improving.  We are honored to have our work recognized by HSMAI,” he added.  

HSMAI will pay tribute to San Francisco Travel during the annual HSMAI Adrian Awards Gala, a black-tie affair attended by more than 1,000 hospitality, travel and tourism marketing executives at the New York Marriott Marquis on Feb. 16, 2016.

“We are continually amazed by the creativity of the Adrian Award submissions,” said Fran Brasseux, HSMAI executive vice president. “We received an incredible number of outstanding Adrian Awards entries this year, and we are excited to recognize so many innovative companies that will undoubtedly continue to make an impact in the hospitality advertising, public relations and digital marketing industry.”

In addition to commending San Francisco Travel's award-winning work, the Gala and dinner reception honors lifetime achievement in travel/hospitality marketing, as well as The HSMAI Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization.  All winning entries will be accessible in the Adrian Awards Winners Gallery online following the gala at www.adrianawards.com.     

Visit www.AdrianAwards.com for more information on the event and competition.

About HSMAI

The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry's leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI's MEET, Adrian Awards, and Revenue Optimization Conference. HSMAI is an individual membership organization comprising more than 7,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas Region. Connect with HSMAI at www.hsmai.org, www.facebook.com/hsmai, www.twitter.com/hsmai and www.youtube.com/hsmai1.

 About San Francisco Travel

The San Francisco Travel Association is a private, not-for-profit organization that markets the city as a leisure, convention and business travel destination.  With more than 1,500 partner businesses, San Francisco Travel is one of the largest membership-based tourism promotion agencies in the country.

Tourism, San Francisco's largest industry, generated record-breaking numbers in 2014.  More than 18 million people visited the destination, spending in excess of $10.67 billion. More than 87,000 jobs are supported by tourism in San Francisco. 

The San Francisco Travel business offices are located at One Front St., Suite 2900, San Francisco, CA 94111. 

San Francisco Travel also operates Visitor Information Centers at Hallidie Plaza, 900 Market Street at the corner of Powell and Market streets and on the lower level of Macy's Union Square.  For more information, visit www.sanfrancisco.travel.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) offers non-stop flights to more than 39 international cities on 33 international carriers. The Bay Area's largest airport connects non-stop with 77 cities in the U.S. on 14 domestic airlines. SFO is proud to offer upgraded free Wi-Fi with no advertising. For up-to-the-minute departure and arrival information, airport maps and details on shopping, dining, cultural exhibitions, ground transportation and more, visit www.flysfo.com.  Follow SFO on www.twitter.com/flysfo and www.facebook.com/flysfo.

American Express® is the official Card partner of the San Francisco Travel Association.

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