03.13.18

Marcus® Hotels & Resorts Celebrates Award-Winning Properties


Four properties receive the distinguished AAA Four Diamond Rating in 2018

Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, a nationally recognized hotel management company and division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), today announced that four of its owned and managed properties have again received the esteemed AAA Four Diamond Award® in 2018. These awards follow a year of numerous accolades for Marcus Hotels & Resorts’ properties across the nation.

The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee remains one of only 12 hotels in North America that have maintained AAA Four Diamond status since the Diamond Ratings were first introduced in 1976. Other Marcus Hotels & Resorts properties that have received the AAA Four Diamond Award in 2018 include the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, recognized for the 20th consecutive year; the historic Skirvin Hilton in Oklahoma City, recognized for the 11th consecutive year; and the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, the major convention hotel in Milwaukee, recognized for the seventh consecutive year.

“The AAA Four Diamond Awards are a prestigious recognition that clearly demonstrate the decades of excellence at Marcus Hotels & Resorts,” said Greg Marcus, president and chief executive officer of The Marcus Corporation. “This is a result of the hard work and passion our associates put into ensuring an exceptional experience for each guest at a Marcus Hotels & Resorts property. Congratulations yet again to our AAA Four Diamond properties on this fantastic accomplishment, and congratulations on an excellent year of service to all of our properties, which were well recognized in 2017.”
The Pfister Hotel, Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Skirvin Hilton and Hilton Milwaukee City Center are part of an exclusive group of hotels within North America. Currently, six percent of the nearly 27,000 hotels approved by AAA make the Four Diamond list. Hotels at this level are committed to providing upscale physical attributes, extensive amenities and a high degree of hospitality, exceptional service and attention to detail.

In addition, five Marcus Hotels & Resorts properties also received high rankings in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Hotels list. The Pfister Hotel, Hilton Milwaukee City Center and InterContinental Milwaukee all ranked in the top four of downtown Milwaukee hotels, with The Pfister Hotel ranked as number one. The Pfister Hotel and Grand Geneva Resort & Spa were also listed in the top five best Wisconsin hotels, and the Skirvin Hilton was ranked number one in best downtown Oklahoma City hotels. The rankings evaluate more than 3,000 luxury hotels across the United States, the Caribbean, Canada and Mexico and are calculated based on the opinion of travel experts, guest reviews and hotel class ratings.

Along with the early recognitions in 2018, Marcus Hotels & Resorts also ended 2017 on a strong note with the company receiving the 2017 Service Excellence Award by Governor Scott Walker at the Wisconsin Governor’s Conference on Tourism, as well as Smart Meetings magazine’s 2017 Platinum Choice Award. Marcus Hotels & Resorts properties and their associates across the nation also earned numerous high honors in 2017 for providing extraordinary experiences to all guests and patrons. These include:

AC Hotel Chicago Downtown – Chicago, Illinois
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor
• 2017 Green Partner by TripAdvisor

The Garland – North Hollywood, California
• Scott Mills, general manager of The Garland, was named “2017 General Manager of the Year” by the California Hotel & Lodging Association
• Best Outdoor Venue by California Meetings + Events for Beverly Park
• Ranked #8 Top Hotel in Los Angeles by Condé Nast Traveler
• 2017 Favorite Hotel by Family Vacation Critic
• Top 25 Vacation Spots for Families with Big Kids by Parents Magazine
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
• Top 10 Resorts in the American Midwest by Condé Nast Traveler
• 2017 Award of Excellence by Corporate and Incentive Travel Magazine
• 2017 Readers’ Choice Award by the Daily Herald
• 2017 Favorite by Family Vacation Critic
• 2017 Best of Weddings by The Knot
• Best of 2017 Award by Meetings Today
• Top 28 Highest Slope-Rated Milwaukee Area Golf Courses by the Milwaukee Business Journal
• Stella Award for Best Golf Resort in the Midwest by Northstar Meetings Group
• Ristorante Brissago earned a Diners’ Choice Award by OpenTable
• Ranked #29 in Top 100 Spas of 2017 by Spas of America
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, Geneva ChopHouse and Ristorante Brissago
• Ranked #2 Best Hotel in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report
• 2017 Couples Choice Award by WeddingWire
• Hotel with Best Outdoor Reception Space by Wisconsin Meetings Magazine

Heidel House Resort & Spa – Green Lake, Wisconsin
• Rated 8 out of 10 for the 2017 Guest Review Awards by Booking.com
• Ranked #2 Top Spa in Wisconsin of 2017 by Spas of America
• Ranked #14 in Top 100 Spas of 2017 by Spas of America
• 2017 Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for Grey Rock at Heidel House Resort & Spa
• Best of 2017 Conference Center by Wisconsin Meetings

Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington – Minneapolis, Minnesota
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for the Hilton Minneapolis/Bloomington and Bloomington ChopHouse

Hilton Garden Inn – Houston, Texas
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor

Hilton Madison Monona Terrace – Madison, Wisconsin
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor
• 2017 Restaurant Award by Wine Spectator for the Capitol ChopHouse at Hilton Madison Monona Terrace
• Rick Rehfeldt, concierge at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, earned the “Spirit of Hospitality” award from the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association
• Skip Harless, general manager of the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace, was named “Innkeeper of the Year” by the Wisconsin Hotel & Lodging Association

Hilton Milwaukee City Center – Milwaukee
• Best of Mid-America Award by Meetings Today
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for Hilton Milwaukee City Center and Milwaukee ChopHouse
• 2017 Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for the Milwaukee ChopHouse at Hilton Milwaukee City Center

InterContinental Milwaukee – Milwaukee
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for Kil@Wat

Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker – Lincoln, Nebraska
• Rated 8.6 out of 10 for the 2017 Guest Review Awards by Booking.com
• Rated 4.3 out of 5 for the 2017 Loved by Guests Award by Hotels.com
• “Best Presentation” at Savor the City Event by Lincoln Chamber of Commerce
• Finalist for Lincoln’s Best Place to Work in a large-sized company sponsored by the Lincoln Human Resource Management Association, the Lincoln Journal Star and Woods & Aitken LLP
• Top 3 Best Reception Facilities by the Lincoln Journal Star
• Best of Mid-America Award by Meetings Today
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel and Miller Time Pub & Grill
• 2017 Green Partner by Trip Advisor
• Couples Choice Award by WeddingWire

The Pfister Hotel – Milwaukee
• Award of Excellence by the 2017 Communicator Awards
• Top Award by the 2017 Communicator Awards
• Top Hotel in the Midwest by Condé Nast Traveler
• Finalist for the 2017 Award of Excellence in the Best Historic Hotel (201-400 Guestrooms) category by Historic Hotels of America
• 2017 Top Choice Award – Best Hotel by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Best of Mid-America Award by Meetings Today
• 2017 Best Hotel Restaurant by Shepherd Express for Mason Street Grill at The Pfister Hotel
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor for The Pfister Hotel, Mason Street Grill and Blu Bar and Lounge
• Top 5 Best Hotels in Wisconsin by U.S. News & World Report
• 2017 Award of Excellence by Wine Spectator for Mason Street Grill at The Pfister Hotel
• Executive Chef Brian Frakes earned the “Salute to Excellence” Mentor Award by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association

The Platinum Hotel – Las Vegas, Nevada
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor
• 2017 Couples Choice Award by WeddingWire

Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel – Chapel Hill, North Carolina
• 2017 Idea Award by the Sheraton Go Beyond Program

Skirvin Hilton – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Best Hotel by 405 Magazine
• 2017 Fido’s Favorite Award among Pet Friendly Hotels by BringFido.com
• Best Hotel in Oklahoma by Condé Nast Traveler
• 2017 Bright Blue Futures Award by Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Rated #1 Hilton in service and loyalty in the Americas by Hilton Hotels & Resorts
• Travel with Purpose Grant by Hilton Worldwide Awards
• “Loved by Guests” certificate by Hotels.com
• Best Hotel by The Oklahoman Readers Choice Awards
• Best Hotel by Oklahoma Gazette
• Kelsey Huber, sales and events coordinator at The Skirvin Hilton, was named “Outstanding Lodging Employee of the Year” by the Oklahoma Hotels and Lodging Association
• Best Hotel by Oklahoma Magazine
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor
• Best Hotel “Elite Status” by U.S. News and World Report
• Ranked #1 Best Hotels in Oklahoma City by U.S. News and World Report

Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark – Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
• 2017 Readers’ Choice Award by the Daily Herald
• 2017 Favorite by Family Vacation Critic
• 2017 Certificate of Excellence by TripAdvisor
• 10 Best Indoor Waterparks 2017 by USA Today

For more information on the latest news and updates from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, please visit: http://Media.MarcusHotels.com.

About AAA Inspections
For more than 80 years, AAA has used professional inspectors to conduct anonymous, in-person property evaluations. AAA offers the only rating system using comprehensive, on-site professional hotel and restaurant evaluations guided by member priorities. AAA’s rating system covers the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Travelers can find Diamond Rated establishments and inspector insight in AAA’s trip planning products: the AAA Mobile app, the online TripTik Travel Planner mapping and routing tool, searchable online AAA Travel Guides and AAA TourBook guides available to members at AAA offices.

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