Preferred Hotels & Resorts Announces 2026 Awards of Excellence, GIFTTS Pineapple Awards, and Inaugural Legacy Leadership Award Winners

Recipients Honored at Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ 2026 Global Conference in Charleston
SUMMARY: Preferred Hotels & Resorts has announced the winners of its 2026 Awards of Excellence, GIFTTS Pineapple Awards, and inaugural Legacy Leadership Award, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the GIFTTS, at the 2026 Global Conference in Charleston, South Carolina.

NEW YORK, May 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2026 Awards of Excellence, GIFTTS Pineapple Awards, and inaugural GIFTTS Legacy Leadership Award, introduced in honor of the program’s 20th anniversary. The awards were presented on Thursday at The Cooper in Charleston, South Carolina, during the 2026 Preferred Hotels & Resorts Global Conference, recognizing the independent member hotels whose outstanding performance, innovative spirit, and unwavering pursuit of excellence exemplify the very best of luxury hospitality worldwide.

“Each year, these awards provide an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary independent hoteliers who continue to shape the future of luxury hospitality,” said Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. “It is a true privilege to honor these remarkable hotels and their dedicated teams, whose passion, leadership, and commitment to excellence continue to raise the bar for our industry. As we mark the 20-year anniversary of GIFTTS, it is especially meaningful to honor the collective impact our member hotels continue to make, not only within our industry, but within the communities they serve.”

Held at The Cooper, a brand-new luxury hotel located on the riverfront in Charleston – and member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection – the closing ceremony of the 2026 Global Conference brought together more than 560 hospitality industry leaders, including guest speakers Jan Freitag, National Director of Hospitality Analytics for the CoStar Group, and Sophie Morgan, who spoke on inclusivity beyond accessibility in hospitality and travel, along with hundreds of independent luxury hoteliers from around the world. During the ceremony, CEO Lindsey Ueberroth and President Michelle Woodley honored the recipients of the 2026 GIFTTS Pineapple Awards, celebrating the brand’s Great Initiatives for Today’s (Tomorrow’s) Society (GIFTTS) program, and introduced its first-ever GIFTTS Legacy Leadership Award. The 2026 Awards of Excellence followed, recognizing top-performing member hotels across a range of categories, including New Hotel Partner of the Year, I Prefer Hotel Partner of the Year, and the Shiji ReviewPro Award for Online Reputation Management, to name a few.

2026 GIFTTS Legacy Leadership Award
Created in honor of GIFTTS 20th anniversary, this inaugural award recognizes a hotel partner whose commitment to community, philanthropy, and responsibility has endured over time and helped shape what GIFTTS means on a global scale. In recognition of that enduring leadership and global impact, the recipient of the 2026 GIFTTS Legacy Leadership Award is Wynn Resorts.

2026 GIFTTS Pineapple Awards
Each year, Preferred Hotels & Resorts recognizes member hotels that take the meaning of genuine hospitality beyond the lobby and into their communities by showcasing an outstanding commitment to philanthropy, sustainability, and social responsibility as part of its GIFTTS program. With more than 60 property submissions across five categories, the 2026 GIFTTS Pineapple Award winners are as follows:

Philanthropy:
- The Alfond Inn (Winter Park, Florida, United States) – L.V.X. Collection
Sustainability (Preferred Hotels & Resorts):
- President Hotel (Cape Town, South Africa) – Lifestyle Collection
Sustainability (Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Beyond Green – Dual Members):
- Post Ranch Inn (Big Sur, California, United States) – Legend Collection
Overall Hotel:
- Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin (Noordwijk aan Zee, Netherlands) – L.V.X. Collection
- Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort (Monte-Carlo, Monaco) – Lifestyle Collection
Corporate Social Responsibility:
- Hotel Xcaret Arte (Playa de Carmen, Mexico) – L.V.X. Collection
- Hotel Xcaret Mexico (Playa de Carmen, Mexico) – L.V.X. Collection

For more information on GIFTTS, visit www.preferredhotels.com/CSR.

2026 Awards of Excellence
Celebrating the standout performance of independent luxury properties within Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ exceptional portfolio of more than 625 hotels, resorts, and residences across 80 countries, the annual Awards of Excellence recognize member hotels that epitomize excellence and inspire the global travel community to pursue #ThePreferredLife. This year’s award honorees are as follows:

Hotel Partner of the Year – Overall:
- Shutters on the Beach (Santa Monica, California, United States) – Legend Collection
Hotel Partner of the Year – Asia & Pacific:
- Hotel New Otani Tokyo “The Main” (Tokyo, Japan) – L.V.X. Collection
- Hotel New Otani Tokyo “EXECUTIVE HOUSE ZEN” (Tokyo, Japan) – Legend Collection
Hotel Partner of the Year – Europe:
- The Grand York (York, United Kingdom) – L.V.X. Collection
Hotel Partner of the Year – India, Middle East, Africa:
- The Leela Palace Jaipur (Jaipur, India) – Legend Collection
Hotel Partner of the Year – Mexico, Central and South America:
- Entre Cielos Wine & Wellness Hotel (Mendoza, Argentina) – L.V.X. Collection
Hotel Partner of the Year – United States & Canada:
- Brenton Hotel (Newport, Rhode Island, United States) – L.V.X. Collection
New Hotel Partner of the Year – City:
- Al Habtoor Palace Budapest (Budapest, Hungary) – Legend Collection
- The Newman (London, United Kingdom) – Legend Collection
New Hotel Partner of the Year – Resort:
- Das Edelweiss Salzburg Mountain Resort (Grossarl, Austria) – Legend Collection
I Prefer Hotel Partner of the Year:
- The Londoner (London, United Kingdom) – Legend Collection
Shiji’s ReviewPro Award for Online Reputation Excellence:
- XV Beacon (Boston, Massachusetts, United States) – Legend Collection

To qualify for nominations, member hotels are required to rank among the top in their region as part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Integrated Quality Assurance program – which includes third party on-site inspections and real-time guest feedback from the world’s top consumer review sites – as well as actively demonstrate strong engagement in their partnership with the brand. From the pool of qualified hotels, the Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ team of regional leaders determine a shortlist across categories with the awards committee, chaired by the Ueberroth Family, selecting the winners.

About Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Preferred Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest independent hotel brand, representing more than 625 distinctive hotels, resorts, residences, and unique hotel groups across 80 countries. Through its curated global collections, Preferred Hotels & Resorts connects discerning travelers to the singular luxury hospitality experience that meets their life and style preferences for each occasion. Every property within the portfolio maintains the high-quality standards and unparalleled service levels required by the Preferred Hotels & Resorts Integrated Quality Assurance Program. The I Prefer™ Hotel Rewards program, Preferred Residences℠, Preferred Pride℠, and Preferred Golf™ offer valuable benefits for travelers seeking a unique experience. For more information, visit PreferredHotels.com.

Media Contact: 
Kate Calciano
Manager, Public Relations
Preferred Hotels & Resorts
Office: + 1 646-465-9786
kcalciano@preferredhotels.com

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