American Group Travel Awards Gala: A Star-Studded Affair To Celebrate HotelPlanner’s 20th Anniversary & H...

The charity gala hosted by HotelPlanner took place on November 12th at the Boca Raton Resort to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and to celebrate HotelPlanner’s 20^th Anniversary and HipHop50.

Grammy Award nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav was honored as the World Hospitality Award winner, with Hip Hop legends Rob Base and Grandmaster Flash performing and a special appearance by Cuba Gooding, Jr.

The American Group Travel Awards (AGTA), hosted by HotelPlanner, took place on November 12 at the iconic Boca Raton Resort to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The gala celebrated HotelPlanner’s 20^th Anniversary in the travel & hospitality industry, as well as the 50^th Anniversary of the founding of Hip Hop.

This year’s World Hospitality Award winner was given to Grammy Award nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav, who was introduced by Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. Gooding also did an impromptu break dance to Hip Hop artist Rob Base, who performed during the dinner.

Other special guests included “The Queen of Versailles” Jackie Siegel; TV host Kavita Channe; media personality Kimberly Guilfoyle; Fox News analyst Gianno Caldwell; The Father of Digital Art Lawrence Gartel; WBO Cruiserweight Champion Lawrence Okolie; record producer Paul Oakenfold; former U.S. Senator George LeMieux; and former MSNBC talk show host Dylan Ratigan who was the official Host of the night along with HotelPlanner Co-founder & CEO Tim Hentschel.

Professional photo galleries are available to view and download here and here. VIP interviews from the Red Carpet will be posted on HotelPlanner’s YouTube channel and on its social channels soon.

Honoring the Finest in Group Travel

The American Group Travel Awards (AGTA) recognized organizations and destinations that showcased the very best in group travel & hospitality in 2023. The winners are:

Destination Award Winners

Best Wedding Destination:  Honolulu

Best Destination for Sporting Events: Tampa Bay

Best Destination for Youth Sports: Orlando

Best Destination for Music Festivals: Austin, TX for Austin City Limits & Chicago for Lollapalooza (co-winners)

Best Destination for Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties: Las Vegas

Hotel Industry Award Winners

Best Hotel Brand – Youth Sports Team Travel: Best Western Hotels & Resorts

Best Hotel Management Company – Groups & Meetings: Hotel Equities

Best Hotel Brand – Groups & Meetings: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Best Hotel Brand – Luxury Meetings & Events: The Ritz-Carlton

Best Hotel Brand – New Group Technology: Hilton Worldwide

“What a sublime evening! This year’s AGTA will go down in HotelPlanner history as our very best and most iconic event, and we’ve hosted a lot of incredible events over the past 20 years. Many thanks to our charity benefactor, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, for all they do. Thank you to Flavor Flav, GrandmasterFlash, Rob Base, and Cuba Gooding, Jr for helping us celebrate HipHop50 in style. Other special guests in attendance, such as Gianno Caldwell, Lawrence Okolie, Jackie Siegel, Paul Oakenfold, and Kimberly Guilfoyle, also made the night a great success. Special thanks to all our amazing Platinum & Gold Sponsors. And congratulations to all our award winners,” says Tim Hentschel, Co-founder & CEO of HotelPlanner.

 Written in partnership with HotelPlanner