Lifetime Achievement Awards

In 1980 Grant and Jeanne Genzlinger moved their young family into the Settlers Inn and began the work of refurbishing the property. Establishing a new business and raising three children under the age of 9 left little down time. “We were young, and we didn’t know what we were getting in to,” says Grant. “But we had a passion for what we were doing and jumped at the challenge. We enjoyed the process of peeling the building back from what it had become to what it was supposed to be.” The restaurant opened first, and it was farm to table from the very beginning. A deep dive into the style and philosophy uncovered a match to the English Style Arts and Crafts aesthetic. The philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement also lent itself to hospitality and the Genzlingers’ own beliefs- creativity flows from the head to the heart to the hands. Jeanne says that’s the mantra that’s carried through 40 years.

Jeanne and Grant are quick to acknowledge the help of many people who made The Settlers Inn what it is today. In fact, it’s the interaction with family, friends, staff and guests that the couple says have brought them the most joy. “We worked hand in hand with our staff,” says Jeanne. “So many of our guests became like family because they returned year after year and watched the Inn grow and came along with us on this journey.” The pair credits a commitment to excellence and quality as their key to success. “Our guests return because we deliver an experience that exceeds their expectation,” explains Grant. “There’s a comfort of coming back, but they know we’re striving for better and new experiences every time.”

In 2015 Jeanne and Grant retired from day to day operations at the properties and founded Root Hospitality, the consulting arm of the business.

Today, Settlers Hospitality includes five hotels, including four hotels inducted into Historic Hotels of America and five restaurants under the Settlers Hospitality umbrella, along with numerous partnerships with small business across Pennsylvania.

An enthusiastic and passionate leader in the restoration and preservation of historic hotels, P. Steven Dopp is a long-time supporter of Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. An advocate for historic hotels and resident of Charleston, South Carolina and York, Maine, he is a native of New Jersey. He attended Williams College, graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz with degrees in economics and environmental planning and earned his JD degree from the University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall) in 1980. He practiced law in Portland, Oregon with Tonkon Torp, Galen, Marmaduke & Booth before entering the hospitality business in 1984. As the President of Portwood Properties Corporation, Steve Dopp has focused primarily on the restoration of historic properties including The Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, South Carolina; The Westin Poinsett, Greenville, South Carolina; the Churchill Hotel, Washington, D. C.; and The Middlebury Inn, Middlebury, Vermont. He has served on the board of The Preservation Society of Charleston and the Board of Advisors for Historic Hotels of America. In 2001, he hosted the Historic Hotels of America annual conference at the Francis Marion Hotel. He has been married to Wendy M. Dopp for over 30 years and they have three children, Laura, Michael and Andrew and two grandchildren. His dedication with his business partners and family over the past 35 years to the successful restoration and preservation of several historic hotels will enable future generations of travelers to experience first-hand and to learn about the stories and histories of these iconic and legendary hotels.

A lifelong Chicagoan and part of the Palmer House team for over 36 years, Ken Price is an integral voice in ensuring the hotel's rich history and story of its famed founder Potter Palmer and his wife Bertha Honoré Palmer lives on for generations to come. He created and runs the hotel's museum, which is filled with priceless historical artifacts. In 2009, Ken created and has led the wildly popular, award-winning ‘History is Hott!’ tour. He has taken more than 32,000 guests and tour goers through The Palmer House's rich history as it relates to Chicago and the nation, and shows them iconic spaces such as the breathtaking lobby and legendary Empire Room, where the likes of Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Liberace performed. “If you remove the ‘H’ and ‘I’ from History, what do you have,” Ken Price asks frequently. “You have Story!” His passion is sharing the Stories of the Palmer House, especially those from his favorite historians - the hotel guests. Ken’s route to historian and publicist started at the Chicago History Museum nearly 40 years ago where for every weekend for eight months he immersed himself in the stories about Potter and Bertha Palmer and the other Founders of Chicago. Prior to his Palmer House career, Ken attended Chicago Law School and served six years as a writer in the U.S. Army Psychological Operations division at Fort Bragg. Ken’s philosophy for sharing history is “what the eye doesn’t see, the mind doesn’t comprehend; what the fingers don’t touch, the heart doesn’t feel.” At the Palmer House, guests learn about the stories by seeing and touching actual historic artifacts and memorabilia in the museum and of course, tasting one of the more than 50,000 Palmer House chocolate brownies baked and served each year using the same 1893 recipe when the brownie was first created at The Palmer House.

Since 1992, Duane and Kelly Roberts have contributed significantly to the preservation, restoration, recognition and celebration of The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, California. Their dedication of time and resources continues to enhance this historic hotel which was previously designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Since their purchase of this legendary historic hotel in 1992, they have re-invested all operational profits back into the hotel to continue its legacy. Twenty-five years ago, the Roberts created and funded the acclaimed Riverside Festival of Lights annual holiday event where visitors can enjoy more than five million dazzling holiday lights and animated characters.

Mr. Osano and Kyo-ya Hotels and Resorts, LP are committed to the stewardship of these iconic landmarks, evident in their complete restoration of the Moana Surfrider in 1988, and major renovations of The Royal Hawaiian in 2009 and 2015. The Sheraton Maui Resort maintained its respect for the heritage of the land it sits upon during its major redevelopment in 1996. In 2015, The Palace Hotel, an iconic treasure in San Francisco for more than a century, completed an extensive renovation including a restoration of the landmark Garden Court. In doing so, Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP has invested more than half a billion dollars including more than $300 million in extensive renovations and restorations to their Waikiki hotels and more than $200 million on Maui and in San Francisco. Kyo-ya Hotels & Resorts, LP is very committed to protecting the environment through sustainable business practices, proactive community initiatives and investments in cutting-edge technology to provide guests with luxurious accommodations and signature service while conserving precious natural resources.

The Cook Group is a medical device company Mrs. Cook co-founded with her late husband William ("Bill") Cook in a spare room in their Bloomington, Indiana apartment back in 1963. When Bill died in 2011, she inherited his stake and sits on the company's board. Their son Carl Cook is also involved in the business, which has offices in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia. Cook Group specializes in stents and catheters that contain pre-injected antibiotics. From 1996 to 2007, Bill and Gayle Cook spent $500 million to restore the luxury French Lick Resort and West Baden Springs Hotel in Indiana, adding a casino and a Pete Dye-designed PGA golf course. The resort hosted 2015 PGA Senior Championship.