HFTP Names Five Tech Pioneers

2007 Hospitality Technology Award of Merit

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. October 14, 2008

AUSTIN, TX, April 18, 2007. Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP(R)) is proud to announce Joyce Christmas, William Duncan, Ed Hollinshead, Joseph Marco and William Sullivan as the 2007 Hospitality Technology Award of Merit recipients. The award, presented every five years, recognizes individuals who have made a significant innovation or breakthrough that established a path for others in hospitality technology. The five individuals will be recognized at the Opening Session of the 35th Annual Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC(R)) on June 26 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Created in 2002, The Award of Merit is intended to create a historical bridge between the present and the industry's origins by recognizing those who have made contributions that greatly impact the industry to this day. Recipients were selected by inductees to the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame, a group of industry professionals who have already been recognized for their influence on the industry.

"The idea behind the Award of Merit is to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions that have longevity," said John Cahill, chair of the Award of Merit committee and CIO for Denihan Hospitality Group. "The accomplishments of those selected have benefitted all of us, especially those of us who have been working in hospitality technology since the early days."

Each individual was chosen for his/her unique contribution to hospitality technology. Eligible nominees came from any hospitality discipline, not just technology; however, their contribution had to have been in hospitality technology.

Joyce Christmas was recognized for her three decades of coverage and promotion of hospitality technology via the industry newsletter, The CKC Report. She served as an author, editor and manager of the publication which was published by Chervenak, Keane and Co., a hospitality consulting firm. Christmas also served for many years on the HFTP Bottomline Editorial Advisory Council, securing and authoring articles for the magazine's annual hospitality technology issue which coincides with HITEC.

William (Bill) Duncan was recognized for his work with hotel sales automation. He helped grow Newmarket Software Systems from a seven-person operation to a global software company employing hundreds. In 1994, he founded Daylight Software, Inc. to develop an advanced enterprise-level sales and catering software solution for the hotel industry, using integrated communications over the Internet to link hotels, call centers, corporate offices and customer sites. He also has served as a technical consultant to leading companies in the computer, financial services and health care industries.

Joseph A. Marko was recognized for his work in sales automation. While at Sheraton, in conjunction with David Troy, VP of sales and marketing, Marko conceived, designed and implemented (with the help of many) one of the industry's very first Sales Office Automation Projects (SOAP), introducing a high level of automation, including both word processing and sales account database management. As director of hotel systems for Sheraton's North American Division, Marko defined a new position of systems manager to support all hotel technology products within Sheraton's corporate properties in North America. Marko also introduced Fidelio to the Americas as founder, chairman and president of Fidelio USA. He was also influential in promoting the spread of hotel systems as product manager/sales manager for Micor and sales director for Philips Hotel Systems.

Bill Sullivan, CHTP, was recognized for his expertise in hospitality systems design and operations. He worked for 31 years at the DuPont Company in Wilmington, Del. where he spent considerable portions of his career in DuPont's hospitality operations. Bill was the director of hospitality for DuPont Hospitality, with management responsibility, including a stint as GM of the Hotel duPont, the DuPont County Club and the Playhouse Theater. He is now an adjunct instructor at the University of Delaware, where he teaches a Hospitality Practicum course. Sullivan is also the Managing Director of the Courtyard Newark at the University of Delaware and the University Conference Centers. He is employed by the Shaner Hotel Group in partnership with the University of Delaware. Sullivan also continues to be a frequent speaker at industry educational conferences such as HITEC.

Ed Hollinshead was recognized for his contributions to hospitality automation systems development. As co-founder with Jack Morgan and Jerry Freedman of Morgan International, which became Micor, in 1969 he designed the first automated room status reporting system to use a CRT display, followed by the first successful PMSs, the Micor II and Micor III which were adopted by Marriott and Hyatt in the early 1970s. He continued to provide technical leadership and guidance at Galler Hospitality Systems, CompuSolv, HIS, Fidelio USA and RezSolutions, and as an independent consultant.