Hosted by HotelPlanner, the annual black-tie charity gala will take place on November 12 at the iconic Boca Raton Resort to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Grammy Award nominee and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Flavor Flav to be honored as World Hospitality Award winner. Hip Hop legend Rob Base to perform on stage. Dylan Ratigan to return as Host alongside HotelPlanner Co-founder & CEO Tim Hentschel.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., June 15, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HotelPlanner, a leading individual and group travel technology platform, today announced the return of the American Group Travel Awards (AGTA), a black-tie charity gala the company created to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The philanthropic event will take place on Sunday, November 12, 2023 at the iconic Boca Raton Resort.
This year’s theme “Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence” commemorates the 20th Anniversary of HotelPlanner’s founding in 2003 as one of the first online travel agencies to specialize in group travel.
Honoring the Finest in Group Travel
The American Group Travel Awards (AGTA) recognizes organizations, individuals, and destinations that showcase the very best in group travel. There are 10 award categories recognizing the best operators or destinations that service and deliver outstanding group travel experiences.
This year’s Hotel Awards include Best Hotel Brand - Sport Team Travel & Leisure Groups; Best Hotel Management Company - Group Travel; Best Hotel Brand – USA & Global Groups & Meetings; Best Hotel Brand - Luxury Meetings & Events; and Best Hotel Brand - New Group Technology.
This year’s Destination Awards include Best Wedding Destination; Best Destination for Sporting Events; Best Destination for Youth Sports; Best Destination for Music Festivals; Best Luxury or All-Inclusive Destination for Honeymoons.
Flavor Flav to be honored with World Hospitality Award
HotelPlanner will also bestow its prestigious World Hospitality Award, the company’s highest honor, to Flavor Flav, an American rapper known for his yells of “Yeah, boyeee!” while performing, as well as the large clocks worn around his neck. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the legendary rap group Public Enemy alongside Chuck D. Public Enemy, has earned six Grammy Award nominations and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After many years outside the limelight, Flavor Flav starred in multiple VH1 reality shows including The Surreal Life, Strange Love, and Flavor of Love, which aired for three seasons. Public Enemy’s first album Yo! Bum Rush the Show was released in 1987 where Flavor Flav was the comic foil to Chuck D’s more serious, politically-charged style. Their next album released in 1988 “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” went double platinum, which included the massive hit “Fight the Power.” In 2006, Flav released his first solo album titled Flavor Flav.
Hip Hop Artist Rob Base to Perform
Legendary Hip Hop artist Rob Base will be performing on state during the awards show. Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock are best known for their 1988 hit “It Takes Two,” a Top 40 hit that has been certified platinum by the RIAA and was ranked 37 on VH1’s Greatest songs of Hip Hop. That song was part of the duo’s album of the same name, which has also been certified platinum seven times over. Rob Base is known as a pioneer for his crossover success into mainstream music that rap and Hip Hop have achieved. Rob Base’s second follow-up hit was “Joy and Pain,” which hit the top 19 on the dance chart and reached No. 58 on the Hot 100. His third hit “Get On the Dance Floor” was No. 1 on the Hot Dance Music/club Play chart in 1989. Base released a solo album in 1989 called The Incredible Base and another album in 1994 called Break of Dawn.
Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence
“This year’s AGTA is even more special for me and my fellow co-founder John Prince as we celebrate 20 years in the hospitality and travel business,” says Tim Hentschel, Co-founder & CEO, HotelPlanner. “And how lucky are we to be joined this year by Hip Hop legends Flavor Flav and Rob Base as our guest of honor and entertainment. I believe we are now in a new ‘Golden Age of Travel’ and group travel is leading the way. We look forward to honoring the very best in group travel in November.”
“AGTA is one of my favorite philanthropic events of the year. HotelPlanner knows how to put on an incredible show, especially this year with Rob Base as our entertainment and Flavor Flav as our guest of honor,” says Dylan Ratigan, AGTA’s perennial Host. “Congrats to HotelPlanner on 20 Years of Excellence and for all you do to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.”
If you are interested in attending and/or sponsoring this year’s charity gala, please contact the event’s Executive Producer Aioni Bashara at aioni@hotelplanner.com
About HotelPlanner
HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology company and hotel booking engine that combines proprietary artificial intelligence and a remote reservations and customer service network. HotelPlanner is one of the world’s leading providers of individual, group and corporate travel bookings, specializing in unique “Closed User Group” discount rates offered in unpublished private sale environments. Founded in 2003, HotelPlanner has enduring partnerships with the world’s largest online travel agencies, well-known hotel chains, individual hotels, online wedding providers, ancillary lodging providers, corporations, professional and youth sports teams and franchises, universities and government agencies. Learn more at www.HotelPlanner.com
About the American Group Travel Awards (AGTA)
The American Group Travel Awards was founded in 2014 by Tim Hentschel, Co-founder & CEO of HotelPlanner. AGTA honors the finest in group travel with awards given to leading suppliers or premier destinations that deliver best-in-class group travel experiences across North America. This black-tie charity gala is typically held at a premium hotel in south Florida and for many years has been hosted by Dylan Ratigan. This event is attended by HotelPlanner senior executives, suppliers, customers and partners from well-known hotel chains, affiliate partners, the media, celebrity VIPs and entertainment. All net proceeds and donations go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. To learn more, visit www.americangrouptravelawards.com
Contact:
Philip Ballard
Chief Communications Officer & Head of Investor Relations
HotelPlanner
Philip.ballard@hotelplanner.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e035ee86-6556-4a56-aaf4-ca9fddcafc7e
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fe482029-2f6a-4259-9618-07343ff5179c
