Today Newspaper St. Maarten

St. Maarten – The voting period for 10^th Annual Crystal Pineapple Awards officially opens today. This puts readers in the perfect position to vote for those individuals and organizations they think should be recognized for their outstanding performance in the Hospitality, Tourism and Trade Industry – may it be an excellent employee, an outstanding manager, your favorite chef, bartender or any of the other nominees.

The Crystal Pineapple Award Ceremony, the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association’s largest annual event, will be celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year. To date the Awards Gala is the only event on the island that recognizes Hospitality & Trade personnel, organizations and associations for their contribution towards the tourism industry. During the 2015 Night of the Industry Stars themed Gala Awards, individuals who are employed in the Hospitality and Trade industry will receive awards in the categories of Accommodations, Restaurants & Bars, Trade, Timeshare, as well the category Outstanding Community Service Achievement, Best Entertainer of the year and Best Customer Service Representative.

The award ceremony will be held on Friday, November 20 at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino. The gala evening includes a sumptuous dinner, live entertainment, a silent auction, a raffle and much more. This year’s 10 anniversary will also feature some additional surprises to commemorate the Awards Gala Milestone. In addition, the SHTA will be commemorating its 45^th Anniversary. The festivities have started early with nominees receiving their nomination certificates personally from the director and staff of the SHTA. Nominees were surprised at the workplace where they received their certificate, a Pineapple pin to be worn for all to recognize their nomination status, participated in a photoshoot and made a video

“This will be a double celebration for the association, which should not be missed”, said SHTA. The organizing committee will also be launching a YouTube page to showcase the pictures and videos of the nominees and weekly features of the nominees can be found on the SHTA social pages and the media.

Voting can be done on www.shta.com. Simply click on the ‘Crystal Pineapple Awards’ under the events tab on the left hand side of the page and follow the instructions. A link to the voting page has also been placed on the Crystal Pineapple Awards and SHTA Facebook page. The polls will close on Sunday November 15 at 12 noon.

Tickets for the will be on sale at the SHTA office as of October 28 and can be reserved any time during office hours.