Media Relations & Tourism Sales Department of the Greater
Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. Larry
Meehan, Vice President of Media Relations & Tourism Sales, lmeehan@bostonusa.com, 617-867-8231; Stacy
Shreffler, Media Relations & Tourism Sales Manager, sshreffler@bostonusa.com,
617-867-8203.
High-resolution image available for media.
Massachusetts Honors Tourism Industry Standouts:
Edward Cotto, Head Bellman at Omni Parker House Boston, Honored at The 21st Annual Governor’s
Conference
March 25, 2008 – On Friday, February 29, during the
21st Annual Massachusetts Governor’s Conference on Travel & Tourism in Boston, MA,
Governor Deval Patrick presented 14
awards to Baystaters who have had a positive effect on the tourism industry
through outstanding service to visitors.
Among the recipients honored was
Boston
resident Edward Cotto of the Omni Parker House.
“Eddie,” easily
the longest-serving staff member at the hotel,
has been working at the Omni Parker House for almost 40 years. He credits a “love of people and hotel work” as the
driving force that has kept him in the industry for four decades, but good
common sense has also seen him through. At
5-feet 7-inches, Eddie has avoided the typical back and feet ailments of a man
his age (57) in a job like his. His investment in $350 shoes over the years has
helped carry him as many as 16 miles a day.
During a
breakfast at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in
Boston, guests watched a video that
highlighted the 14 recipients and their individual talents and
accomplishments. Each winner was greeted
and congratulated by Governor Patrick.
“People
travel from all over the world to visit Massachusetts,”
said Betsy Wall, Executive Director
of the Massachusetts Office of Travel + Tourism. “It’s the people on the frontlines of our
hospitality industry who set the tone for the Commonwealth’s reputation,
throughout the country and the world.
These individuals should be commended for helping this important Massachusetts industry
thrive.”
The
conference, which was attended by 500 industry professionals, was hosted by the
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism.
The Massachusetts
Office of Travel & Tourism (MOTT) is the state agency dedicated to
promoting Massachusetts as a leisure-travel
destination in order to stimulate the Massachusetts
economy by generating state and local tax revenues, creating jobs, and
supporting the growth of travel-related businesses. MOTT serves as a leader in
the tourism industry, bringing together the public and private sectors to
promote Massachusetts
as a leisure travel destination. Tourism is an integral part of the state's
economy, generating more than $887.2 million in state and local taxes and $14.2
billion in travel related expenditures. The industry supports 125,800 in-state
jobs.
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