Loew's Hotels at Universal's Michael Sansbury named Resort Executive of the Year at 2003 Resort Management Conference. (Resort Management & Operations Report).

Hospitality industry professional Michael W. Sansbury, who has successfully overseen the introduction of three new resort hotels at Universal Studios Florida, Orlando since 1999, has been honored as the Resort Executive of the Year for 2002 by hospitality and resort industry professionals convening at the 2003 Resort Management Conference in San Diego. Sansbury is the 29th individual to be honored as Resort Executive of the Year.

The Resort Executive of the Year is awarded to the resort executive who has demonstrated superior management ability, a commitment to staff training and motivation, active participation and leadership in lodging industry association activities, support of legislation beneficial to the lodging industry, and leadership within his or her community. The presentation of the award is one of the highlights of the annual Resort Management Conference.

"I was literally surprised and honored and humbled when my name was called. The 28 people who received the award prior to me are pretty august company." Sansbury said.

As regional vice president and managing director for Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando, Sansbury has introduced two new Loews Hotels, the Portofino Bay Hotel and Royal Pacific Resort, as well as the Hard Rock. The combined number of rooms for the three properties is 2,400 rooms.

He is also responsible for the 800-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel, the first new hotel to open on South Beach in over 30 years, and for the 295-room Loews New Orleans Hotel, a luxury property currently under development and scheduled to open in October 2003.

Under Sansbury's direction, the three Orlando hotels have emerged as leaders in the heavily competitive Central Florida lodging community. The revenues and gross operating profits for the three hotels have exceeded expectations.

"Quite honestly, 2002 and the the beginning of 2003 have been better than we expected," Sansbury said. "Because we are in Orlando, we benefited from the desire of domestic travelers to be closer to home. Being on the East Coast--a day and half drive from the major metropolitan areas--has helped.

Sansbury has no quibble with the consumer focus on Internet-based value pricing. "The consumer has become better educated and knows how to find a better rate on the Internet. They know how to jump on it."

He said that while his team has not completely solved the riddle of pricing on the Internet, they are not shying away from it as some properties are, either. "We revenue manage it in the classic sense," he said.

Sansbury was hopeful but realistic about the impact of the military action in Iraq on the resort business. "Here's the best case scenario: That the war will be a quick one and that there will be no repercussions. The economy will recover and possibly the price of petroleum will drop. The worst case scenario is unthinkable."

Sansbury was surprised by the lack of impact that the actions leading up to the attack on Iraq had on Loew's spring business. "On the day that the president gave his ultimatum, the Royal Pacific did $1 million in sales. One of the reasons we haven't had the cancellations is that families in the northeast are not going to give up their vacations. They've had a hard winter."

The three resort hotels have earned national acclaim for the quality and creativity of their properties and guest satisfaction. These honors include Conde Nast's prestigious Gold List, Travel & Leisure magazine's Top 100 list, Meetings & Conventions magazine's Gold Key Award, and an Award of Excellence from Corporate & Incentive Travel magazine.

The combined investment for the three properties is $580 million, and more than 2,000 people are employed at the three resort hotels.

Sansbury has earned community recognition for the Loews Hotels in Central Florida through his personal management of a Loews Hotels "Good Neighbor" program which has benefited the area's public schools, the arts community, charitable causes, and welfare-to-work programs. He has also actively participated in hospitality educational programs at Cornell University, the University of Central Florida, and three other Florida-based universities.

Sansbury is chairman of the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association, which named him "Hotelier of the Year" for 2000, and chair-elect of the Florida Hotel & Motel Association. He has served two terms as a member of the board of directors of the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Prior to joining Loews, Sansbury was Vice President of Hotel Operations for the 3,044-room Mirage in Las Vegas where he was also Chairman of the Board of the Nevada Hotel & Motel Association. His career includes an 18-year tenure with Westin Hotels & Resorts in various properties in the United States and overseas.

A graduate of the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, Sansbury has also been designated a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. He is a past international president of Cornell Hotel Society.

He and his wife, Ann, and daughter, Tayler, reside in Windermere, FL. Sansbury is a proud dad of 12-year-old Tayler's accomplishments as a swimmer who recently competed in the Junior Olympics.

The recipient of the Resort Executive of the Year Award is selected by a committee of peers from within the lodging and hospitality industry. The 2003 selection committee included: Dr. Richard Kelley, Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Hawaii; Ted Kleisner, The Greenbrier; Clay James, Grand Teton Lodge Company; and Dr. Peter Rainsford, University of Denver.

The award is co-sponsored by Yesawich, Pepperdine & Brown (YP&B), Orlando, FL, America's leading marketing, advertising, and public relations agency specializing in serving travel and leisure-industry clients; and the University of Denver School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management's Resort Forum.