September 24, 2009 - Meetings: Minnesota's Hospitality Journal hosted its first annual Vision Awards at the Chambers Hotel in downtown Minneapolis. The magazine awarded top honors to Minnesota's best in hospitality. The award categories included innovation, inspiration, favorite vendor, leadership, customer service, stewardship, and the event of the year.

CSM Lodging started the evening with five nominees in five of the seven categories and ended with two Vision Award winners. Aimee Cheek (@aimeecheek) won the Innovation Award for her use of social media to promote CSM Lodging's Twin Cities Hotel Deals (@tchoteldeals), The Depot Minneapolis (@depotmpls) and the hotel company's restaurant - Kip's Authentic Irish Pub & Restaurant (@kipspub). Using YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, Cheek and her marketing team deployed real-time specials and contests to engage followers and build a loyal customer base.

CSM Lodging's second winner of the evening was Robb Hall, the managing director of The Depot Minneapolis, who won the Leadership prize. Not only does Hall lead the day-to-day activities of a 400+ room complex that does nearly $8 million in food and beverage revenue annually, he also oversees and is held accountable for the financial success of 3 other area hotels.

President of CSM Lodging, Robert Dann, explains, "As a company, we work hard to hire and retain some of the greatest talent in the hospitality industry. Robb and Aimee are two exceptional examples of this talent at work. We are proud to have them as a part of our team."

CSM Lodging's Vision Award Nominees included:

Innovation - Aimee Cheek, marketing manager, CSM Lodging corporate

Inspiration - Darryn Maloney, general manager, Courtyard by Marriott, Roseville

Leadership - Robb Hall, managing director, The Depot Minneapolis

Stewardship - Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott, Roseville

Event of the Year - Ag-Nite, Rick Harms and The Depot Minneapolis Event Staff