Tony Yousfi, vice president of sales for ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa in Las Vegas, has been selected by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) as one of the “Top 25: Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality Sales, Marketing, Revenue Optimization” for 2019. The 17th annual list recognizes the “best of the best” in the hospitality, travel and tourism industries.
This year’s recipients were judged by a panel of senior industry executives for their recent work based on the following criteria: creativity and innovation, cutting edge sales or marketing campaigns, triumph in challenging situations, and/or sales efforts that resulted in dramatic gains.
During Yousfi’s tenure at ARIA, he oversaw the approximately $170 million, 200,000-sq.ft. convention center expansion and the collective ARIA campus approach, while significantly growing convention rooms nights. Yousfi is a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP), a member of Meetings Professionals International (MPI), and Financial & Insurance Conference Planners (FICP).
“It’s an honor to be recognized during the industry’s biggest night of the year,” says Yousfi. “As I look to the future of hospitality, I see the complexity of our work and how we must continue to evolve with the everchanging needs of our customers. MGM Resorts International and the teams at ARIA and Vdara strive to provide an innovative experience that continues to move our industry forward and set new standards.”
Recipients will be honored during a private ceremony on Jan. 21 at the New York Marriott Marquis and during the Adrian Awards dinner reception and gala that follows. In addition to the Adrian Awards gala, Yousfi’s distinguished work will also be featured in an upcoming HSMAI article.
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) is committed to growing business for hotels and their partners, and is the industry’s leading advocate for intelligent, sustainable hotel revenue growth. The association provides hotel professionals & their partners with tools, insights, and expertise to fuel sales, inspire marketing, and optimize revenue through programs such as HSMAI Marketing Strategy Conference, Adrian Awards, and Revenue Optimization Conference. Founded in 1927, HSMAI is a membership organization comprising more than 5,000 members worldwide, with 40 chapters in the Americas region. For more info, visit hsmai.org.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels and casinos, state-of-the-art meetings and conference spaces, incredible live and theatrical entertainment experiences, and an extensive array of restaurant, nightlife and retail offerings. MGM Resorts creates immersive, iconic experiences through its suite of Las Vegas-inspired brands. The MGM Resorts portfolio encompasses 30 unique hotel and destination gaming offerings including some of the most recognizable resort brands in the industry. Expanding throughout the U.S. and around the world, the company recently acquired the operations of Empire City Casino in New York and MGM Northfield Park. In 2018, MGM Resorts opened MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, MGM COTAI in Macau, and the first Bellagio-branded hotel in Shanghai. The 82,000 global employees of MGM Resorts are proud of their company for being recognized as one of FORTUNE magazine’s “World’s Most Admired Companies.” For more info, visit www.mgmresorts.com.
