Four awards. Two top honors. And one unforgettable night for Visit Florida Keys & Key West which emerged as a standout at the 2026 Flagler Awards for work spanning sustainable tourism, social media, mobile marketing and the destination’s next-generation website.
Presented during the 2026 Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism in West Palm Beach, Visit Florida Keys & Key West received two coveted Henry Awards, the highest award in their respective categories, and two Silver Awards.
The recognition comes as Visit Florida Keys & Key West continues to evolve its approach to destination marketing, finding creative new ways to tell the Florida Keys story and connect with travelers while keeping conservation and stewardship at the heart of its work.
“I’m incredibly proud of our team and what these awards represent,” said Kara Franker, president and CEO of Visit Florida Keys & Key West. “We’ve been very intentional about how we tell the Florida Keys story, and I love that these honors reflect so many different sides of that work. It’s incredibly rewarding to be recognized among the best in Florida while staying true to what makes the Florida Keys so special.”
Now in its 26th year, the Flagler Awards are presented by VISIT FLORIDA to recognize outstanding tourism marketing throughout the state. Nearly 300 entries from large and small organizations competed in the 2026 awards program.
An independent panel of 14 judges evaluated entries for creativity, innovation, production quality and effectiveness. Named in honor of Henry Flagler, the Henry Award goes to the highest-scoring entry in each category, with Silver and Bronze Awards presented to the next highest-scoring entries.
Visit Florida Keys & Key West earned its two highest honors for work that reflects two important sides of destination marketing: stewardship and storytelling. The Integrated Ecotourism Program received the Henry Award for Sustainable Tourism Marketing, while “Destination Instant Experiences” took top honors in Social Media Marketing.
The organization also earned a Silver Award for its next-generation destination website, recognizing the ongoing transformation of VisitFloridaKeys.com as a more dynamic and engaging resource for travelers, and a Silver Award for the “Key West Duo Scroller” in Mobile Marketing.
Hotel operators across Europe -including the UK- are facing mounting pressure from higher labor costs, rising taxes, weaker consumer spending and increasingly expensive hotel operations, industry executives warned at the Annual Hospitality Conference.
The discussion, reported by CoStar, highlighted how hotel companies are trying to protect margins while maintaining guest experiences and investment in their properties.
Karin Sheppard, IHG Hotels & Resorts’ senior vice president and managing director for Europe, said larger hotel groups can benefit from their scale when markets become unstable.
Disruption in one region can redirect demand to other destinations within a global portfolio, she noted, while conflicts can also encourage domestic travel. IHG’s UK hotels, for example, have benefited from increased staycation demand.
Cybersecurity is another growing concern, Sheppard said, with hotel groups needing to give individual properties the tools and guidance to protect staff and reassure owners.
Dimitris Manikis, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said operators should concentrate on factors they can control while building strong relationships with owners, governments and other stakeholders.
Taxation is increasingly high on that list.
Ronen Nissenbaum, CEO of Fattal Hotels’ development activities across the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Spain, Portugal and the US, said higher taxes can quickly affect hotel demand and local economies.
He pointed to Amsterdam, where he said hotel taxation had significantly weakened demand, arguing that fewer visitors and lower hotel revenues can ultimately reduce investment in destinations.
“It is a vicious cycle,” Nissenbaum said, calling for the hospitality industry to become more organized in its response to tax policies.
David Anderson, president of Aimbridge Europe, Middle East and Africa, also urged hoteliers to make their economic contribution clearer to policymakers. He cited higher UK employer National Insurance contributions as a factor making additional hiring more difficult.
Manchester’s tourism levy, meanwhile, was cited as an example of a system where hotel representatives have greater visibility over how funds are allocated.
Capital Expenditure (CapEx) under pressure
Investment is also being scrutinized more closely as financing and operating costs rise.
Nissenbaum said hotels are not necessarily abandoning capital expenditure, but are prioritizing essential projects over cosmetic improvements. Anderson warned that prolonged deferred CapEx could eventually push strong hotel management companies away from properties.
Wyndham, which is heavily franchised, is also taking a pragmatic approach to brand standards, Manikis said. The objective is to protect the guest experience without requiring unnecessary spending.
Technology is becoming another tool for defending profitability. Hotel groups are increasingly using procurement platforms, cloud-based data, revenue-management systems, upselling tools and AI.
Anderson said he begins each day by reviewing RevPAR, payroll and gross operating profit across Aimbridge’s portfolio.
Sheppard said AI is also changing how consumers discover, compare and book hotels, making it harder for operators to hide shortcomings between marketing promises and the actual guest experience.
Despite the pressure, executives remain confident demand for hotel rooms will continue. “There will be headwinds,” Nissenbaum said, “but there will be demand for our hotels.
Tags: Dimitris Manikis, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Ronen Nissenbaum, Fattal Hotels David Anderson, Aimbridge Kara Franker, Visit Florida Keys & Key West
