Ashlee Barton, director of sales and marketing at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort in Incline Village, was recently announced as a “40 Under 40” honoree by Connect Corporate, a leading resource for corporate meeting planners. The awards recognize meeting industry professionals in their 20s and 30s who showed resilience in the face of the global pandemic. “We are very proud of Ashlee not only for this prestigious recognition but for all of her hard work and dedication to helping her team overcome an unconventional and challenging year in 2020,” Michael Murphy, general manager at the Hyatt, said in a statement. “Ashlee’s commitment to her team and our resort colleagues makes her a true standout in the industry. She is dedicated to providing each and every member of her team with the motivation, support and respect they deserve to create a positive work environment where they enjoy coming to work every day.” The “40 Under 40” honorees are first nominated by colleagues and peers through the Connect Corporate website. Nominees are then reviewed by Connect’s editors. Finalists are selected and vetted through a questionnaire about their work experience before the final list is selected for publication. According to a July 21 press release, Barton served as an integral part of a team that implemented various COVID-19 safety measures at the Tahoe Hyatt. Her efforts were key in the property receiving Hyatt Corporate’s “2020 Hotel Team of the Year Award” for North America. The award recognized the hotel team that excelled in adopting resort procedures and overcoming the pandemic’s challenges.
“I am incredibly honored to be recognized as a 40 Under 40 by such an esteemed publication as Connect Corporate,” Barton said in a statement. “As the meeting and travel industries continue to rebound, I am proud to be a part of a group of professionals who are being recognized for forging forward to a better and brighter future together.” Barton began working with Hyatt in 2018 as an associate director of sales at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco. Prior to transferring to Hyatt Corporate, Barton worked as an account director for groups sales with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. After graduating from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Business Management in 2005, Barton began her career as an event coordinator at the Redmond Marriott Town Center Hotel in Redmond, Washington, before eventually being promoted within Marriott to corporate sales manager, then to a senior sales manager.
