Hilton general manager receives tourism award

Millennium Seoul Hilton General Manager Eric Swanson, left, the winner of the Tourism Award organized by the Academy of Korea Hospitality & Tourism, poses with Park Dae-hwan, the chairman of the academy, during a ceremony held at Sejong University in Seoul, Nov. 14. / Courtesy of Millennium Seoul Hilton

Millennium Seoul Hilton General Manager Eric Swanson received the Tourism Award from the Academy of Korea Hospitality & Tourism (AKHT) for his outstanding performance in the hospitality business and for his charitable activities.

Swanson received the award during the academy’s annual meeting in Sejong University in Seoul, on Nov. 14.

“The numbers have shown his excellent performance in the industry. After he took over Millennium Seoul Hotel, the level of guest satisfaction increased,” AKHT Chairman Park Dae-hwan said. “Also we’ve learned that he has done a lot for the community.”

“I am very honored to be awarded this significant prize from such a prestigious organization. The AKHT proves that the world of academia and hoteliers can work together to advance the hotel and tourism industry. It is my goal to continue working hard to contribute to the Korean hotel industry as well as to the Korean community,” Swanson said.

Swanson joined Millennium Seoul Hilton in 2006.

Prior to that, he worked at the Ritz-Carlton, Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, the Ritz-Carlton, Coconut Grove in Miami, Fla., the United States, the Leela Palace Kempinshki Hotel in Bangalore, India, and the Marco Polo Parkside in Beijing, China. In addition, before working in the hotel industry, he served at the U.S. Coast Guard for five years.

He has demonstrated his dedication to social responsibility through the Millennium Seoul Hilton Christmas Train, a 19-year-old hotel tradition. The train is set up at the hotel’s lobby in November for two months, and is filled with donations from the hotel’s clients and supporters. The donations are distributed to local charities.

Last year, the general manager also spearheaded coal briquette and food deliveries to low-income families with the sponsorship of local enterprises.

Swanson has been recognized for his charitable works by other organizations.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government awarded him an honorary citizenship in 2009, and the Ministry of Government Legislation appointed him as National Legislative Officer in 2011. The Cultural Heritage Administration named him Cultural Priorities Protection Monitor in 2013.

In a recent interview, Swanson said his attachment to Korea is a special one, and comes from his mother, Cho Chang-soo.

Cho was the curator of the Korea Gallery at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and helped return 93 national treasures to Korea from the United States. She passed away in November 2009, and was posthumously awarded the Okgwan Order of Culture Merit from the Korean government last year.

Swanson’s uncle, his mother’s brother, Cho Chang-ho is also recognized in Korean history. Cho was a prison of war held in North Korea for 40 years, from the Korean War until he escaped to the South in 1994. He died in 2006, and his ashes were laid to rest at the Seoul National Cemetery.