The awards will take place on May 7, 2025 at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
View Spirit of Hospitality Recipient Photos Here
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Feb. 26, 2025 – Visit Atlantic City and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) have announced that they are jointly hosting the 26th Annual Atlantic City Host Awards on May 7, 2025, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The Annual Atlantic City Host Awards celebrates and honors Atlantic City’s front-line and back-of-the-house workers across 27 categories for exemplary service to visitors, recognizing their role in the local economy and hospitality industry.
Nominations are currently open and a detailed description of each category can be found here. Managers can nominate a deserving hospitality professional by downloading the form here, completing it and submitting it to Mary Moliver at marym@visitatlanticcity.com by March 20, 2025. The Host Awards Selection Committee, which is comprised of hospitality and business professionals, will review all submissions in confidence, and select up to five finalists per category.
As a highlight of the ceremony, the “Spirit of Hospitality” award is given to an outstanding individual who has made a long-lasting contribution to the Atlantic City tourism and hospitality industry. This year, the honor goes to Ralph E. Hunter, Sr., Founder and President of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey (AAHMSNJ).
About Ralph E Hunter, Sr., Founder and President of the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey (AAHMSNJ).
Hunter founded the AAHMSNJ in 2002, turning his passion for preserving African American heritage into a remarkable institution. Over thirty-five years ago, Hunter began a personal collection of African American cultural, artistic and media images that inspired the museum’s creation, which began with the discovery of an original edition of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman in a North Carolina antique shop. While he initially bought it to take it off the market, his goal eventually became to display it to preserve history, and the book transformed the treasures he collected through the years into the first exhibit, “Stereotypes,” which is on permanent display at the museum’s Atlantic City location.
After retiring from a long career in retail and more than three decades of acquiring pieces, Hunter’s collection has grown to the thousands and is displayed across two unique venues, Stockton University’s Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Center in Newtonville, NJ. He is committed to sharing it with students, families, and others interested in the honest depiction of the African American experience.
Hunter has become a trusted curator of Atlantic City’s hidden historical treasures, earning the reputation as the go-to person for Atlantic City-area families looking to discover their own historical treasures they want to share with the world. The extraordinary exhibit “Portraits of A People” was the result of his help in discovering a vast collection of art, media and more that was tucked away beneath an Atlantic City home. In addition, he has also curated hundreds of exhibits that showcase the region’s unique and valuable impact on Black History, and visits schools, businesses and community organizations throughout the state year-round as a part of AAHMSNJ’s Traveling Museum.
Hunter’s contributions have earned him numerous accolades including an Atlantic City Superhero Award from The Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association, St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church Shield for Community Stewardship, and a Paul Aiken Encore Award from the South Jersey Cultural Alliance.
Past recipients of the Spirit of Hospitality Award include Jon Henderson, Good Time Tricycle Productions (2018); Whitney Ullman, The Pulse (2019); Evan Sanchez, Authentic City Partners (2022); Jane Bokunewicz, Stockton L.I.G.H.T. (2023); and Scott Cronick, MBCA, Shore Local, WOND (2024).
All finalists will receive two complimentary tickets to attend the awards gala. Family, friends and colleagues are invited to purchase additional tickets or corporate tables to support their nominee. Tickets are priced at $75 for an individual, and tables of ten are priced at $750.
For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact Mary Moliver, Director of Destination Services, marym@visitatlanticcity.com, 609-318-5619.
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About the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA)
The only agency of its kind nationwide, the CRDA has used Atlantic City casino reinvestments as a catalyst for meaningful, positive improvement in the lives of New Jersey residents since 1984. Under the 2011 Tourism District Act, the Authority's mission evolved from statewide projects to becoming the state's key economic development agency for Atlantic City. CRDA's expanded responsibilities now include land use regulation, tourism marketing and clean and safe initiatives. The CRDA also oversees Historic Boardwalk Hall (the leading entertainment venue of its size in the country) and the Atlantic City Convention Center. In total, CRDA has invested nearly $2 billion in more than 400 projects statewide, of which $1.8 billion has been invested in Atlantic City, spurring business investments and expansions, and creating permanent jobs in the process. For more information about CRDA and our projects, visit www.njcrda.com, and follow us on Facebook and X.
About Visit Atlantic City
Visit Atlantic City is a 501(c)(6) organization formed and funded as a public-private partnership by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA) to create economic development through leisure tourism, conventions, sporting events, film production and group tourism.
Atlantic City is a premier travel destination on the East Coast with the first Boardwalk to open in the United States. Attracting visitors with its diverse array of tourism offerings, Atlantic City is home to nine casino resorts, an eclectic culinary scene, vibrant history, thrilling entertainment and family-friendly adventures, making it the ultimate destination where celebrations live on and inspire visitors to create memory making moments.
For complete Atlantic City tourism and convention information, visit www.visitatlanticcity.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Media Contacts
MMGY
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Visit Atlantic City
Jessica Kasunich
jessicak@visitatlanticcity.com