INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Ashlee Barton, director of sales and marketing at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe Resort, Spa and Casino, has been announced as a “40 Under 40” honoree by Connect Corporate. The company will be awarding those in their 20s and 30s in the corporate meeting industry who did not let the pandemic stop them from reaching success.

“We are very proud of Ashlee Barton 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,” said Michael Murphy, general manager at Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe. “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.”

After being nominated by colleagues or peers through the Connect Corporate website, the “40 Under 40” nominees were then reviewed by the Connect editors before finalists were selected and vetted. After filling out a questionnaire about their work experience, a final list is selected for publication.

The travel and meeting industries were hit hard following the pandemic, but Barton was dedicated to both the Hyatt success, as well as her guest’s happiness.

In 2020, she was integral in re-imagining the resort’s experience completely to ensure COVID-19 safety measures were compliant with Hyatt’s Global Care and Cleanliness Commitment. Her work paid off when Hyatt received corporate’s “2020 Hotel Team of the Year Award” for North America, which recognizes the hotel team that best adapted to new regulations and overcame the most obstacles during the pandemic.

“I am incredibly honored to be recognized as a 40 Under 40 by such an esteemed publication as Connect Corporate,” said Barton. “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 graduated from Washington State University with a Bachelor of Arts in hospitality business management in 2005. She immediately immersed herself into the hospitality industry, starting as an event coordinator at the Redmond Marriott Town Center Hotel in Redmond, Washington, before quickly being promoted within the Marriot to corporate sales manager, and eventually senior sales manager for regional western sales.

Her experience with booking large conventions and conferences ranges across the Northwest with multiple full-service Marriott hotels. Prior to starting in 2018 as an associate director of sales at Hyatt Regency San Francisco, Barton was an account director for group sales with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.