DWHSA Announces Inaugural Winners of The Will Medina Spirit Awards

The Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA) announced today, March 5, the first winners of the new annual Will Medina Spirit Awards.

The awards honor the late Will Medina, founder of the Destination Weddings Expert romance travel agency and creator of the popular Destination Wedding University training program.

The travel advisor winners were chosen by a judges panel from a very competitive field of nominations by fellow agents for their outstanding records of giving back to the travel industry and their communities. 

Winners were announced over a Zoom ceremony, where emotions were high in remembrance of Medina and all that he stood for. The ceremony can be viewed here. 

"When I 'thought up' this group of awards, I wanted to honor what Will Medina meant to me (as selfish as that sounds)," said Suzanne Haire, the owner of TravelAgentSuz, LLC and chair of the judges panel. "I hoped that we would have applications from agents who were beacons of the light that Will managed to shine everywhere he went."

"It's our great honor to be able to continue my husband's legacy, and I can't think of a better way to do so than to highlight leaders in our community who are leading the way for future advisors, giving back to their communities, and helping us all to raise the bar as we grow in this industry that he loved so much," said Mario Lopez, Will's husband and one of the judges. "These awards represent the magic that Will put into this world, and we are so incredibly proud of this year's winners and nominees. Thanks to all of you who work so selflessly every day in your efforts to nurture and grow our travel advisor community."

The Charity/Philanthropy Award

This award recognizes the advisor who has created or grown the most effective nonprofit activities that benefit fellow agents, travelers, their local communities, and the world of travel as a whole.

The 2025 honoree is Dillon Guyer (Guyer Travel, Rochester, N.H.). Partnering with the local police department, Guyer organizes an annual "National Night Out" event with safe activities for families. During the event, he and his agents distribute more than 700 backpacks filled with school supplies for the children. (They donate surplus backpacks to another local nonprofit group that helps the unhoused.) This community block party has raised more than $70,000 annually. Guyer also donates considerable time teaching regular lessons in area schools using his collection of historical mementos (e.g., allowing students to hold a piece of the banister from the "RMS Titanic" as they work on ship replicas).

In addition, the judges selected Janelle Grissinger (JCo Travel, Huntington, Pa.) as an honorable-mention winner in this category. She launched a nonprofit organization called The Heart of JCo that provides school supplies, clothing, school lunch funds, and holiday food and gifts for families. Also, she hosts an annual gala involving her agency's suppliers and clients to raise funds to support these activities.

The Community Over Competition Award

This award spotlights the advisor who has provided the best example of mentoring, encouraging, and lifting up other agents to help them grow their businesses, create the lives they want to live, and celebrate the fun in helping travelers experience the world.

The 2025 honoree is Kristi Zalesky (Explore Your World Vacations, Aurora, Colo.). Zalesky created the "Resorts of Costa Rica" Facebook group that provides answers and resources to advisors who need support promoting the destination to their clients. She also organizes Costa Rica fam trips focusing on authentic in-country experiences through her Experience Pura Vida service.

The Pioneer Award

This award honors the advisor who has created the most unique, innovative romance travel niche, business idea, or model.

The 2025 honoree is Lori Gold, the founder of Explore More Mexico, an advisory service based in Mexico's Riviera Maya region that offers classes, guides, and other resources for agents who sell the Mexican Caribbean region. She also created the "Resorts of the Riviera Maya" Facebook group that offers free support for more than 25,000 agents.

Alongside Haire and Lopez, the 2025 judges panel included Eric Bowman (Editor-in-Chief of TravelPulse), Nadia "Sparkle" Henry (owner of the Travel with Sparkle agency and a Travel Weekly columnist), and Cheryl Rosen (former editor in chief of Travel Market Report and producer of Cheryl Rosen's Group for Travel Professionals).

"We had multiple nominees in the categories who could have won," Haire noted. "The time we spent as judges comparing notes and selecting the winners truly reflected how important these awards really are, because we wanted to select the best nominees for the inaugural year of these awards. We encourage those who did not win this year to continue their good work and apply again next year, as the competition was steep! We want these awards to grow each year and become the standard of excellence for all agents to strive for."

Nominations for the 2026 awards will open in the fall of 2025.

ABOUT DWHSA
 
Founded in 2013, the Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA) is the world's oldest and largest network of romance travel professionals, with more than 850 travel advisors and wedding planners in North America and around the world. DWHSA members plan and book more than 12,000 destination wedding groups and more than 35,000 honeymoons annually. More information is available at DWHSA.com.

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