Rocky Kempenaar, President and his daughter Kajsa Kempenaar, vice-president of Kempenaar Real Estates Inc. Kempenaar Real Estates Inc. owns and operates Howard Johnson by Wyndham Newport Middletown (Contributed photo)

A Middletown hotel has been recognized as the cream of the crop within a major hospitality brand, earning two prestigious corporate awards that highlight exceptional guest service and operational excellence.

The Howard Johnson by Wyndham Newport/Middletown, located at 351 West Main Road, was honored with both the “Quality Hotel of the Year” and “Best of Howard Johnson” awards during the 2025 Wyndham Global Conference in Las Vegas last week.

The Quality Hotel of the Year distinction goes to just one property within the entire Howard Johnson brand—the hotel that achieves the highest overall quality scores across all measured categories. The Middletown location excelled in guest satisfaction metrics including service, property appearance, guestrooms, cleanliness, internet quality, and breakfast offerings, while also scoring highly in social media reviews and net promoter scores.

The second honor, Best of Howard Johnson, is reserved for the top 10% of properties within the brand based on superior guest satisfaction scores and online service reviews.

“Receiving these awards is a tremendous achievement and is presented to the hotels and staff who focus on quality and customer satisfaction at every touch point of the guest experience,” said Clement Bence, brand leader of Howard Johnson by Wyndham.

The recognition reflects the dedication of the hotel’s staff under the leadership of General Manager Karen Blomstedt, who emphasized the hard work of her team in achieving these honors. The property is owned and operated by Kempenaar Real Estates.

The 115-room hotel offers guests a complimentary hot breakfast buffet, indoor heated pool, whirlpool and sauna, fitness room equipped with Peloton and Precor equipment, guest laundry facilities, meeting space, and free WiFi.

The awards ceremony took place during Wyndham’s annual global conference, which brings together properties from across the hospitality company’s portfolio to recognize outstanding performance and share best practices.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...