FRENCH LICK – Historic Hotels of America® is pleased to announce that Chuck Franz, CEO of French Lick Resort, has been named the recipient of its highest individual honor, the 2026 Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award.
Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest Historic Hotels in the United States of America. The program honors the nation’s finest historic hotels, hoteliers, and historians through the Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence.
This year, the 2026 Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the extensive accomplishments of Chuck Franz, a trusted associate of Cook Group Founder Bill Cook and the Cook Family. Chuck Franz was instrumental in the rescue and restoration of two of America’s greatest historic hotels that make up French Lick Resort: the French Lick Hotel and the West Baden Springs Hotel.
Under Chuck Franz’s leadership, French Lick Resort has expanded its convention business, championship golf, gaming, dining, spa, and recreation offerings while maintaining an unwavering commitment to historic preservation, exceptional guest experiences, and long-term stewardship.
The 2026 Historic Hotels of America Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Chuck Franz at the Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence Ceremony and Gala during the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection in Williamsburg, Virginia, on October 15, 2026, in front of an audience of owners, general managers, and other senior decision-makers representing many of the finest historic hotels from across the United States of America and from around the world.
The Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence honor historic preservation and timeless hospitality at historic hotels in various categories each year. Chuck Franz is a respected Indiana business leader whose career reflects decades of achievement in operations, executive leadership, and trusted service to one of the world’s most influential privately held medical device companies. An Indiana University alumnus, 1981 National Champion Basketball player, and longtime Cook Group executive, Franz has built a distinguished professional legacy as a key contributor who helped advance the organization while supporting the passions and enduring vision of Bill and Gayle Cook. From 1984 until 2014, Franz served in various key roles across the Cook Corporation, supporting the mission to help patients worldwide with minimally invasive solutions to their medical needs.
He brought practical business judgment and decision-making needed for a global company serving thousands of patients a year. He also became a trusted advisor to Bill and Gayle Cook, supporting their business endeavors, preservation efforts, and major projects with quiet effectiveness. Whether asked to expand an operation, fix a difficult problem, consult on a major initiative, or represent the company around the world, Franz approached each assignment with the same combination of discipline, discretion, and service. Because of his understanding of complex projects and his ability to coordinate people, resources, and long-term strategy, Franz was asked in 2014 to take full-time leadership of the 3,000-acre French Lick Resort, Cook’s largest ever investment.
Under his leadership, the resort has continued to exceed expectations and projections while maintaining the Cook family’s commitment to restoration, hospitality, and community impact. His work has included organizing and coordinating major projects, initiatives, and expansions; funding and organizing the construction of multiple workforce housing neighborhoods, the Valley Tower wing addition of more than 70 rooms, the restoration of the historic West Baden Billiards and Bowling Pavilion, and most recently the addition of new cottages and golf course construction.
Franz’s leadership style reflects the values of service and community responsibility. Shaped by his upbringing in small-town Clarksville, Indiana, and strengthened by his work in communities across the United States and around the world, he understands the importance of creating opportunity where it is needed most. That perspective has made him an ideal leader to help guide the continued growth of French Lick and West Baden, Indiana. Through job creation, thoughtful stewardship, and continued support of the Cook family’s vision, Franz has helped strengthen communities that were once among Indiana’s most economically challenged, carrying forward a legacy rooted in stability and lasting impact.
“Historic Hotels of America is pleased to recognize Mr. Franz with this award, which is reserved for individuals whose careers have made an enduring impact on the preservation and advancement of historic hotels,” said Lawrence Horwitz, Executive Vice President, Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “Under his leadership, French Lick Resort stands as one of Indiana’s leading tourism destinations and economic engines, welcoming visitors from around the world while demonstrating that historic preservation and business success can thrive together. His contributions have strengthened not only French Lick Resort and its two historic hotels, West Baden Springs Hotel, designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and French Lick Springs Hotel, but also the broader appreciation of America’s historic hotels as irreplaceable cultural, architectural, and economic assets.”
“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from Historic Hotels of America. This recognition reflects the dedication of the entire French Lick Resort team and the vision of those who made the preservation and restoration of this remarkable property possible. It has been a privilege to help protect the Resort’s rich history while preparing it for future generations. I am grateful to Historic Hotels of America for this extraordinary honor and proud to share it with everyone who has contributed to the continued success of French Lick Resort.”
Tickets for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Awards of Excellence Ceremony & Gala are available. The much-anticipated event will take place at the Williamsburg Lodge, Autograph Collection in Williamsburg, Virginia, on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m., to close out the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference.
To learn more and register for the 2026 Historic Hotels Annual Conference, with the option to purchase a Gala-Only ticket, click here.
