TripAdvisor announced the Capital Hotel among the Top 25 Hotels in the United States as part of its 2012 Travelers’ Choice awards. The 10th annual list revealed premier properties in the U.S. and world, based on traveler reviews.

Two Hot Springs Bed and Breakfasts were also named favorites by visitors. 1884 Tinkerbelle's Wildwood Bed and Breakfast and Lookout Point Lakeside Inn Bed and Breakfast ranked among the Top 25 B&Bs and Inns in the nation.

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A pair of Arkansas spas are also getting national attention. Turtle Cove Spa at Mountain Harbor Resort and the Arlington Hotel and Spa were selected among the Top 100 spas across the globe according to Spas of America, a website featuring the world's top spa destinations. Rankings were determined by consumers on the site.

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Food and travel writer Kat Robinson has been named communications manager for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism.

She previously wrote a food blog for the Arkansas Times. She will continue to write a syndicated column and blog about her journeys in Arkansas, Tie Dye Travels. http://www.tiedyetravels.com Robinson earned the 2011 Henry Award for Media Support. You can reach Kat by e-mail at kat.robinson@arkansas.gov or by calling 501-682-7606.

Kalene Griffith, president and CEO of the Bentonville Convention and Visitors Bureau, was recently appointed as state vice-chair on the board of directors for Southeast Tourism Society for the state of Arkansas.

Griffith has been with the CVB for more than six years. She’s helped prepare the city for the opening of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and directed bureau tax collections to the creation of tourism-related amenities, including an outdoor ice rink and splash park.

Founded in 1983, Southeast Tourism Society is dedicated to the promotion and development of tourism to its 12 member states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.