CoStar Group's news staff won a gold medal in the largest real estate journalism contest in the United States for an audio report analyzing hospitality trends and received a bronze medal for coverage of how Hurricane Helene upended residential real estate sales in Ashville, North Carolina.
The National Association of Real Estate Editors announced the recipients of its 75th annual Journalism Awards late Wednesday at the organization's conference in New Orleans. An outside panel of judges selected winners from work published in 2024 in a competition that included prominent national news organizations such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and The Washington Post.
Stephanie Ricca, editorial director for CoStar's hotel industry news coverage, was recognized for first place in the best audio real estate report for "Tell Me More: A Hospitality Data Podcast" focused on expert industry analysis. In "Unpacking 2025 trends with Expedia Group," Ricca hosts a look at the societal and economic forces that are driving the hotel industry.
The judges said: "The best podcasts make the listener feel like they're part of the conversation. Ricca hits the mark in this deep dive into hotel and travel trends featuring three guests and lots of valuable insights. A guest from Expedia identifies trends for 2025, such as Gen Z's booming affinity for all-inclusive resorts. Ricca's engagement with her guests, easy banter and well-placed questions help to break up potentially dense material. Strong production values round out this winner."
Reporter Moira Ritter received a bronze medal in the best residential real estate trade or business-to-business magazine story category. In "Hurricane fallout tests North Carolina agents working through home buying season's new reality," Ritter, writing for Homes.com, visited damaged areas in the Blue Ridge Mountains and talked to real estate professionals and residents about their efforts to deal with the devastation.
CoStar News is an international news organization that specializes in the coverage of commercial real estate, examining economic and property implications of events across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. CoStar News is published by CoStar Group, the largest provider of commercial real estate information.