Supporting Partners

Frances Kiradjian, Founder & Chair, BLLA

Matteo Thun - Matteo Thun & Partners, Milano, Italy

Louis M. Thompson - CEO, Nomadic Resorts, Mauritius

Philip Weghmann - Global Brand Leader, THE LUXURY COLLECTION at Marriott

Michael Mein - Partner & Executive Director, SeventhArt Group, U.S.A.

Ari Peralta, Director & Founding Partner of ARIGAMI - Sensory Innovation expert

Mark Greedy - CEO, Elite Resorts of Asia Pacific, Singapore

Luca Franco - CEO, Luxury Frontiers, U.S.A.

Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Director & Co-founder, ConsiderateGroup, Chairlady LeadingHôtelières chapter

Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim, EHL - Co-chair of HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelières chapter

Prof. Dr. Burkhard von Freyberg, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany

Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand - Professor of Hospitality Management at the IUBH International University of Applied Sciences in Bad Honnef - Bonn, Germany.

Prof. Dr. Henri Kuokkanen, Associate Professor & Vice Dean with Institut Paul Bocuse

Tim Tse, President - The House of Roosevelt, Shanghai, China

Carsten K. Rath - Keynote Speaker & Management Consultant

Mark Forrester - CEO, 80DAYS Creative Agency

• Adrian Rudin, General Manager, NUO Hotel, Beijing,

• Anthony Costa, Regional President, Caesars Palace Dubai

• Frank Beck, Managing Director, St. Regis, Singapore

• Franka Holtman, General Manager, Le Meurice, Paris

• Hansjoerg Meier, General Manager, The Setai, Miami

• Paolo Lorenzini, General Manager, Gritti Palace, Venice

• Samuel Porreca, General Manager, J.K. Place, Roma

• Sue Williams, General Manager, Whatley Manor, UK

• Attilio Marro, General Manager, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, Milano

• Danilo Zucchetti, VP Operations, Baglione Hotels & Resorts

• Gerhard Mitrovits, General Manager Hotel Baltschug Kempinski, Moscow

• Gregg Anderson, former COO, The Registry Collection

• Heinz Hunkeler, General Manager, Kulm Hotel, Pontresina

• Davide Bertilaccio, CEO, Villa d’Este Hotels

• Jisoo Chon, General Manager The Peninsula, Shanghai

• Jason Friedman, COO, HMD Asia Hotels & Resorts, Thailand

• Lucienne Anhar, Owner/Operator, Tugu Hotels, Indonesia

• Michael Smithuis, General Manager Fairmont Le Montreux Palace, Switzerland

• Natalie Seiler Hayez, General Manager, Beau-Rivage Palace, Switzerland

• Nicolas Anghelopoulos, General Manager, Grand Hills Village, Beirut

• Pierre Jochem, General Manager, Hotel La Mamounia Marrakech Morocco

• Sinan Yilmaz, General Manager, Shangri-La Hotel, Manila

• Sokoun Chanpreda, Owner/Operator, HMD Asia Hotels & Resorts, Thailand

• Thierry Douin, Vice President, General & Area Manager, Shangri-La, Bangkok

• Thomas Brugnatelli, General Manager, The American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem

• Tim Weiland, General Manager, The Alpina, Gstaad

• Yanping Xi, CEO Igo Hotel & Wine International

• Nitesh Pandey, Senior Vice President - TAMASSA · SALT · SOCIO

Affiliated Members

• Paul Bruce-Brand, CEO, Delair Graff Estate, Stellenbosch, Cape Town

• Ewald Biemans, Owner/Operator, Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts, Aruba

• John Blanco, General Manager, The Nam Hai, Viet Nam

• Thies Sponholz, Managing Director, Hotel The Fontenay Hamburg, Germany

• Vivien Hong Lin - CEO Club Gold, China

• Yngvar Stray, General Manager, The St. Regis Beijing, China

• Alfredo Pellas, Owner/Operator, Nekupe Nature Retreat, Nicaragua

• Andrew Hirst, Operations Director Asia, Mandarin Oriental Hotels Group

• Beatrice Zarges , Owner / CEO Thurnher’s Alpenhof, Austria

• Christophe Chauvin, General Manager, BYBLOS, St. Tropez

• Anne Arrowsmith, COO, 137 Pillars Hotels & Resorts, Bangkok

• Elmar Greif, Managing Owner, Greif Hospitality Assocites

• Henning Fries, General Manager, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr

• Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, General Manager, The Alma Cam Ranh, Vietnam

• Ingo Peters, General Manager, Fairmont Hotel Vierjahreszeiten, Hamburg

• Jean-Luc Naret, Executive Director The Set Collection

• Laurent Branover, General Manager, Palais Namaskar, Morocco

• Marco Montagnani, General Manager, Chateau Monfort, Milan

• Nir Peretz, Owner/Operator, Hanging Gardens, Ubud

• Omer Acar, Corporate Director Asset Management, Katara Hospitality - Paris

• Pauline Tew, Owner/Operator, MyHotel, Australia

• Ronald Akili, PotatoHeadFamily - Owner/Operator, Katmama Hotel, Bali

• Samuel Porreca, General Manager, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Lago di Como,Italy

• Valeriano Antonioli, CEO, Lungarno Collection - Hotels Retreat Villas, Italy

• Jason Villarino. General Manager, Keemala, Phuket

Hans Pfister, President & Co-Founder, Cayuga Collection, Costa Rica

• Dagmar Symes, General Manager, Private Estate, Riyadh

• Julien Surget, General Manager, HardRock Hotel,

. Marc Yeterian, General Manager, Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Peru

• Alain Bachmann, General Manager, Coquillade Village, Provence

• Mike Myers, General Manager, Xigera Safari Lodge, Botswana

• Doris Greif, Managing Director - The Langham, London, Regional Vice President, Operations – Europe & Middle East

• Henk Meyknecht, Chief Hospitality Officer Crowne Prince Private Affairs Riyadh - KSA

• Philippe D. Clarinval, General Manager, Les Trois Rois, Basel,

• Jonathan Ragget, Red Carnation Hotels, Managing Director

• Hans Rudolf Ruetti, General Manager, Grand Hotel Belvedere, Davos

• Vaughn Davis, General Manager, Dream Hollywood

• Lucia Basile, General Manager - STARHOTELS DU PARC, Parma

• Elisa Peroli, General Manager - Villa La Massa, Firenze

• Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Preferred Hotels & Resorts Preferred Hotels Group

• Xenia zu Hohenlohe, Founder & CEO ConsiderateGroup

• Irene Hoek WomenInHotels

• Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim Associated Professor with EHL & Founder of WIL

• Sue Williams, General Manager - Whatley Manor

• Cecilia Y.M. Lui - VP Sales & Marketing Greater China, Peninsula Hotels

• Marii-Laure Akdag - CEO Marie-LaureConsultancy

• Dagmar Symes General Manager, Riyadh Private Estate

• Yasmine Mahmoudieh - CEC yasminmahmoudieh architecture&design, London

• Céline Vadame - Founder WE(i)think

• Franziska Altenrath - Co-founder & Managing Directro Founder

• Yvette Thomas - Regional Vice President and General Manager | Four Seasons Resort Nevis, West Indies

• Nathalie Seiler-Hayez, GM, The Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne

• Pauline Tew, CEO MyHotel, Australia

• Dr. Reneé Minaar PhD - Hospitality & Tourism Expert andBeyondTravel

• Nathalie Cockayne - General Manager, Melia Desert Palm, Dubai

• Eva Malstrom Shivadasani - SONEVA

• Maribel Esparcia Pérez - Associate Professor at the University of Lleida

• Dr Reneé Minnaar PhD - Reneé Minnaar Consulting

• Nathalie Cockayne - General Manager, Melia Desert Palm, Dubai

• Valentina de Santis - Owner/Operator, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Italy

• Jan Hazelton - Vice President, Global Business & Real Estate Development at Kerzner International, London

• Rekha Bothma - General Manager(CHA) - Multi property GM at Peermont Global - Emperors Palace Hotel Casino Convention and Entertainment Resort

• Victoria Tollman, Director, The Red Carnation HotelCollection, London

• Catherine Dolton, VP & Global Head of Corporate Responsibility, IHG

• Thomas Buehner, Founder Member & Ambassador Culinaire

• Elena Arzak, Cheffe, Restaurant ARZAK, San Sebastian

• Paolo Casagrande, Executive Chef, Lasarte Restaurant, Barcelona

• Dimitris Katrivesis, Chef/Entrepreneur, Mykonos

• Ricardo Camanini, Owner Chef, LIDO84, Lago di Garda, Italy

• Holger Deh, Executive Pastry Chef, Rosewood, HongKong

• Eckhard Witzigmann, Chef of the Century, Germany

• Manu Buffer, Owner Cheffe of MANU, Alameda Dom Pedro, Brazil

• Charles Benoit Lacour, Exec. Chef, Sir Ellis Restaurant, Peninsula, Shanghai

• Sky Chang, Exec. Sous Chef, Peninsula, Shanghai

• Christo Pretorius, Executive Chef, The Twelve Apostles Hotel, Cape Town

• Anton Gschwendtner, Executive Chef, ATELIER, Munich, Germany

• René Frank, Co-founder & Executive Chef, CODA, Berlin, Germany

• Melissa Coppel, Chocolatier, founder of MELISSA COPPEL Chocalatier

• Cèdric Crolet, Executive Pastry Chef at Le Meurice in Paris

• Matthias Hahn, Executive Chef, TANTRIS, Munich, Germany

• Michael Bartocetti, Chef Pâtissier, George V, Paris

• Mario Gamba, Owner Chef, ACQUARELLO, Munich, Germany

• Luke Dale-Roberts, Owner Chef, The Test Kitchen, Cape Town, S.A.

Giorgio Diana, Executive Corporate Chef, AticoGroup

Antonio Bachour, Chef/Patissier/Entrepreneur, Miami

. Florian Trento, Group Exec. Chef | Albin Gobil, Exec. Chef, Gaddi’s | François Delaire, Exec. Pastry Che The Peninsula | Shanghai

Miles Alexander Watson, Food Designer, PURE of Berlin, Germany

Oswaldo Presazzi, Executive Chef, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lago di Como

• Virgil Khan, Executive Chef, INDOCHINE, Delaire Graff Estate, Cape Town

• Megan Meikle, Pastry Chef, Grei at Saxxon, Johannesburg, S.A.

• Matteo Thun

• Bill Bensley -

• Yasmine Mahmoudieh

• Alberto Apostoli

• Luca Franco

• Anton de Kock

• Charles Gallavardin

• Louis M. Thompson

• Ari Peralta

• Assia Riccio, Founder EvolveInWomen

• Brenda Collin, Sen. SVP Europe - Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Chair of Institute of Hospitality London Branch. Hospitality Action Ambassador

Frances Kiradjian, Founder & Chair, BLLA

• Suzie Thompson - VP Marketing, Distribution & Rev. Management, The Red Carnation Hotel Collection

• Victoria Murden, Marketing Director, Chief Marketing Officer, GDlabs

• Doris Greif, Managing Director - The Langham, London, Regional Vice President, Operations – Europe & Middle East

• Lucia Basile, General Manager - STARHOTELS DU PARC, Parma, Italy

• Amanda Frasier, President Rating, FORBES TRAVEL, USA

• Astrid Oberhummer, Founder & CEO, LOBSTER EXPERINCE , Germany

• Valerie Ferguson, Area General Manager, DISNEY LUXURY RESORTS, USA

Advisory Board

• Sue Harmsworth - former owner/CEO of ESPA - ADVISORY BOARD

• Prof. Henri Kuokkanen - Vice Dean of Institut Paul Bocuse ADVISORY BOARD

• Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand - Professor at IUBH International University Bad Honnef - Bonn ADVISORY BOARD

The LeadingHoteliers chapter of HoteliersGuild was launched by an esteemed group of female executives who share a commitment to accelerate gender equality in the hospitality industry and elevate more women into leadership roles. The collective expertise of our members is incredibly powerful, and we look forward to creating further momentum on a global scale by using the findings of our first year’s work to create and provide education, mentorship, and training in the areas that will have the most success in moving progress forward. I am proud to join together with fellow industry colleagues in championing this crucial cause and very excited to see what we can achieve in the year ahead.

Lindsey Ueberroth CEO Preferred Hotels & Resorts Co-founder of

LeadingHôtelières and The HoteliersGuild Academy of Hospitality Arts

Individuality is at the core of the Preferred brand, and we celebrate all forms of diversity: I am proud to share that I’ve doubled down on my commitment to this value by co-founding LeadingHòteliéres, part of the HoteliersGuild community with Frank M. Pfaller, that has a mission of promoting gender equality within the hotel industry.

Some of the world’s leading hoteliers and hospitality academics have joined forces to launch a pioneering initiative that aims to accelerate the path to improved gender equality in higher level positions across the industry, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5.

HoteliersGuild’s LeadingHôtelières Chapter is founded by CEO and President of the prestigious HoteliersGuild community, Frank M Pfaller, and co-founded by Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO at Preferred Hotels & Resorts. “When we looked at our HoteliersGuild Membership Roster, we realised that we had far too few ladies in leadership positions. Reaching out initially to Lindsey, Xenia and Sowon, we were thrilled to realise their enthusiasm to join our cause to ‘making a change’ ”, Pfaller says.

Considerate Group Founding Partner, Xenia zu Hohenlohe, leads as Chairwoman for the inaugural year and is joined by co-chair Associate Professor of Management at the leading Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) university, Dr Sowon Kim Crettex

The team has enlisted support from the likes of Grand Hotel Tremezzo owner and CEO, Valentina de Santis, Rosewood Hotel Group Vice President of Global Residential Development, Irene Hoek, Director of Red Carnation Hotels, Vicki Tollman, Eva Malmström-Shivdasani of SONEVA, and Director of Spa at Four Seasons Hong Kong, Dr Tania Bardhan, among others, who will all take on vital roles in addressing gender balances at a systemic level, from research, to design, to networking, with communication coordinated by Maria Pajares, MD of Mason Rose.

Quoting Xenia zu Hohenlohe, “Gender equality is a key part of the UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and any business serious about future proofing itself will need to address this issue. We have an incredible collection of women with highly professional profiles paired with great brainpower in this group, all driven by the motivation to ensure the female Hotelier of the future will be able to finally have the same opportunities for career development as their male peers. I am delighted to be Co-chairing this chapter with the wonderful Sowon Kim and we hope to be able to make a real difference with this work.”

Ueberroth said: “I’m happy to see more women CEOs in hospitality, but we are still a far cry from where I hope we can be in terms of representation. The biggest challenges for women looking to achieve top leadership roles were the need to travel, relocate and dedicate long hours. In the past, once having children and raising a family came into the equation, many women were forced to make a choice, and those challenges were hard to overcome. “Given the innovations in technology and a more open attitude towards flexible working hours and “home offices,” many of these hurdles seem alleviated.”

LeadingHôtelières aims to promote gender equality by providing research, guidance, mentorship and training through a powerful network of contacts in the industry.

The focus of 2021 is specifically geared towards flexible working structures. Heading the research arm of the initiative, Prof Dr Kim said: “We are currently working on a conceptual model to test whether the outcome of our goal, to improve gender equality among directorial and operational roles in the hospitality industry through updated flexible working schemes, actually works for our hotelier partners. We aim to discover how best to collect data on this topic and share these findings in a meaningful, productive way.”

In closing, Frank M. Pfaller adds, that “Building a bridge between academics and hands-on hospitality leaders is important to us. We are delighted that such renowned expert as Sue Harmsworth, founding owner of ESPA, Prof. Dr. Henri Kuokkanen, Vice Dean of IPB Institut Paul Bocuse and , Prof. Dr. Willy Legrand, IUBH are supporting our cause as members of the Advisory Board.”

At Hoteliersguild We are honoured and humbled to extend a warm welcome to Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of the family-run, award-winning Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Beatrice is such an important figure in the Tollman family who own The Travel Corporation and support hundreds of charities across the globe. through their non-for-profit initiative, the TreadRight Foundation. With a passion for hospitality and philanthropy, she is now renowned within the travel and hospitality industry and we look also much forward to her moral support of our Leading HÔteliéres chapter, where we so lucky to already count with her daughter Vicki’s assistance.

At Hoteliersguild We are honoured and humbled to extend a warm welcome to Beatrice Tollman, President and Founder of the family-run, award-winning Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Beatrice is such an important figure in the Tollman family who own The Travel Corporation and support hundreds of charities across the globe. through their non-for-profit initiative, the TreadRight Foundation. With a passion for hospitality and philanthropy, she is now renowned within the travel and hospitality industry and we look also much forward to her moral support for our Leading HÔteliéres chapter, where we are so lucky to already count with her daughter Vicki’s assistance.

Frank M. Pfaller President | HoteliersGuild

I greatly admire. I am especially delighted to acknowledge the importance of sustainability and travel as a force for good within your society. Since Stanley and I opened our first hotel more than 60 years ago, hospitality has continued to evolve, but I believe that integrity, determination and striving for the very best for our guests is even more important today. These are the qualities that I value the most in our wonderful teams, and they work hand-in-hand with our commitment to build a sustainable future, through conservation, leadership and support for our local communities

I am so proud that our collection now stands at 20 unique and special properties. In December 2020, it was a dream come true to open Xigera Safari Lodge in Botswana, our love letter to the magic of the African bush. After six decades of devotion to exceptional hospitality and personal service, this was the culmination of a life-long dream for my family, and today, our passions and our purpose remains the same... To share these beautiful moments and experiences with our guests

With warmest wishes, Beatrice Tollman

SeniorHoteliersInitiative realises that something will have to change.

We are reaching out to colleagues with an offer to make a change in this time of sheer madness.

Because out of times of crisis come great creativity opportunities for owners & operators with a vision and a dedication not to panic and not to just accept what others believe will be inevitable.

In this testing times of Covid-19, we shall further concentrate on our professional relationship with our colleagues, independent owners, operators & developers of private luxury hotels & retreats in need of support.

Call us GuardianAngels/Sponsors/ Advisors/BrandAmbassadors/ Owner’sRep’s…

…or just simply professionals who care with a desire to give back and make a change!

On the enchanting evening of October 15th, 2016, the prestigious HoteliersGuild International Hospitality Hall of Fame was unveiled with great fanfare at the Villa Padierna Palace Hotel in Marbella, Spain. This momentous occasion was marked by the presence of the Guild's president, Frank M. Pfaller, and Don Ricardo Arranz, the esteemed owner of Villa Padierna Hotels & Resorts, who also serves as the curator of the Hall of Fame.

The world of luxury hospitality and lifestyle was set alight that night, as the International HoteliersGuild Hall of Fame was inaugurated amidst a distinguished assembly of guests. The star-studded attendee list included international royalty, Spain's Minister of Tourism, and a host of renowned hoteliers and industry leaders from around the globe, all gathered to celebrate the legends of luxury hospitality, both past and present.

Frank M. Pfaller and Don Ricardo Arranz were overjoyed to welcome more than 180 distinguished luxury hospitality leaders to this extraordinary event. The gathering represented a rare and significant assembly of some of the most respected professionals within the industry. The esteemed presence of Hall of Famers Sol Kerzner, the visionary founder of One&Only Resorts and developer of numerous world-class hotels, and Natale Rusconi, co-founder of Orient Express and Managing Director of the iconic Cipriani Hotel in Venice, further elevated the evening's prestige.

In a show of solidarity and commitment to the cause, all attendees pledged to serve as ambassadors for Villa Padierna Hotels & Resorts in their respective countries and to actively support the mission of the HoteliersGuild.

1. César Ritz

23 February 1850 –

24 October 1918

World renowned Swiss hotelier, known as “King of Hoteliers & Hotelier to Kings”. Founder of several luxury hotels, most famously the iconic Hôtel Ritz, Paris and Ritz Hotel, London.

2. Conrad Hilton

December 25, 1887January 3, 1979

Imaginary founded of the Hilton Hotel empire which grew into one of the largest private companies in the U.S. consisting of over 3 6 0 0 hotels worldwide.

3. Lord Charles Forte

26 November 1908 –

28 February 2007

Famous Scottish caterer and hotelier of Italian origin who founded the leisure and hotels conglomerate that ultimately became the Forte Group

4. John Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr. born March 25, 1932

Renowned American businessman who is the Executive Chairman of the Board of Marriott International

5. James B. Sherwood born August 8, 1933 in New Castle, Pennsylvania Prominent founder of Sea Containers Ltd expanding the company into luxury hotels and railway trains, including the Venice-Simplon Orient Express

6. Count of Villapadierna III (1929-1979) A visionary gracious host and esteemed pioneer of Spanish riding and racing. Founder of the Federation (FEA) and Derby Villapadierna. His name is a legend in both sports, as creator of Scuderia Villapadierna and legendary Cuadra Villapadierna.

7. Hans Badrutt 1876 - 1953

“A born hotelier”Historic & distinguished owner of Badrutt’s Palace & legendary pioneer of 'Luxury St. Moritz'

8. Sol Kerzner born 23 August 1935

Visionary South African born leisure business magnate & industry leader for more than 50 years. Founder of Southern Sun & Sun

International hotel groups, One&Only, Atlantis, SK Hospitality,...playing a pivotal role in the development of the intl. tourism industry.

9. Juan Trippe

June 27, 1899 – April

3, 1981

Revolutionary American commercial aviation pioneer, founder of Pan American World Airways & founder of InterContinental Hotel Group

10. Jay Arthur Pritzker

August 26, 1922 –January 23, 1999)

Fabled American billionaire & innovative entrepreneur; founder of Hyatt Hotels group.

11. Dr. Natale Rusconi born 9 April 1926

Italian hospitality icon, one of the greatest hoteliers of our era. Famous General Manager of the Cipriani, Venice & V.P. of Orient Express for more than three decades.

12. Philippe Starck born 1949

Celebrated French designer and coinventor of ‘Design Hotels ‘ from the Royalton, NYC, 1 9 8 8 to the Delano, Miami, 1995, Mondrian, Delano & luxury hotels Hôtel Meurice, Royal Monceau...

PAST & PRESENT ALL TIME LEGENDS

Dear Frank,

It is with great pride that we accept your invitation for us to be inducted into The International Hospitality Hall of Fame. Both our careers have been entirely in some part of the hospitality industry –travel agent, tour operator, incentive travel, airline, People to People Travel and now Preferred Hotelsand Resorts. This industry is one that brings the world together and has been part of many innovationsand programs that other industries adapt. To be thought of as a leader of this fabulous and growing industry is indeed an honor that we will cherish.Our warmest regards!

John and Gail

John & Gail Ueberroth Founders, Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Dear Mr. Pfaller,

I am deeply honoured that your Board has voted me as an inductee for the International Hospitality Hall of Fame and that I will be presented with a “Signum Vertutis”, the most exclusive award in the luxury hospitality industry. This nomination not only concludes in glory my long career in the luxury hotel business, but also gives me the assurance that my work and its philosophy will be transmitted to the young generations who will choose one of the most satisfactory careers, which on a human scale allows them to meet many interesting and diversified characters and which in many cases enables them to make people happy as well. I also believe that the mission of a General Manager is to include the staff members, who are the motor of a hotel.

The future of the hotel industry is especially nowadays under scrutiny by many observers. I personally believe that with the merging of chains such as Marriott and Starwood, there will be soon a great division between machine hotels and boutique hotels. I was in fact employed as Assistant Manager at the Gritti Palace Hotel in Venice, which had been previously the annex of the nearby Grand Hotel, in the early ’50’s. With the Gritti, CIGA Hotels created the first de luxe boutique hotel in Italy, and that was my school. Also the Cipriani, with less than 100 rooms, is considered still now to be a boutique hotel, as are many others of the Belmond group, formerly Orient-Exress Hotels, of which I was the Italian Vice President.

I thank you for the honour given me and I look forward to seeing you soon in Marbella. As far as Jim Sherwood is concerned, he will be in Venice this coming Saturday, and I will speak with him about the Hall of Fame celebration in Marbella.

Sincerely

Natale Rusconi

Dear Frank,

It is with the greatest honour and delight that I accept the prestigious “Industry Legend” award from TIHOF. My time in the hospitality industry, of over 50 years, has been made more remarkable by the huge pool of talented and passionate individuals that I have had the privilege and pleasure of working with across the globe. It is a unifying industry in so many respects and one in which I am proud to have made a contribution.

Warmest personal regards,

Sol

Sol Kerzner President SK Hospitality LTD

Dear Frank,

When I received word to be included in the International Hospitality Hall of Fame, you put me in the right mood - 'Down Memory Lane'. My private and professional life was scripted by - 'follow your heart' and several mentors who were always present like Guardian Angels.

The early trails of my personal life began in 1960, as if written in Folks Tales, young German - hotelier-to-be, met and fell in love with a Thai student in Lausanne. She returned to her homeland, found him a job at a little seaside inn in Thailand - early assimilation into Thai culture, two years later they moved to the Oriental in Bangkok. Today, we are married fifty years with three wonderful children. A real love story!

In the early seventies, the Thai owners decided to enlarge the Oriental to 400 rooms, requiring a Management Company. The obvious choice was the Mandarin in Hong Kong and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group was born.

Peter Stafford was the General Manager of the Mandarin Hong Kong and he took it upon himself to train hundreds of Oriental employees from one week to six months in Hong Kong. As for myself, I was dispatched to the Savoy in London for one month...polishing my manners!

Highlights over the past forty years :

The Oriental Hotel Apprentice Programme was set up

The Professional Thai Chef Programme

The South East Asia Writers Award to honour the many famous writers who stayed over the years.

The nostalgic Legends of Indochina

The Royal Project in Chiengmai where our Chef, Norbert Kostner, introduced new varieties of vegetables and fruits, which were imported at high cost from Europe - not an easy task to reproduce in tropical climate. Today, most hotels/restaurants all over Thailand recognize real value in this brand.

Whatever we undertook, we tried to connect these stories with a society who surrounded us and ultimately became our loyal customers. Most of the 1200 staff members dedicated their services an entire life to the Oriental, which allowed us to maintain and nourish a personalized service. Because of the close relationship between our staff and guests - guests felt at home.

When the Oriental was named for the first time 'Best Hotel in the World', the Thai employees lifted glasses of champagne for a photo shoot and a few minutes later, returned to their work place, continued their jobs as diligently like as if nothing has happened. Thais display a great sense of humanity, supporting each other, whenever the unexpected occurs.

In the end - what is life? Warmth - and I had plenty in both private and professional life!

Warm regards!

Kurt Kurt Wachtveitl

Att. M. Frank M. Pfaller

The International Hospitality Hall of Fame

Cher Monsieur,

C'est un grand honneur pour moi de recevoir votre invitation à faire partie de l'International Hospitality Hall of Fame, en reconnaissance de mon travail et contribution dans le domaine du design et de la création pour le secteur hotelier.

Je vous remercie également chaleureusement pour l'invitation à assister au Gala d'Inauguration qui se déroulera le 15 octobre prochain, même si à mon grand regret, des contraintes d'agenda ne me permettront pas d'être présent.

Je tiens à vous féliciter, à vous et à toute votre équipe, pour l'organisation de cet évènement prestigieux et vous prie de recevoir mes meilleures salutations.

Philippe Starck

Dear Frank,

It is with great pride for me to be inducted into the International Hospitality Hall of Fame. When Eva and I first started, we had no idea our personal vision of a locally crafted villa and environmentally responsible lifestyle would form the basis of a successful collection of world-class resorts.

We started a trend for back-to-nature luxury holidays, and watched the Maldives turn from a three-star high volume destination into the luxury destination it is today. At Soneva, we strive to “inspire a lifetime of rare experiences”. This started with our now ubiquitous chocolate, ice cream, cheese and charcuterie rooms, followed by the outdoor Cinema Paradiso, our observatories, and now our glass studio at Soneva Fushi, among many other things.

We hope that as we continue to grow, we will continue to inspire the international tourism industry to integrate luxury with sustainability, as these two things do not compete –they actually complement each other. While I am proud of what we have accomplished, there is much more that we, not only as a company but as an industry, can do to improve the communities in which we operate.

With warmest regards, Sonu

Sonu Shivdasani | Chairman & CEO

Dear Frank,

'I would like to formally accept this induction into the International Hospitality Hall of Fame and to sincerely thank the Board of Advisors for their support and votes. It is an honour to be recognised alongside so many exceptional individuals and I am proud to have contributed to the hospitality industry for so many years.’

My best regards,

Geoffrey

Dear Frank,

I am deeply honoured to have this prestigious award bestowed upon me.

I am sharing this accolade with many people who have and continue to inspire me.

It has been and continues to be a great privilege to work in the hospitality industry. An industry which unites people from all over the world.

Kind regards,

Peter

Peter Borer COO

The Peninsula Hotels

Dear Frank,

I thoroughly enjoyed your glorious celebration of the art of hospitality. What a party and what a turn out, impressive! Many congratulations!

Kind regards & thank you so much for the gracious invitation!

Filip Filip Boyen Chief Executive Officer Small Luxury Hotels of the World Management Ltd