Leading Hotels Hosts Convention at Tokyo's Historic Imperial Hotel

In attendance were proprietors, managing directors, general managers, and sales and marketing executives from the world's finest hotels, resorts and spas.

Milestones Marked

The Leading Hotels of the World president and chief executive officer, Ted Teng, assessed the year thus far for its hotel members, “We continue to focus on our core business – improving quality and increasing revenue to our hotel members. As a result of our efforts we generated 15% more in room revenue compared to last year, in spite of reducing our hotel inventory by 4%.” Mr. Teng marked a major milestone when he unveiled the company's first new logo since the organization's inception. He also introduced the latest edition of the membership directory of The Leading Hotels of the World which will be available to consumers at the beginning of 2011. This directory is completely redesigned to highlight the unique nature and character of every one of its members – each distinct from the other, but all bound by the commitment to provide outstanding and memorable travel experiences. At the conclusion of the meeting Mr. Teng stated, “I was thrilled with the feedback I've received from our delegates who told me they felt our Convention left them feeling ‘revitalized' and ‘inspired' about the direction of Leading Hotels.”

New Chairman Announced

A pivotal moment of the Convention came as the chairmanship of the organization passed from Jean-Jacques Gauer, who had been at the helm since 1990, to Andrea Kracht, vice chairman and proprietor of the legendary Baur au Lac in Zurich, Switzerland. “It has certainly been an honor, a privilege, and the most illuminating experience to work with so many talented hoteliers, our members – but also a very humbling experience to serve you as chairman. And for all that, I will be forever grateful,” said Mr. Gauer who is also the general manager of Lausanne Palace & Spa. During his tenure as chairman of Leading Hotels, he secured the company's position as the premier representation solution for independent luxury hotels, and opened offices in emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Asia, creating a unique luxury presence in the global hospitality industry.

The new chairman, Mr. Kracht, continues a Leading Hotels tradition; he is the scion of a family of renowned independent hoteliers, whose properties have become icons and defining examples of the finest in the art of hotel-keeping. Perhaps Mr. Kracht put it best when he said, “The real value and driver of this company is the quality of its members and the dedicated employees who support our hotels. We have had an ambitious business plan to drive more revenue to our members. This plan which relies, not on an overall increase in our number of hotels, but in the quality of our portfolio – even if this means losing some properties that do not make the mark.”

Also, for the first time ever, Leading Hotels hosted a press conference for key figures of the Japanese media. With a focus on independent luxury hospitality, this event introduced representatives from Leading Hotels whose stewardship has passed through the hands of no fewer than three generations of the same family. As Mr. Kracht said, “This is more than a company; it is a shared heritage.” Among the attendees were Tonino Cacace of Capri Palace Hotel & Spa; Guido Fiorentino of Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria; Carmela Camera Gambardella of Hotel Santa Caterina; Michael Geisel of Hotel Konigshof; Elisabeth Gürtler of Hotel Sacher Wien; Innegrit Volkhardt of Bayerischer Hof; Andrea Kracht of Baur au Lac; Antonio Sersale from Le Sirenuse; Ernst and Andrea Scherz of the Gstaad Palace; Gianfanco Morgano from Grand Hotel Quisisana.

Other memorable Convention speakers included noted author and journalist, Nury Vittachi, who shared insights from his latest best-selling book, The Kama Sutra of Business; Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman, of Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.; Massimo Quarra, executive vice president travel services & cardmember benefits, chairman of American Express Services Europe; Morris Miselowski, principal and founder of Success through Focus; Elizabeth Randall, global managing director of Smith Travel Research; and Ken Grant, chief executive of FDKG.

Event participants were collectively hosted at four Leading Hotels: Imperial Hotel, Tokyo; Hotel Okura Tokyo; The Prince Park Tower Tokyo; and Hotel Seiyo Ginza. Each did a remarkable job catering to the diverse, global tastes of this especially discerning group of guests.