The Leading Hotels of the World Complete Re-Design of Hotel Directory
|
|
The Leading Hotels of the World Complete Re-Design of Hotel Directory
|
Catégorie : Monde - Économie du secteur
vRénovation ou nouveauté dans un établissement
Ceci est un communiqué de presse sélectionné par notre comité éditorial et mis en ligne gratuitement le 08-12-2010
YOU CAN TELL A BOOK BY ITS COVER
THE LEADING HOTELS OF THE WORLD INTRODUCES FIRST COMPLETE RE-DESIGN OF HOTEL DIRECTORY IN OVER 15 YEARS
Contemporary, Colorful, and Conceived to Inspire
The latest edition of the Directory of The Leading Hotels of the World is intended to inspire travelers to embark on enriching journeys of discovery to far-off places with intriguing traditions and alluring cultures. This beautiful new volume features the personal stories behind iconic family-owned hotels, as well as attributes and images that make each property truly special and distinct. After all, the strength and appeal of the more than 430 Leading Hotels around the world lie in their distinctiveness and relationship to their locations.
Re-Design
This carefully crafted book is completely redesigned both visually and editorially, and transformed to entice readers to experience an array of very diverse hotels. To capture the essence, the Directory for 2011/12 has taken on a new size – it is larger and horizontal in shape to allow for more impressive images and more legible typography.
Consumers are encouraged to consult the Leading Hotels website for the most updated factual details, such as meeting facilities, number of food and beverage outlets, and other such data; while the information in the Directory itself is intended to tempt them to delve into over 430 unique stories of The Leading Hotels of the World. On a practical note, there is an index of hotel by type or feature, enabling guests to search via a list of children’s programs, Leading Spas, beachfront hotels, Michelin star restaurants, historical significance, wine regions and the like.
A Salute to Independent Family-Owned Hotels
In this edition, for the first time ever, Leading Hotels pays homage to the tradition of the family-owned property. Ted Teng, president and chief executive officer of The Leading Hotels of the World, explained, “These hoteliers symbolize the spirit and art of independent luxury hotel-keeping by celebrating a dedication and devotion to the past, coupled with a foresight and courage to evolve for the future. We believe this truly personal expression of genuine hospitality lies at the heart of our organization.”
There are twenty-three pages dedicated to providing family histories of owners of some of the most legendary Leading Hotels. The collection includes hotels under the talented direction of professionals who are descendents of renowned hoteliers; it is a part of their heritage which they have successfully fostered and continue to nurture – many for at least three generations.
*The Directory will be available in early 2011. To request a complimentary copy, please visit www.LHW.com/Directory.
Below is a sampling from The Leading Hotels of the World’s Directory featuring the personal stories of multi-generations with a passion for family and art of hotel keeping:
The Gürtler Family & the Hotel Sacher, page 32
Vienna's iconic Hotel Sacher has a long history of being run by strong women. The original owner's wife, Anna Sacher, took over the hotel upon her husband's death in 1880, and since 1934, the hotel has been run by the Gürtler family, most notably by powerhouse Elisabeth Gürtler. "I respect tradition and the importance of having a connection to the past," says Mrs. Gürtler, who was born and raised in Vienna. "But I also believe in the power of creating an engaging dialogue between old and new." Mrs. Gürtler was ahead of many local competitors when she opened the jewel-like Sacher Spa in 2005. To many, the Sacher is eponymous with Vienna, and Mrs. Gürtler herself has deep ties to the Austrian capital, chairing the Vienna Opera Ball and making history by being named the first female director of the centuries-old Spanish Riding School. As for the future, Mrs. Gürtler is already working with the next generation of strong Sacher women: her daughter, Alexandra.
The Gambardella Family & Hotel Santa Caterina, page 126
In the mid-1800s, Giuseppe Gambardella was the town's doctor before he turned the home he built in 1850 into Hotel Santa Caterina, one of the Amalfi Coast's early lodgings, in 1880. But no matter how many patients the kind Giuseppe helped over the years, it would still be almost impossible for him to touch as many lives as his son, Crescenzo, did. Having helped his father rebuild the hotel following a devastating landside in 1899, the younger Gambardella took over the property at his father's death in 1908 and ran it until 1967. It was Crescenzo Gambardella who expanded the hotel into the sea-to-sky complex it is today, including two restaurants as well as a salt-water swimming pool hovering just above the Mediterranean 600 feet below hotel's front door. In time his wife Alma joined him in overseeing the Santa Caterina, and together the couple also expanded the family, being followed by their two daughters, Giuseppina and Carmela, and, eventually, three grandchildren, Crescenzo Gargano, Alessandro Camera and Beatrice Camera. The five current members of the Gambardella clan are literally at home at the Santa Caterina: all were raised in family residences adjoining the property.
The Scherz Family & the Gstaad Palace, page 256
It all began on a freezing night in the 1920s, when Ernst Scherz sang Christmas carols in Gstaad’s village square. The young man stared at the castle-like hotel overlooking the square, dreaming of owning that magical palace himself. Today, the third generation of Scherzes runs the Gstaad Palace. On paper, the transformation sounds like a fairy-tale come true, but for the now-legendary hotelier the road to dining with the likes of Conrad Hilton was one of dedication and hard work. Both Mr. Scherz and his wife, Silvia, began working at the Gstaad Palace in the late 1930s; after World War II, they took out loans from family and friends to buy their beloved property. Throughout their 30 years of running it, the couple saw their hotel mature, and witnessed Gstaad itself turn into the jet-set resort it is today. In 1968, Ernst and Silvia passed the reins to their son, Ernst Andreas, who oversaw such luxurious additions as freestanding chalets and the striking Grande Terrasse. (He was also the chairman The Leading Hotels of the World for 17 years.) In 2001, son Andrea was appointed general manager, having worked his way up from head of reception. One wonders if on some cold winter nights, he still walks outside to stand where his grandfather stood years ago: gazing up at the illuminated façade of his family’s Gstaad Palace.
The Krachts & the Baur au Lac, page 276
The Kracht family and their Baur forefathers have been in residence at the Baur au Lac in Zurich for six generations. However, the family's innkeeping experience dates back further. Johannes Baur, who built and opened the hotel in 1844, had previously created another property in Zurich, the nearby Savoy Baur En Ville. Before that, his father had run a small inn in the Austrian town of Gotzis. Yet all this is only part of the Baur au Lac legacy. The marriage of Emmy Baur, Johannes's granddaughter, to Karl Kracht, in 1898, brought another tradition of innkeeping into the family, as decades before Karl's father had assumed ownership of Cologne's Excelsior Ernst. Emmy and Karl's union was thus a match between two great hotel families, with their sons, then grandson, then great-grandchildren all successively adding to the tradition. Long stewardship at the Baur isn't limited to the Krachts. When current manager Michel Rey was appointed to his post, in 1983, he took over from his own father, Georges. There are many reasons why the Baur has continually thrived from its to the present day, but, assuredly, a bounty of generational leadership is foremost among them.
|
|
