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MKG Group, organizer of the 12th annual Worldwide Hospitality Awards, announces the winners of the 2011 Worldwide Hospitality Awards which took place during a ceremony at InterContinental Paris-Le grand Hotel in the French capital last Monday night. The evening took place under the auspices of Frédéric Lefebvre, the French Secretary of State in charge of Tourism. Rakesh Sarna, COO International of the American group Hyatt Hotels Corporation, was the President of the Ceremony; and Mariano Pérez Claver, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the Spanish Group NH Hoteles was President of the event’s 2011 Advisory Board.
The evening’s winners include:
- Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts for Best Communication Campaign;
- Sofitel for Best Marketing Campaign;
- Desert Lodge in Dakhla Egypt for the Best Sustainable Development Programme;
- Kempinski Hotels for Best Human Resources Programme;
- Shanti Hotel Maurice for Best Guest-Experience;
- Yotel New York for Most Innovative Concept.
Furthermore, Leah Marshall (The Bristol Hotel Paris) was awarded the Best General Manager trophy and Hilton Worldwide received the “Hospitality-on” Grand Prize, named after MKG Group’s online information hub for the hospitality industry.
The ceremony ended on an emotional note when both presidents, Mr. Rakesh Sarna and Mr. Mariano Pérez Claver, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to two pioneers in the Accor Saga: Claude Moscheni, former General Manager of the Hotel Department; and Didier Gros, former General Manager of the Economy Hotels Department. The awards were presented in the presence of the two founders of the group, Paul Dubrule and Gérard Pélisson; as well as the current Chairman & CEO, Denis Hennequin.
The ceremony itself was also innovative thanks to an electronic hand-held advice that allowed the audience to vote for a winner in each category. Their vote was tabulated with the jury’s vote, which was presided by Olivier Perruchot, Chief Executive Officer of Piaget SA France-UK.
Georges Panayotis, President of MKG Group, stated, “I’m extremely pleased with the turnout of the evening. It was an honour for us to provide the industry with an event that united all the major players in the hospitality industry, whether they are large groups or smaller players. I see it like a family reunion, with members of all ages coming from around the world. The success of the evening bears testimony to our industry’s motivation when it comes to innovation and solidarity across the board.”
Prior to the 12th Worldwide Hospitality Awards, the ceremony also praised innovation in Hospitality training through the second annual Hospitality Management Schools Awards. The winners were presented in four categories:
- Best innovation in hospitality training in a professional high school: Lycée Hôtelier d’Hérouville, Calvados France
- Best innovation in hospitality training in a hotel management school: CMH International Hospitality Management
- Best communication campaign from a hotel management school: Ecole de Savignac, Périgord France
- Most Successful Alumnus: Ilan Elkaïm, graduated from Essec Business School France, Senioir Associate – Feasability, Development & Acquisitions – Starwood Hotels & Resorts
A special tribute was made to the Global Academy of Tourism & Hospitality Education in Nepal, in recognition of the tremendous effort to create a professional structure to face the needs of the local and regional hospitality industry. The accolade was presented by Georges Panayotis to the founder of the school, Mr Khem Lakai.
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