Global Staffmovements: Who's where and doing what:

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Kurt Ritter Named “Corporate Hotelier of the World 2002”
by HOTELS Magazine

Kurt Ritter, president & CEO of Rezidor SAS Hospitality, has been named “Corporate Hotelier of the World 2002” in this year’s Hoteliers of the World Awards organized by HOTELS, the magazine for the worldwide hotel industry.

Sixty-thousand readers of HOTELS magazine were invited to vote for the Corporate Hotelier of the World from a proposed group of prominent industry figures.  Judging was based on the individual’s achievements, performance and vision, not only for the company in which they serve, but also for the industry as a whole.

The award, now in its 22nd year, will be presented to Kurt Ritter by Jeff Weinstein, editor-in-chief of HOTELS magazine, at a ceremony in New York at the Palace Hotel on November 11, 2002.

Kurt Ritter started his hotel career working in his parents’ hotel in Interlaaken, Switzerland, at the age of eight.  His formal hotel education took place at Switzerland’s Ecole Supérieure de Commerce du Canton de Vaud, before graduating from the Ecole Hôtelière in Lausanne in 1970.  He began his career at the Bellevue Palace Hotel in Bern, serving as assistant manager.

In 1976 Ritter joined SAS International Hotels (SIH) as general manager in northern Sweden after holding several management positions with Ramada in Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden.

After 13 years with SIH, Ritter, at the age of 42, was appointed president & CEO of the group from the position of vice president Middle East and Far East.

In 1994 Ritter signed a master franchise agreement with Carlson Hotels Worldwide for the Radisson brand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ritter first came to world prominence with this brand by increasing the SIH portfolio from 29 hotels to 159 signed agreements in eight years.

In the year 2000 Ritter took SIH through a rebranding process as part of a future multi-brand strategy, forming Rezidor SAS.  In September 2002, the second part of this multi-brand strategy was completed when Rezidor SAS entered into another master franchise agreement for the Carlson brands Regent, Country Inns & Suites and Park Inn for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

Within the next ten years Ritter plans to grow the existing Rezidor SAS portfolio of brands to 700 hotels, while at the same time launching new brands.

Last year Ritter was named Member of Honor of the Clefs d’Or International, the international Union of Hotel Concierges. In the same year, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration’s Hotel Society honored him for his outstanding professional achievements and his continued support of Radisson SAS employees’ studies at Cornell. He also holds an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University, is a Board member of the Glion Hotel School and is a member of the International Hotels Environment Initiative (IHEI) a high-level industry program operating under the auspices of HRH the Prince of Wales.

Rezidor SAS is the master franchise holder for the Regent, Radisson SAS, Country Inn and Park Inn brands in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).  The company currently operates 117 Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts with a further 42 properties under development. The Radisson SAS portfolio now extends to 39 countries.  Rezidor SAS has held the Radisson master franchise since 1994, and Regent, Country Inn and Park Inn joined the portfolio in 2002.

Tony Troy quits Le Meridien

eTid.com - The Times reports that Tony Troy, UK and Ireland MD of Nomura-controlled hotel chain Le Meridien, has resigned.

No other details are reported, other than that his departure was 'completely amicable' and that he would stay in place until a successor was appointed

Europe Fared Best In Gloomy Year For Hotels - PKF Country Trends 2002 report

Hotels in eastern Europe outperformed the rest of the Continent in the financial year to 31 March, with profitability rising 12.8% to €23,706 per available room, while Europe as a whole fared better than the Middle East, South Asia and Africa in a year of global political and economic turmoil, according to PKF's Country Trends 2002.

The report provides detailed commentary and analysis on more than 1,200 hotels in 59 countries. Kuwait held on to its position at the top of the profitability table with IBFC (income before fixed charges) per available room of €39,283 while Italy achieved the highest rooms yield by a long stretch at €174.81, boosted by the highest average room rate of €256.16.

Europe recorded the only regional rise in average room rate, up 2.2% to €117.04, although this was outweighed by a 3.5% dip in occupancy to 68.2%, leaving rooms yield down only 1.3% at €79.85. This was less than might have been expected considering the boom of the previous millennium year and the impact of 11 September. Eight countries saw rooms yield improve and nine saw it decline. Russia was the star performer with rooms yield up 27.6% to €73.65, while Sweden had the largest fall in rooms yield, down 9.8% to €92.87.

Middle East hotels saw occupancy down 7.9% to 54.9% and average room rate slip 6.3% to US$101.96, cutting rooms yield by 13.7% to US$55.94. But the differences between the fortunes of individual countries were profound. Kuwait had the lowest occupancy in the survey (but the second highest average room rate) and occupancy dropped by almost a quarter in embattled Israel, while in Oman, UAE and particularly Bahrain, occupancy increased.

South Asia also saw rooms yield fall, with a 14.3% dip to US$32.53, due to a 5.8% decline in occupancy to 56.0% and a 9.0% drop in average room rate to US$58.10. India suffered the most with rooms yield down 19.8%.

Africa's hotel industry was also hard hit with a 9.3% downturn in occupancy to 59.2% and a 10.1% dip in average room rate to US$70.81, forcing rooms yield down 18.4% to US$41.93. Northern Africa notched up the worst performance in the region and eastern Africa was the only subregion to see rooms yield up. Egypt saw both occupancy and average rate sink to leave rooms yield down 25.8% at US$38.43.

Melvin Gold, managing director of PKF's hotel consultancy services said: "The impact of the US economic downturn and the aftermath of 11 September has been compounded by ongoing political and economic uncertainty in a number of countries, hitting tourism and rendering the financial year to the end of March 2002 a very difficult and unusual one for hoteliers.

"Europe showed an encouragingly small dip in rooms yield and has suffered less severely than the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. The situation remains highly uncertain. Overall the hotel sector is starting to recover, although it is taking longer than expected and it is inevitably patchy."

2002 income before fixed charges (IBFC) 
                                       IBFC ratio to
Country        per available room €    total revenue

Kuwait               39,283                43.7

Italy                34,267                34.5

United Kingdom       25,774                42.1

Netherlands          24,396                40.1

France               23,552                39.5

Switzerland          23,530                32.7

UAE                  23,144                38.1

Poland               22,949                37.0

Czech Republic       22,939                50.9

Russia               22,290                44.6

*The 2001 operating results come from hotels with a complete year's data from their most recent financial year ending at any time prior to 1 April 2002.

1. PKF is the eighth largest firm of accountants and business advisors in the UK with more than 1,600 partners and staff operating in over 25 offices around the country. Principal services include assurance and advisory; consultancy; corporate finance; corporate recovery and insolvency; forensic; and taxation. The firm has particular expertise in sectors such as charities; technology and e-commerce; hotel consultancy services; medical; professional partnerships; and public sector.

2. PKF also offers financial services through its FSA authorised company, PKF Financial Planning Limited.

3. PKF is a member of PKF International, which has more than 8,000 people operating in over 100 countries around the world.

4. PKF has been providing hotel consultancy services since the early 1970s and, in that time, has undertaken thousands of assignments throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa and further afield. Services include: market evaluation and financial feasibility studies; operational and profit improvement reviews; asset management; business valuations; international property services; corporate strategy and planning; litigation support. PKF's web site features regular articles from the firm's hotel consultancy services experts on industry topics - the address is www.pkf.co.uk/hotelcons.

5. A PKF Hotline provides free advice to anyone facing financial difficulties. The hotline - 0845 1 22 00 44 - is manned Monday to Friday during office hours. Callers will be automatically directed to a local expert. All calls are charged at local rates.

6. Definition of the key terms used in the surveys table are given below:

Room occupancy: the ratio of total occupied rooms to total available rooms
Average achieved room rate (AARR): rooms revenue divided by the total number of guest rooms occupied during the year
Rooms yield: room occupancy multiplied by the average achieved room rate (also known as RevPar).
Income before fixed charges (IBFC): operating profit before deducting rates, rent, interest, insurance, depreciation and amortisation and income taxes.

PKF - Hotel Consultancy Services
http://www.pkf.co.uk/hotels

Taj Hotels, Preserving India's  Heritage One Hotel at a Time

Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces Expands Portfolio with
Fourth Palace Property and a Historic Hotel

Taj Hotels, India and South Asia’s leading luxury hotel group, has long proved its commitment to preserving India’s historic palaces and hotels.  Now it has taken this dedication two steps further with the addition of two historical properties.  The Usha Kiran Palace Hotel, Gwalior in India’s Madhya Pradesh region is a 100 year-old elaborate palace that once housed England’s royalty; and the Rawal-Kot Hotel, Jaisalmer, perched on a rocky incline with views of the city, is located in India’s northwest region of Rajasthan.  The two properties will be refurbished to their original splendor, just as Taj has restored three other palace properties: the Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur; the Rambagh Palace and the Jai Mahal Palace, both in Jaipur.

“We are very excited to add these two properties to the Taj portfolio, and bring the Taj commitment to impeccable hospitality to these cities,” said Mr. R.K. Krishna Kumar, Managing Director of Indian Hotels Company Limited, parent company of Taj Hotels. “In particular, Jaisalmer is a fast-growing destination and a key location to complete Taj’s presence in India’s major tourism markets,” he added.  

In the Madhya Pradesh region of central India, the historically rich city of Gwalior, situated 73 miles south of Agra, boasts structures of the warrior kings, poets, musicians and saints who once lived there.  Built 100 years ago as a palace for the royal visits of the King and Queen of England, the Usha Kiran Palace is the city’s only palace hotel.  It dazzles with stone carvings and filigree work throughout.  Spread over seven acres of sprawling landscaped lawns, complete with fruit and flowering trees, a central pond with ornamental bridges and a fountain, the palace is ideally positioned just nine miles from the airport and two miles from the train station.  The regal Usha Kiran Palace features 28 large air-conditioned rooms and suites, each decorated in the majestic style of the royalty who once inhabited them.

The Rawal-Kot hotel, or “Noble Residence,” is located in Jaisalmer, the golden  city of the desert in northern  India, located 184 miles northwest of Jodhpur, Rajasthan.  Situated only four miles from the airport and just two miles from the train station, the yellow sandstone hotel is perched high above the city on a rocky incline, and offers picturesque views of the nearby Jaisalmer Fort and the town below.  The Rawal-Kot, Jaisalmer was architecturally inspired by the opulent stone-carved mansions, “havelies,” of India’s past, and still retains its medieval charm.  The hotel features 31 rooms, all furnished with local materials, colors and designs, and with all the modern amenities expected of a Taj hotel.  

In 2003, Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces will celebrate its 100-year anniversary as a leader in luxury hospitality.  To commemorate this momentous year, the group’s flagship hotel, The Taj Mahal, Mumbai, which opened in 1903, will be the host of ongoing festivities and special events throughout the year.  

Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces is comprised of 53 properties in 34 locations throughout India and an additional 12 properties in nine key international destinations outside India.  Taj properties include luxury hotels, business hotels, beach resorts, palaces, garden retreats and cultural center hotels.  Each offers world-class service and cuisine, coupled with an unrivaled fusion of Indian heritage, business services and modern luxuries.

www.tajhotels.com

Improvements For UK Hotel Sector But Still A Long Way To Go As London Tourism Slump And Uncertain International Economic Environment Cloud Recovery - PwC Reports

A new forecast issued today for the UK Hotel Sector, by the PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality and Leisure Group, shows corporate and leisure travel markets remain depressed, with little evidence that the much hoped-for recovery gained momentum during the second half of 2002. In London the travel slump (particularly the dearth of US tourists) continues to hit the hotel sector hard.

The report entitled 'Hospitality Directions ? Forecast Alert ? October 2002' (Hospitality Directions Europe) concludes that the slump in tourists to London, the economic slowdown and the uncertain political environment will lead to further Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) declines in the hotel sector this year, in addition to the severe declines reported in the UK and London in 2001. These declines are expected to be most severe in London where they envisage a RevPAR decline of 9.3% this year. Less severe RevPAR declines are forecast for the UK as a whole and the Provinces with RevPAR declines of 2.2% and 2.4 % more likely. These declines are driven by further falls in occupancy across the country but in London discounting has led to a steep fall in average room rates with a decline of 7.2 % forecast this year. At this stage PricewaterhouseCoopers continues to envisage stronger corporate and leisure travel growth throughout 2003.

Liz Hall, research manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality and Leisure Group commented:

"Overall the incipient recovery reported earlier this year in UK travel markets has been slow and susceptible to a number of setbacks, including the recent Bali bombing that is likely to fuel fears of new terrorist attacks. Overall we are now less optimistic than our mid-year position regarding the out-turn for 2002 and beyond and our latest forecast for UK, London and Provincial hotel markets reflects the weaker than expected recovery in tourism ? especially business travel."

Liz Hall added:

"It is not all doom and gloom and international visitors are returning to the UK. In London the city is fighting back and the Mayor's three-year plan - Visit London - should help to restore both strategic direction and tourists to the capital."

About PWC

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwcglobal.com) is the world's largest professional services organisation. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 125,000 people in 142 countries, we build relationships by providing services based on quality and integrity. PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity. 

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
http://www.pwcconsulting.com/

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts voted China’s “Best Hotel Group”

TravelWeekly China readers throughout mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau were asked to vote for organisations based on the following criteria: Innovation in marketing or services; professionalism; and trade-friendliness. 

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is the only organisation to win two distinguished awards:

   Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts was voted China’s “Best Hotel Group”            
   China World Hotel, Beijing was voted China’s “Best Hotel – Events”

The award will be presented by TravelWeekly China during it’s first Awards night on November 14 in Shanghai during China International Travel mart (CITM).Its aim is to recognize organizations which have made a difference to China’s tourism industry through professionalism and innovation.  

TravelCLICK Issues Third Quarter eMonitor

Electronic Bookings for Worldwide Hotel Industry Show Improvement

TravelCLICK’s eMonitor results for the third quarter of 2002 show that for the first time in over a year, worldwide hotel room nights and revenue booked electronically through the Global Distribution Systems (GDSs) increased versus the same period last year.

The number of room nights booked electronically was up 3.3% from the third quarter of 2001.  Revenue was up 1%, as average rate declined by 2.2%.  A key factor in driving this year-over-year increase was the results of last year’s third quarter, which were affected by reduced booking activity for the 19 days following September 11, 2001.

Electronic room nights year-to-date through the third quarter are down by 3.6% from the same time period last year, while ADR is down 5.4%.  This fueled a 9% decline in electronic revenue compared to the same period in 2001.  Average length of stay for the 2002 year-to-date period was 2.13 nights, down nominally from last year’s 2.14 nights.

eMonitor results are compiled from TravelCLICK's comprehensive database, which is the exclusive source of hotel industry electronic distribution data from the Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan GDSs.  TravelCLICK's data also includes consumer online hotel bookings made through GDS powered Internet travel sites.

Travel Agent Component

Travel agent bookings remained the dominant source of hotel e-business, representing 94% of total GDS room nights.  The travel agent component of GDS increased at a 3.3% rate in room nights, but declined 2.2% in ADR versus the third quarter of 2001.  On a year-to-date basis, travel agent room nights were off 4.0% from 2001, and average rate was also down 5.3%

Internet Component

Internet (consumer online) room nights, excluding bookings from auction sites, displayed growth of 2.1% above the third quarter of 2001.  However, average rate was down for GDS powered Internet bookings by 3.7% compared to the third quarter of last year.  The ADR of Internet bookings through the GDSs was $91.39, which was 22% lower than the ADR for travel agent bookings.

While the Internet component displayed a 3% growth in room nights over the first nine months of the year, average rate was down by 6.9%, which led to a 4% decline in revenue year-over-year.

"For the first time, GDS room nights booked by travel agents increased at a higher rate than GDS powered Internet bookings," said Bruce W. Mainzer, senior vice president of marketing for TravelCLICK.  “These trends demonstrate that travel agents remain a strong source of hotel distribution.  Third quarter results also indicate that the majority of the growth of Internet distribution is now taking place on non-GDS powered Web sites; either brand/chain Web sites, or net rate Web sites like Expedia and hotels.com.” 

Performance by Market Segment

Results for the third quarter by industry market segment are shown below.  All segments except Economy posted an increase in room nights over the third quarter of 2001.  The Economy category was the only segment to show an increase in average rate.  Because of strong room night growth, the Luxury segment was the only category that posted an increase on a revenue basis, with revenues up 11% from the third quarter of last year. 

Third Quarter 2002

Top Destination Markets

The top five worldwide destination markets for total GDS room nights during the third quarter were:

To receive a free listing of second quarter results by top 50 cities worldwide in electronic bookings, please e-mail emonitor@travelclick.net

About TravelCLICK

TravelCLICK (www.travelclick.net) is the leading provider of solutions that help hotels and other travel industry suppliers improve revenue from electronic distribution channels.  TravelCLICK's exclusive electronic marketing networks allow hotels and other travel related suppliers to target promotional messages to specific travel agents, consumers, and group meeting planners when they are booking travel.  The company's competitive benchmarking reports provide hotels with price and booking performance information unavailable through any other source. 

Two Weeks To Plan A Trip - No Problem

According to the latest Travel Poll from the Travel Industry Association of America's (TIA), 64 percent of past-year leisure travelers planned at least one of their trips at the last minute, that is, within two weeks of taking their trip. This translates to 83.1 million U.S. adults. Among these last-minute travelers, 26 percent planned all of their past-year leisure trips at the last minute. 

Survey results are based on a representative sample of 1,300 U.S. adults interviewed by telephone. Even one week or less to plan a vacation seems to be more than enough time for many last-minute leisure travelers. The majority said they began planning their most recent last-minute leisure trip one to two (25%) or three to seven days (34%) prior. Forty-one percent began planning 8 to 14 days before the trip. Interestingly, about one in five (17%) last-minute travelers said they used the Internet to make travel reservations for their most recent last-minute trip.

The most popular reason for taking a last-minute trip is to visit friends or relatives (39%). Other primary reasons for taking a last minute trip include entertainment reasons, such as for sightseeing or attending a sporting event (23%) or for personal reasons, such as attending a wedding (19%). Last minute outdoor recreation trips are popular as well (12%). Seven percent say their trip was for a combination of business and pleasure purposes. Not surprisingly, most last-minute trips are close to home and short in duration, with the majority (69%) less than 500 miles, one-way, to the destination. Sixteen percent of last-minute trips are between 500 and 1,000 miles, one-way and 15 percent are 1,000 miles or more.

Most (70%) last-minute travelers drove their own car; an additional eight percent traveled by recreational vehicle. Just 15 percent used air transportation. Nearly half (45%) of last-minute travelers stayed in a hotel, motel, or bed and breakfast on their most recent trip; thirty-five percent stayed with friends or relatives. As expected, last-minute travelers who planned their trip 8 to 14 days in advance are more likely than those who planned one to seven days in advance to use air transportation (20% vs. 12%) and stay in a hotel, motel, or bed & breakfast (55% vs. 37%). 

Last-minute travelers most often plan these trips by gathering information from friends, family, and co- workers (35%). About one in ten look at travel guides, books, or magazines (13%) or at online travel agency web sites (12%). They next most often make phone calls or visit travel agents or agencies (9%) or make phone calls or visit airlines, hotels, car rental companies, or other travel companies (7%). Travel Industry Association of America TIA (www.tia.org) is the national, non-profit organization representing all components of the $537 billion travel industry. TIA's mission is to represent the whole of the U.S. travel industry to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States. 

MICROS Launches MYFIDELIO.net, its Next Generation HOTEL INDUSTRY PORTAL

/PRNewswire/ -- MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRS) , a leading provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality industry, has launched its next generation hotel industry portal called Myfidelio.net to complement and enhance its suite of hotel applications and services. Myfidelio.net is the successor product to hotelBANK, MICROS's predecessor hotel reservation portal.

MICROS continues to execute its strategic development plan for hotel industry e-commerce initiatives and Myfidelio.net is designed to become our hotel industry portal, said Stefan M. Piringer, President & COO of Myfidelio.net at the launch ceremony. Myfidelio.net will provide a host of on-line services that will be introduced over the coming years, including global product distribution, financial services, education and e-learning, property management services, hosted and managed enterprise solutions.

MICROS is pleased with the commercial development of our e-business solutions, in particular our product distribution service company, said Mr. Piringer. Over the past fiscal year we recorded a membership growth of 70% and we are currently providing product distribution services to more than 1,700 hotels in Europe and Asia/Pacific.

Mr. Piringer added, Myfidelio.net incorporates our next generation electronic product offering, and includes on-line interfaces to our suite of MICROS-Fidelio Property Management Systems and Central Reservation Systems. Our plan is to introduce Myfidelio.net to all of our distribution channels within the coming two years as an integrated and full featured product offering.

About MICROS Systems

MICROS Systems, Inc. provides enterprise applications for the hospitality industry worldwide. Over 135,000 MICROS systems are currently installed in table and quick service restaurants, hotels, motels, casinos, and leisure and entertainment operations in more than 130 countries. MICROS provides property management systems and central reservation and customer information solutions under the brand MICROS-Fidelio for more than 15,000 hotels worldwide. MICROS stock is traded through Nasdaq under the symbol MCRS.

For more information on MICROS and its advanced information technology solutions for the hospitality industry, please contact Louise Casamento, Director of Marketing at (443) 285-8144 or (800) 638-0985. You can also visit the MICROS website at http://www.micros.com/ or send an email to info@micros.com

Award winners of the third annual Hermes Awards for the Worldwide Hospitality Industry

Organized by MKG Consulting and HTR Magazine for the third consecutive year, the Hermes Awards ceremony took place on Monday, November 4th at the Paris Eiffel Tower Hilton Hotel in the presence of the Secretary of State of Tourism, Léon Bertrand, and presided over by Frantz Taittinger, President of the Envergure Group.

At the conclusion of the selection process, which at first held five nominees for each of the 12 award categories, a hand-picked jury representative of the world of business and travel (*), presided over by Jean-Claude Baumgarten, President of the World Travel & Tourism Council, chose the following award winners:

- Award for the Best Internet Site: Groupe Lucien Barrière

- Award for the Best Advertising Campaign: Motel 6

- Award for the Best Hotel Guide: Small Luxury Hotels of the World

- Award for the Best Catering Concept: Hilton Breakfast

- Award for the Best Renovation: The Hotel Sofitel St James in Londres

- Award for the Best Construction: Mövenpick Hotel & Resort Beyrouth

- Award for the Best Loyalty Programme and Marketing Partnerships: “Infiniment” from the Groupe Lucien Barrière

- Award for the Best Innovation in Terms of Environment Protection:  Sofitel Capsis Hotel in Crete

- Award for the best Innovation in Terms of Human Resources: S.T.A.R.S. from Taj Group of hotels

- Award for the Best Hotel Manager in Budget and Economy Hotels:  Mette Nauntofte of the Scandic Hotel in Copenhagen

- Award for the Best Hotel Manager in Midscale and Upscale Hotels: Ezio Indiani of Le Méridien Hôtel des Bergues in Geneva

- Award for the Best Chef in a Hotel Operated Under a Corporate Hotel Brand: Uwe Micheel of the InterContinental Hotel in Dubai

The 2002 Hermes Grand Prize was awarded to the Marriott Group for their effective marketing policy within the particularly difficult situation that American hotel groups find themselves in following the events of September 11th.

The 2002 Hermes Awards have been handed out before an audience of nearly 500 decision-makers in the world of tourism, including: the Director of Tourism, Bruno Faréniaux; the Tourism Budget Reporter to the National Assembly, Jean-Michel Couve; and the Deputy Mayor of Tourism in Paris, Jean-Bernard Bros; as well as major figures of the worldwide hospitality industry such as: Jean-Marc Espalioux, Accor Group; Jean-Gabriel Pérès, Mövenpick Group; Anthony Harris and Juergen Fischer, Hilton Group and Scandic Hotels; Bernard Lambert, Société des Bains de Mer; Bertil Charbonnier, Europe Choice Hotels; etc..

The ceremony was held around an exceptional buffet prepared by the teams of Johnny Hillewaere, Chef de Cuisine at the Paris Eiffel Tower Hilton Hotel, with the exceptional participation of Frédéric Anton, Chef from Pré Catelan.

Next year's awards are already being planned.  The awards ceremony will take place on Monday, November 3^rd, 2003 and presided over by Jean-Gabriel Pérès, Mövenpick.  The Jury will be presided over by Emmanuel Rodocanachi, Citygroup, and the Advisory Board, who establishes the rules, by Juergen Fischer, Hilton Group.

(*) Marie-Hélène ADAM, Manager, Hôtellerie, Catering, EDF; Sheryl Asch, Financial Expert; Blandine Biju-Duval, Air France Quality Manager; Gérard Bonos, Editor in Chief, Radio Classique; Nathalie Chalmel, Director, No Comment Organisation; Charles-Henri de la Porte, Manager of hotel contracts for Southern Europe, Lastminute.com; Adrian Dearnell, President, EuroBusiness Media; Richard Decas, CEO, Edifice International Archi & Design; Mercedes Deprez, large client; Denis Lorendeau Quality Vice President, ADP ES Europe ; Patrick Louppe, IBM Marketing Projects Director, Europe Middle East Africa ; Jacques Loussert, Financial Analyst, Lazare Frères; Corinne Marchal, Communications Director, Bloomberg; Christophe Mervant, Director de clientèle, Maritz Travel ; Olivier Mollin, Grand utilisateur ; Stelios Pandelidakis, Directeur de banque ; Christian Peugeot, Marketing and Quality Director, Automobiles Peugeot ; Jean-Pierre Prévost, Regional Saled Director, No Star Travel Media; Michel Schiffres, Director delegated to Le Figaro, Premier Vice President of the Editorial Committee; Emmanuel Rodocanachi, Senior Corporate Adviser, Citigroup; Serge Trigano, President, Triganew.

South Korea expects record number of tourists

The number of foreign tourists to South Korea is expected to post a record high of 5.35 million this year, helped by this summer's World Cup event, the Korea National Tourism Organization (KNTO) said on Thursday.

Tourist numbers, which fell 4.4 percent over last year to 2.49 million in the first half of the year, started to rise from July as more people came to the country after the World Cup finals.

During the July to September period, a total of 1.42 million foreign tourists visited the country, up 5.2 percent from a year ago. In September alone, the number surged 16 percent from the same month last year. The upward trend is likely to continue in October.

"The successful hosting of the World Cup has encouraged more people to visit Korea and also, the current security concern in other Southeast Asian countries is another reason to make Korea more attractive," said a KNTO official.

(Asia Pulse)

Bathroom Is Barometer of Hotel Cleanliness According to New Survey

/PR Newswire/ - A Clean Room and Bathroom Is the Top Wish for 50 Percent of Travelers   and Bathroom Is the First Place Most Guests Go After Checking In ROSWELL, Ga., Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- How do guests gauge a hotel's cleanliness? By its bathrooms, according to a national survey released today.

When asked how they determine if a hotel room is clean, nearly three- quarters of respondents said it was by the condition of the bathroom. To top it off, when given a choice of what they would most like to find after arriving in a hotel room, a truly clean room and bathroom was the number one pick of half of those surveyed. Cleanliness ruled over in-room amenities such as a whirlpool or spa (23 percent), a fully connected "office" (13 percent), a book and video library (6 percent), a working fireplace (3 percent), and milk and cookies (3 percent).

The survey of 618 adults, all of whom visited a hotel within the past year, was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation on behalf of Kimberly- Clark Professional.

Further underscoring the importance of bathrooms was the finding that 84 percent of respondents inspected the bathroom and supplies -- such as toilet paper and facial tissue -- within 15 minutes of entering a hotel room. Fifty-five percent examined the bathroom immediately after entering.

Examining Product Quality

Which products do hotel guests check for quality first? For half it's soap and other amenities, while 29 percent look at the toilet paper. Fifty- eight percent of those surveyed said they would prefer to find a brand name facial tissue in their hotel rooms.

What bothers hotel guests the most? Dirty hotel room bathrooms, according to 28 percent of those surveyed. This was followed by odors (23 percent) and a malfunctioning climate control system (20 percent). Last on the list were low-quality amenities or a lack of them (9 percent), carpet burns or stains on the floor (8 percent), lack of supplies in the restroom (5 percent), and holes in the curtains (2 percent).

Overall, respondents did not rank hotel rooms high on the cleanliness scale. Forty-one percent said hotel rooms looked clean but probably weren't, while 37 percent said most hote l rooms were not as clean as their own homes. Only 18 percent of respondents judged hotel rooms to be cleaner than their homes.

Common areas, such as the lobby, meeting spaces and restaurants, were considered the cleanest areas in most hotels, according to 43 percent of respondents. After this were the public bathrooms (30 percent), followed by the guest rooms and sleeping areas (16 percent), and the closets (9 percent).

Wish List From Home

More than anything else, people missed their own beds when staying in a hotel, according to 36 percent of those surveyed. Family followed at 16 percent. A refrigerator/freezer stocked with favorite foods tied with pets for third place, at 13 percent each. Seven percent longed for their own sheets, towels and personal care products, while 4 percent missed a favorite chair or couch.

The number one choice for the hotel room of the future was a fully equipped entertainment center, according to 20 percent of respondents. This was followed by a mini in-room spa complete with personnel (15 percent), a state-of-the-art climate control system (13 percent), the latest electronic office equipment and gadgets (12 percent), an in-room gym (9 percent), and a personal chef (8 percent). Self-cleaning toilets and showers were the top choice for 8 percent of respondents and self-changing sheets and towels were selected by 5 percent.

The survey was conducted in September by Opinion Research Corporation. The margin of error is plus or minus four percent.

Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leadin