M I N U T E S

Board of Directors Meeting

11 April 2015

Mendoza, Argentina

Present: Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chinese Taipei

Czech

Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Great Britain

Hellas

Hong Kong

Hungary

India

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Korea

Macau

Malaysia

Mexico

Morocco

New Zealand

Portugal

Qatar

Russia

Singapore

Spain

Switzerland

Thailand

Turkey

UAE

USA

Absent: China

Israel

Luxembourg

Norway

Poland

Romania

Philippines

Observers: Chile Sweden

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Opening Remarks........................................................................................................... 2

President’s Welcome & Report ..................................................................................... 2

Introductions & Correspondence ................................................................................... 2

Highlights from the Mendoza Executive Committee Meeting ...................................... 3

General Secretary’s Report ............................................................................................ 4

Les Clefs d’Or Training Initiative.................................................................................. 4

First Vice President’s Report ......................................................................................... 5

Second Vice President’s Report..................................................................................... 6

Educational Program ...................................................................................................... 7

Third Vice President’s Report ....................................................................................... 7

Amendments to the Statutes........................................................................................... 8

Treasurer’s Report ......................................................................................................... 9

Report by the President’s Representative in Paris ....................................................... 10

Les Clefs d’Or Social Pin ............................................................................................ 11

Brand & Social Media Presentation ............................................................................. 11

The Role of the Sages .................................................................................................. 13

China National Section ................................................................................................ 14

New Section Application (Indonesia) .......................................................................... 18

Future Congress Presentations ..................................................................................... 19

Ethics Committee ......................................................................................................... 19

Questions from the Board of Directors ........................................................................ 20

Open Forum ................................................................................................................. 21

President’s Concluding Remarks ................................................................................. 21

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Opening Remarks

General Secretary Michael Romei welcomed the Board of Directors. He thanked the

Argentineans, the representatives from MCI, and the students who worked so hard to

put the Mendoza Congress together.

General Secretary Romei reviewed the documentation distributed to the Board for

today’s meeting. In addition to the distributed documents, General Secretary Romei

made several other documents available, should delegates wish to consult them:

A Certification Form for new Presidents to sign and submit to Paris

headquarters

Copies of the official minutes from Kuala Lumpur

The application for membership to UICH from Indonesia

Candidate letters for those running for an Executive Committee position

Questionnaires from each of the sections in preparation for this Board meeting

General Secretary Romei reminded Presidents how important it is to complete and

return questionnaires in a timely manner. The questionnaires are the basis on which

he builds all materials and agendas for the meetings.

President’s Welcome and Report

President Emmanuel Vrettos welcomed all delegates to this congress. He thanked

everyone who traveled from near and far. “Our association is entering a new era of

progress. Many new projects have been undertaken.” He thanked his Executive

Committee for their dedication and tireless efforts over the past two years. Each has

completed his task in the best possible way.

President Vrettos encouraged all Presidents to participate fully and actively at today’s

meeting, and to work as a team to help move the association forward. “The Executive

Committee is here to listen; the Board is here to speak.”

Introductions & Correspondence

General Secretary Michael Romei introduced presidents who were newly elected

since the meeting in Kuala Lumpur:

Peter McBrearty (Australia)

Carolina Avaria (Canada)

Antony Lynch (Great Britain)

Syed Mussadiq (Singapore)

Abey Sam (UAE)

He also introduced observers Andres Vergara (Chile), Steve Watson (Sweden), and

James Elliott (the Andy Pongco winner from 2014). Unfortunately, the anticipated

observers from Peru, Indonesia, and Ecuador were not present.

General Secretary Romei read letters of correspondence from Denis O’Brien, Aldo

Giacomello, Simon Delcomminette, Mohammed Ismael, and Arshad Khokhar.

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Highlights of the Mendoza Executive Committee Meeting

General Secretary Michael Romei read highlights from the Executive Committee

meeting, as follows:

President Emmanuel Vrettos welcomed the Executive Committee to Mendoza and delivered his report. He is proud of his team and congratulated them on their accomplishments during his mandate. I gave my report. The Executive Committee reviewed the dates of upcoming scheduled meetings:

Dubai International Congress April 10-15, 2016 Pan-Am Congress in Montreal March 9-13, 2015 Asian congress in Tokyo August 24-27, 2015 Berlin International Congress March 23-28, 2017

There are seven countries absent at today’s meeting: China, Israel, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania and the Philippines. There are 368 people registered for this meeting. 17 of these are VIP guests; 318 are LCD delegates, and the other 33 are spouses or guests. The Executive Committee reviewed various congress logistics and itinerary details. The Executive Committee resolved to create a new training initiative. As a part of this endeavor, I will continue to offer a variety of seminars on customer service to concierges and other hospitality professionals. Colin Toomey delivered his report as First Vice President. The situation of Les Clefs d’Or China was discussed in great depth. Each of you has a document summarizing the China situation, and this issue is on our agenda for discussion later today. The Executive Committee talked about how Les Clefs d’Or accepts new countries. It is a very serious issue and the statutes are clear about the process but they have not always been adhered to in the past. Indonesia’s application was tabled and they were invited to reapply when they are in full compliance. Because Simon Thomas was absent, there was no report from the Second Vice President. Simon will join us on our Educational Day, and we will hear his report at the General Assembly. Roderick Levéjac delivered his 3rd Vice President report. There are 15 candidates for the Andy Pongco Award this year. This friendly competition continues to grow in importance, and the Executive Committee continues to make refinements to the process. There were discussions about how best to formulate zones as our association grows. An eighth zone is being contemplated. Morocco’s request to join the Western European zone was approved. This is an election year. The Executive Committee reviewed the ballot process to ensure it meets all statutory requirements. Our two Sages will act as proctors. Just prior to the start of the General Assembly, we will convene an extraordinary assembly in order to vote on the two statutory amendments before us. Colin Toomey compiled a list of time-saving mechanisms for our meetings, and this year we have begun implementing some of these changes. Dominique Guidetti gave his report as the President’s Representative in Paris.

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Jean-Roland Boutillé gave a detailed Treasury report, and the Executive Committee spent a good deal of time reviewing the 2015 budget line by line. Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour shared his presentation on a new branding and digital media initiative. He will present this initiative to the Board of Directors later today. The Executive Committee reviewed the agenda questions submitted by each country. President Emmanuel Vrettos was asked to appoint six individuals to sit on an Ethics Committee for this meeting. President Vrettos made some concluding remarks, and the meeting adjourned.

General Secretary’s Report

General Secretary Michael Romei thanked the Board of Directors for all the

wonderful messages he received about his impending retirement from the Executive

Committee. It is time for him to pursue other passions, in particular, training

initiatives. He is developing a detailed training program that he will begin offering to

local associations in the USA together with President Shujaat Khan. He will also

continue to offer the same educational seminars to members worldwide. He will also

continue to lead the Les Clefs d’Or/American Express training initiative, which began

last year.

The Secretary is a unique position in this organization. It’s like a command post, and

all communications run through it. He thanked his two trusted assistants who have

helped him since Queenstown – James Ridenour and Jacob Detering. They are new,

and they will need the Board’s support, patience and confidence. General Secretary

Romei will be available to mentor them as they learn the many facets of their roles.

General Secretary Romei quickly paged through the updated PowerPoint presentation,

“About UICH Les Clefs d’Or.” This is a presentation that is available to anyone who

wants to use it for educational purposes.

The International Review and Social Media. The International Review has gone

digital for the past two editions. The Review and also the blog are available to

everyone. Incoming General Secretary James Ridenour and Jacob Detering, his

assistant, will begin directing these publications.

General Secretary Romei invited the Board, when submitting articles for the Revue or

the Blog, to consider the international audience. Photos should always be clear

quality and include appropriate captions and text with an explanation of the event and

identifying key individuals. Secretary Romei encouraged all Presidents to take this

opportunity to showcase and highlight their Section as well as to contribute interesting

feature articles, sponsor/partner interviews, guides to their city, or even a theme for an

upcoming Review.

Les Clefs d’Or Training Initiatives

The Executive Committee would like to undertake a new program to develop

professional training initiatives. Since Michael Romei’s passion is to deliver and

develop seminars to members and other hospitality professionals, he will lead the

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further development of this initiative. The program may become an adjunct to or part

of the educational committee.

General Secretary Romei briefly shared his PowerPoint presentation, “Creating

Service Magic,” which will be a part of this initiative.

On a separate note, General Secretary Romei has been asked by American Express to

teach its travel counselors about Les Clefs d’Or, and how to help them interact with

Les Clefs d’Or members more effectively.

President Vrettos encouraged the Board of Directors to take advantage of General

Secretary Romei’s expertise and invite him to offer seminars in their countries. This

training initiative is meant to help all members in all areas around the world.

First Vice President’s Report

First Vice President Colin Toomey thanked his Argentinean colleagues. The opening

reception set a tone of true friendship and solidarity. The road to Mendoza was

difficult. He complimented President Mario Morelli and his team for rising to all the

challenges they faced. Their issues will help Les Clefs d’Or evaluate the way in

which it administers future Congress preparations.

In Kuala Lumpur, it became clear that the Executive Committee was misinterpreting

some of the statutes and enforcing them incorrectly. First Vice President Toomey

added that the Comité des Sages also identified the statutes as an area requiring closer

study. Anyone who was at the General Assembly in Malaysia would rightly be

concerned and frustrated at the confusing way the minutes were adopted, and the

difficulties with which the Treasury report was delivered.

Immediately after the conclusion of that congress, the Executive Committee reviewed

the statutes very closely and addressed ways to bring what had become “common

practices” back in line. These issues have now been resolved, as follows:

The adoption of the minutes. The Executive Committee will not wait 12 months

for them to be adopted at the next congress. Official minutes are prepared and

sent to the Board of Directors within 30 days of the conclusion of the congress.

There is then an additional 30 days during which Presidents can note errors,

omissions, or make comments. The minutes are then considered official.

To avoid confusion on the outcome of any elections, in the future the Executive

Committee will conduct all votes by secret ballot, and the official tally will be

declared publicly. This is the process that will take place here, in Mendoza, and it

will be completely transparent.

Timely distribution of a year-end Treasury report has long been an issue. It is not

the fault of the Treasurer, especially when a meeting is held too soon after the

conclusion of a fiscal year. Accounts are now published on the UICH website

where the Board of Directors can see them well ahead of a meeting. Additionally,

there is a proposed statutory change that will move the fiscal year end to October

31st, rather than December 31st, which will give the Treasurer more time to

prepare year-end reports before the next Congress.

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The Executive Committee has an obligation to listen to the concerns of its

membership. Over the last year, they have done just that. The Board is entitled to

know about the steps taken, and that’s why he has addressed these issues today.

First Vice President Toomey attended the 20th anniversary celebration of the New

Zealand association. All prior presidents were there, including Gustavo Concha,

Franz Staufer, and Derek Fenn. In August, First Vice President Toomey traveled to

India for their 8th Annual General Meeting. He was very impressed pleasantly by the

passion and enthusiasm of the Indian section, whose meetings were quite involved

and included a packed educational day. India will host the 2017 Asian congress, and

First Vice President Toomey believes it will be an event well worth attending.

In October, First Vice President Toomey traveled to Athens for an Executive

Committee meeting, where he also chaired the Zone Meeting in Third Vice President

Roderick Levéjac’s absence. It was a productive meeting, and it was the first time in

many years that all seven directors were present. First Vice President Toomey

commended the zone directors on their commitment and also commended Third Vice

President Levéjac, whose preparatory work made the meeting run smoothly.

First Vice President Toomey recently visited Jakarta for a site inspection along with

Presidents Edwin Saldanha and Syed Mussadiq. (The Indonesia application is an

agenda item slated for separate discussion later today.) As a result of that visit, First

Vice President Toomey has created a template for all aspects of what a site inspection

should encompass.

First Vice President Toomey also touched on the situation in China, which continues

to develop and which is also a separate agenda item for discussion later today.

In conclusion, First Vice President Toomey thanked the Executive Committee for

their hard work over this last, difficult year. He believes the Committee is back on

track and ready to face the future. He’s particularly delighted to see three outstanding

candidates for Third Vice President, which means that the future of the society is in

good hands.

First Vice President Toomey especially thanked outgoing General Secretary Michael

Romei, who has redefined the role of the position and who has done an amazing job.

In addition to being great in the position of General Secretary, Michael Romei is also

a very generous individual, and First Vice President Toomey wished to acknowledge

the major contributions he has made over the last several years. General Secretary

Michael Romei received a standing ovation.

Second Vice President’s Report

Second Vice President Simon Thomas will give his report at the General Assembly

since he was unable to be at the Board of Directors meeting today.

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Educational Program

President Vrettos thanked Second Vice President Simon Thomas for chairing the

educational committee for this year’s meeting. Zone Director Jeanne Mills, who was

also part of the educational committee, addressed the Board. There are three

outstanding speakers for this year’s education day. Jeff Wielgopolan (from Forbes)

Dr. Tim Jones (Future Agenda), and Peter Greenberg (The Travel Detective).

Third Vice President’s Report

Book of Members. Les Clefs d’Or launched a second version of the Book of

Members yesterday. It is now responsive on I-Phones and Androids. Board

Presidents should be sure to advertise the improved version to all their members. One

challenge with the Book of Members has been the successful mailing of logon

credentials to varying email accounts. Some go to spam automatically, and this is a

work in progress. Email addresses for members must be personal (not shared) in

order to avoid duplicate emails, which the system cannot accommodate.

Third Vice President Levéjac has received some requests to give sponsors access to

the Book of Members. Legally, this cannot be the sole decision of Les Clefs d’Or.

Each individual member has the option to make his/her profile public or private. By

default, it is all private (due to law). Members can change their information to public

if they wish.

If a member leaves the association, their information gets deleted.

President Thomas Munko asked if there can be some improvements made on the way

a city’s name appears. City names appear in a country’s native tongue (for example,

Munchen, not Munich). This makes the site more difficult to navigate. This is an

excellent point, and Third Vice President Levéjac will follow up on this issue.

Andy Pongco Award. There were 16 candidates this year. Fellow committee

members included President Shujaat Khan, President Jini Lee, Mr. Jacob Detering,

Mr. James Elliott, and from the Comité des Sages, Mr. Robert Watson. Though the

whole process is enjoyable, for Third Vice President Levéjac, the very best part is the

personal interview, when the committee really gets to know each individual. It is a

great thing to see all the candidates become good friends by the time the congress

concludes, which is definitely in the spirit of the association and a good barometer of

its future.

Third Vice President Levéjac explained there are four different parts to the selection

process, and the winner will be announced at the General Assembly. Hublot is this

year’s sponsor and will pay the fees for the winner to attend the next congress.

Bucherer also has a surprise for this year’s winner. Four Seasons has agreed to

sponsor next year’s award.

Zones. Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac addressed zoning issues, always a

difficult topic. He has spent the last year pondering how the association can be

managed more effectively within zones. He was assigned the task of reorganizing the

zones in Queenstown, but because so many countries were unaware of the idea, the

project was tabled. The purpose of redistribution is to make each zone more workable

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(and not too big). Zones are not in place to complicate relations; they are in place to

make relations more efficient.

Third Vice President Levéjac shared the history of how Ms. Marjorie Silverman split

Europe into zones. The first attempt was not understood and the project was then

postponed, but it happened soon afterward. He thinks the same issue is facing the

Asian zone today, and he believes the Asian zone should be redistributed in some way

to make it easier to administer. He stressed that the redistribution would be for

working purposes only. It is not meant to be divisive nor would it affect the hosting

of a Pan-Asian meeting.

For Vice President Levéjac, the most important thing is for sections to be efficient and

proximal. This is why the Executive Committee approved Morocco’s request to

move from the Mediterranean Zone into the Western European Zone.

Conference calls amongst zone directors have become more frequent, even though it’s

challenging to find good times because everyone is so spread out in different time

zones. The zone director job description has been clarified and follows what appears

in the statutes. The biggest problem facing zone directors is a lack of response on the

part of their Presidents. Third Vice President Levéjac reiterated to the Board how

important it is for them to read their correspondence so they know what is expected of

them as relates to their zone directors and to respond accordingly.

President Mario Morelli has asked if South America could become its own zone.

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac explained that the name and number of zones

would require a statutory change. This is something he has been looking at already.

Any rezoning needs to be seriously considered beforehand, and the first criteria

should be: “Does it bring something better in terms of administration of the

association?” The rezoning should be straightforward and succinct, but not so limited

as to prevent the association from evolving. Whatever changes are put forth, they will

require a two-third majority vote.

Website. Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac has been working on the virtual

Paris Office and the official website. There is now a separate website for the Board to

access all types of protected documents. The website is www.uichlesclefsdor.org.

The site has statutes, treasury reports, minutes, Andy Pongco candidate details, and

much more. It also has some sample documents that sections may want to imitate

(best practices). He is working to collect and post the statutes of every individual

section, too. In sum, the virtual Paris office is a place to go for valuable information

and for the exchange of ideas.

Third Vice President Levéjac concluded his report by saying he is quite proud of these

accomplishments and he thanked Jacob Detering, in particular, for his work with the

website.

Amendments to the Statutes

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac discussed the proposed statutory amendments

that were circulated to Presidents ahead of time, as outlined in the statutes. Since he

received back the required support he needed, the Board of Directors will vote on the

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following two statute changes at an Extraordinary General Assembly convened for

this purpose:

Article VII, Section 9, point (f):

Some of the travel expenses of the Zone Directors may be taken into account by UICH

after proposal of a program and a budget subject to adoption of the latter. Zones are

may also be self-funding and Directors may choose to create a budget for their zone with each

country assessed a share of the participatory fees; and Zone Directors may request financial

assistance from the Executive Committee for purposes of hosting Zone Meetings.

Article XI, Section 9:

Section 9. Fiscal Year

The fiscal year covers 12 months (November 1 to October 31) corresponds to the

calendar year (January 1 to December 31).

The purpose of the first change is to provide a travel allowance to help zone funding.

The second change will alter the fiscal year so the Treasurer has more time to prepare

reports ahead of congresses so that the General Assembly can ratify finalized and

proofed accounts when congresses take place. The change in fiscal year will also help

the Treasurer to prepare budgets two years out so there will always be a budget in

place for an entire 12-month period.

With an informal show of hands, it appeared that the Board was unanimously in favor

of both changes. Regardless, it will still go to ballot.

Third Vice President Levéjac assured the Board of Directors that there was adequate

funding in place to support the proposed zone travel allowance. Zone Directors will

be asked to come up with a budget and proposed expenses for their coming mandate,

and then funding will be allotted.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé presented his Treasurer’s Report, which was posted to

the website for presidents to consult before today’s Board of Directors meeting.

He shared a comprehensive slide presentation that showed various facets of the

Treasury, and reviewed the income/expenses for 2014 line by line.

At year-end 2014, Les Clefs d’Or realized a profit of 49,357 Euro. Because

the special project expenses were not used, and because the travel expenses

were less than anticipated, the profit at year end was larger than the predicted

9,000 Euro.

As of the start of today’s meetings, all sections had paid their subscription fees

for 2014 except Norway and Romania.

Cash on hand at year end 2014 was 198,054 Euro.

Cash flow evolution has gone up consistently ever since 2006. Subscription

evolution has also risen each year.

Today there are 3,898 members.

In 2014, American Express gave 33,000 to Les Clefs d’Or. The International

New York Times gave 30,650.

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Comité des Sages member Mr. Robert Watson explained that subscription fees were

raised in 2006 in order to get out of a bad financial situation. Today, the Treasury is

quite healthy and has seen a 20,000 Euro savings now that the Book of Members and

International Review have gone digital. He asked the Executive Committee to

consider reducing the fees.

Treasurer Boutillé does not recommend reducing the fees, and the 2015 budget backs

up his recommendation. He reminded the Board of Directors that the new uniform

keys cost 22 Euro (not 20 Euro) to produce. Also, UICH is spending 17 Euro each to

purchase the new social pin. The 2015 fiscal year will be short because of the

statutory change ending the year on October 31st.

The 2015 budget shows expenses of 177,620 Euro and an income of 165,300 Euro,

for an expected net loss at year-end of 12,320 Euro.

Though he didn’t review the 2016 budget line by line, Treasurer Boutillé did present

it for quick review. Preliminarily, the 2016 budget shows expenses of 153,000 Euro

and income of 166,100 Euro, for an anticipated year-end profit of 13,100 Euro.

The Board of Directors had the following questions/comments on the Treasurer’s

Report:

The budget line that says “gifts” is earmarked for things like flowers, or

donations, or gifts for VIP guests, etc.

The social media figure will become clear after Assistant General Secretary

James Ridenour gives his report.

The increased sponsorship from American Express will most likely go directly

into the UICH accounts and then be distributed per the Executive Committee’s

direction. There is a total of 23,000 that UICH can spend as it wishes, and an

additional 10,000 earmarked specifically for congresses. An additional 63,000

will be available to fund zone meetings and zone director travel.

The combined 96,000 Euro that UICH will receive from American Express is

fairly maxed out, since French law prevents Les Clefs d’Or, as a nonprofit

association, from accepting any more.

Andy Pongco sponsors give about 2,000 Euro to UICH. Depending on who

wins and where they will travel the following year, UICH makes up the

difference.

In conclusion, Treasurer Boutillé informed the Board of Directors that he will

continue to update the website with reports throughout the year, so presidents can stay

in closer touch with the flow of income/expenses.

Report by the President’s Representative in Paris

President Dominique Guidetti explained that Michael Fitting has assumed the

responsibilities of Esther Baldocchi until she returns late this year. He and Third Vice

President Levéjac have agreed to meet on Wednesdays to make further improvements

in the office and to turn over more responsibilities to the staff there.

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President Guidetti was pleased that President Simon Delcomminette and 10 of his

Luxembourg colleagues came to visit at 12 rue Cambon last year. He warmly invited

others to do the same.

Les Clefs d’Or Social Pin

Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour acted on an idea from Jacob Detering to

come up with a new design for a social pin. He approached Bucherer to create a pin

of the keys rather than the circular logo. Their reasoning was that the logo is difficult

to discern, while the keys are more obvious and a better branding tool.

The social pins have been manufactured and will be available for sale at this congress.

These new pins do not replace the old ones; they are simply another option.

Brand & Social Media Presentation

Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour is undertaking a major branding effort.

He shared a detailed presentation with the Board of Directors

Brands cause individuals to emote. They are familiar and mean something. Consider

Apple, BMW, American Express, or Louis Vuitton. Mr. Ridenour wants Les Clefs

d’Or to become readily recognized as the world leader in luxury service. Les Clefs

d’Or should become a brand standard for hotels; it should inspire guest preference and

loyalty.

Last year, Assistant Secretary Ridenour received an in-depth brand analysis from a

company called Publicis Mojo. Results of the analysis point to an inconsistent brand

image, with each country’s website presenting the crossed keys very differently. How

can the public recognize us as one entity when we appear 46 different ways?

As an organization, Les Clefs d’Or communicates well with itself. It is time for Les

Clefs d’Or to work harder to communicate with guests and other hospitality

professionals. All of the websites and digital media--local and national--need to tell a

compelling brand story.

Assistant Secretary Ridenour has retained Mr. David Whipps, an independent

contractor, to create a new brand design for Les Clefs d’Or. The Board of Directors

can learn more about his firm by visiting www.underbrand.com. Mr. Whipps is an

expert at building brands and designing websites and social media platforms. For a

fee of 10,000 Euro, he will design a brand new website and refreshed social media;

the landing page will be externally focused and will loosely follow the “Please Meet”

series that is currently used on Les Clefs d’Or’s blog. The website will contain

articles about concierges, with links to that concierge’s hotel’s booking site (both a

revenue producer and an excellent advertising tool to share with your General

Manager). All sponsors will be highlighted, and there will be a prominent link to a

‘members only’ section of the site.

Les Clefs d’Or needs to tailor its communications more effectively to both its internal

and external audiences. To brand effectively, every section and every member must

all use the same terminology and imagery. Sometimes the association is referred to

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by acronyms (UICH or LCD); other times it is called the Gold Keys or the Society of

Gold Keys.

The correct and consistent verbal term for the association should always be

“Les Clefs d’Or.”

The correct and consistent visual image should always be the Les Clefs d’Or

Keys by Bucherer (not the circular logo, which is more confusing and harder

to remember).

Assistant General Secretary Ridenour intends to put together a communications

committee. Its purpose will be to produce content that will enhance Les Clefs d’Or’s

brand image. It will target specific communications to members, guests, hotels, and

other brands. Assistant Secretary Ridenour is seeking applicants from Les Clefs d’Or

members with expertise in the following areas:

Blogs

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Communications – Hotel Liaison(s) (GM’s, Marketing and Communications)

Communications – Brand Liaisons(s) (Head Office Marketing,

Communications, PR, HR)

A long-term goal of this project will be to offer basic website templates, au gratis, to

any sections that want to use them. The design and appearance of the template will

mirror the international site, but it can be customized if a section wants to alter it.

The cost for developing such a template will be $3,300 Euro.

Assistant Secretary James Ridenour believes that within five to 10 years, his branding

initiative will come to fruition and Les Clefs d’Or will gain worldwide recognition.

At the conclusion of his presentation, the Board of Directors made the following

comments:

President Brian MacKenzie asked for clarification on the point of using only

“Les Clefs d’Or.” Mr. Ridenour explained that this is not a mandate. It is

simply something that should be encouraged, especially when members are

talking to the public about themselves. A section’s national logo should

always include the words “Les Clefs d’Or” and the image of the official Les

Clefs d’Or key design.

Vice President Pablo Castro asked Assistant Secretary Ridenour to develop

some type of written documentation that would help members explain this

program to their hotel management, especially since many hotels are quite

protective about the use of their logos.

Vice President Florian Weidenbach said that Germany is working already with

a marketing department to track business that Les Clefs d’Or produces with its

partners. He suggested that the new international site be designed to do the

same. Mr. Ridenour will check to see if it’s possible to track clicks that turn

into actual sales. It is a good idea because the functionality would help Les

Clefs d’Or sell itself to hotels and sponsors.

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If done well, the branding initiative will excite hotels; they will have another

avenue to market themselves. It’s possible the hotels will want to write

articles for the website or the blog, which might turn into an additional source

of revenue.

First Vice President Colin Toomey made the observation that many sections’

websites do not project great imagery, most likely because adequate funding is

not in place to invest in website improvements. The proposal for a free

template would be very attractive to these sections particularly those who are

currently looking to upgrade. It would be a great advantage for countries to be

able to get an exact replica of the international site and use it nationally, on

their own. Before this can happen, Mr. Ridenour first needs a “go ahead”

from the Board of Directors. There was a unanimous show of hands.

President Pavel Nikolaev was excited about the project and asked that a copy

of Mr. Ridenour’s presentation be included with these minutes. (Each

president should have received Mr. Ridenour’s presentation in an email sent

on 11 April 2015. Presidents wishing for another copy should write to Mr.

Ridenour at conciergeclefsdor@jamesridenour.com, or they may also find the

document on the Virtual Paris Office.

President Pascal Gaudio asked if it would be easy to alter the basic template.

The answer is yes. The au gratis template will be developed using a universal

language that will work on all servers.

Mr. James Elliott suggested that Les Clefs d’Or consider a template for a map,

since this is the item that concierges most often give to guests. Mr. Gustavo

Concha suggested that members consider putting a plate of a Clefs d’Or logo

on their desks.

The Role of the Sages

In light of the difficult situation in Kuala Lumpur, the Executive Committee chose to

have its meeting in Athens without the participation of the Sages. President

Emmanuel Vrettos explained that Les Clefs d’Or is governed by the Executive

Committee, the Board of Directors, and the members (the General Assembly). It is

the role of the Sages to safeguard the association and offer advice on a consultative

basis.

President Vrettos wished the minutes to reflect how much the Sages are appreciated

for their wisdom, contribution, and objectivity. Their support is invaluable...

President Vrettos’ objective is simply to run the association in the best and most

efficient way possible.

He queried the Board for any questions or comments they might have about this issue.

There were no comments.

14

China National Section

The Board of Directors reviewed all correspondence between the Executive

Committee and Founding President John Sun Dong as relates to the statutes and

China’s noncompliance with them. Much of the correspondence only occurred in the

last few weeks (see attached).

The situation has remained unresolved for many years. Previous attempts at

resolutions have been made verbally, but now, the Executive Committee is

documenting all correspondence in order to find a clear and binding resolution.

First Vice President Colin Toomey explained that he has been working with Mr. John

Sun Dong on three main issues:

1. Is John Sun Dong in full compliance with Article 4 of our statutes (i.e., a full-

time hotel lobby concierge)?

2. John Sun Dong must cease allowing the use of the Clefs d’Or logo and keys

on all GKIA business. It must be clear that GKIA is a separate business that is

not endorsed, staffed, or supported by Les Clefs d’Or.

3. There is a two-tiered membership system in China. International Les Clefs

d’Or members wear official keys; national members (who may not be

concierges) currently wear a replica of the key. This practice must cease.

First Vice President Colin Toomey reported that progress has been made, and China

has been making “concessions.” Granted, this is an unusual term – either a section is

in compliance or it is not. This case is different, though. China perceives the

Executive Committee as having given tacit approval (due to its inaction over so many

years). And the Executive Committee must accept some of this blame. First Vice

President Toomey is glad to see things begin to move in the right direction now.

China has responded to the three main issues as follows:

1. Mr. John Sun Dong no longer refers to himself as President. He recently

informed the Executive Committee that Jason Zhan is now the President of

Les Clefs d’Or China. Mr. Sun Dong refers to himself as “Founding

President.”

2. GKIA was issued a formal cautionary letter from Les Clefs d’Or China asking

them to cease using the gold key logo without permission. GKIA replied that

it would cease using the logo.

3. The most difficult issue – the two-tier membership system – remains

unresolved. The Executive Committee has suggested an alternative system

whereby China sets up a separate concierge association (i.e., the China

Concierge Association) that does not use the gold keys nor refer to themselves

as Les Clefs d’Or. The Executive Committee has made it quite clear that the

two-tier system must stop.

First Vice President Toomey reiterated that, though slow, progress is being made. His

recommendation to the Board of Directors is to continue to work with China, applying

pressure for them to come into compliance between now and Dubai. Over the coming

15

year, he hopes to visit China to ensure that the changes they say they’ve made are real

and in action. First Vice President Toomey prefers this course of action over

suspension or expulsion, which he thinks could cause China to disengage from Les

Clefs d’Or. The floor was then opened for discussion.

President Pavel Nikolaev asked if any lawyers had been contacted to inquire

about possible legal avenues. First Vice President Toomey replied that the last

thing anyone wants to see is a long protracted legal battle. While the

Executive Committee could in future consult lawyers, it prefers not to at this

stage of negotiations.

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac pointed out that there are more than

just three issues. The Paris office has a copy of China’s statutes, and they are

not compliant with UICH’s statutes. Some pondered how China became a

member if their statutes weren’t compliant. There was no ready answer to

this, but the Executive Committee agreed that it can and should be researched.

First Vice President Toomey said he did not think that all these issues can

resolved by the time of the Dubai meeting. But he does think there is now a

greater effort on the part of China to work to rectify all the issues as fast as

they can.

Since John Sun Dong has said he is no longer the president, the Executive

Committee is now dealing with President Jason Zhan directly. First Vice

President Toomey is in regular communication with President Zhan. All

future correspondence will be through President Zhan and not through John

Sun Dong.

Mr. Sun Dong has said that Mr. Zhan became president in 2011, but no such

change was ever relayed verbally or forwarded in writing to the General

Secretary. China’s website indicates that John Sun Dong is still the President.

President Carolina Avaria asked if the Executive Committee had a concrete

plan of action for the coming year. First Vice President Toomey said that the

Executive Committee had hoped that changes would have happened more

quickly over the past year. They didn’t. Therefore, in this coming year, the

plan is apply pressure to China more regularly and evenly, with the ultimate

goal of having full compliance on all three points before the Board of

Directors meets in Dubai. If this does not happen, the obvious next step would

be to consider suspension.

President Tamas Ungar thinks it is time to vote today to take specific action.

The issue has been going on for years. Whatever the Board decides, it must

have a clear decision on the matter today.

President Edwin Saldanha spoke on behalf of China’s efforts to comply. It is

not easy to change things overnight. Up until recently, Mr. John Sun Dong

really thought everything was okay. President Saldanha asked the Board to

understand that there are difficulties in working with China due, in part, to the

way the Chinese government works. Furthermore, it is very difficult to

16

understand and translate Chinese into English, and a lot of meaning gets lost in

translation – on both sides. It is a big problem, but a dent has been made.

President Saldanha reminded the Board that China is a big and valuable

section. President Saldanha recommends China be given another year to come

into full compliance.

If the Board were to vote to suspend or expel, it would affect all of the actual

working hotel concierges who are members of Les Clefs d’Or. They would

feel they have been punished for something that is not their fault.

The Executive Committee explained the difference between suspension and

expulsion. Suspension is for a specific time frame, not forever. Expulsion is

forever. Over the years, there have been sections that have been suspended for

one reason or another. The reason for the suspension is addressed, and the

section is then returned to good standing within UICH. First Vice President

Toomey thinks if China is suspended, rather than come into line, they might

simply go rogue, and UICH would have an even bigger problem on its hands.

President Anders Ruggiero asked if the two-tier system was in place when

they were originally accepted. In his correspondence, John Sun Dong says the

system was approved by the Executive Committee, but there is no

correspondence to verify this claim.

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac expressed his personal opinion. The

society has suspended sections for far less grievances than China’s. Treating

China with special gloves could set a dangerous precedent whereby, if other

sections get suspended, they might rightfully claim they are being treated

unfairly or, at the very least, that Les Clefs d’Or does not apply consistent

standards. For him, this is a big problem.

It is not known how President Jason Zhan feels about the situation in China.

First Vice President Toomey has not yet asked that question.

President Michele Paonessa sympathized with the Executive Committee. Italy

has a similar problem with a separate society that uses the crossed key logo

and misrepresents itself, and Italy has been in legal battles with the other

society for many years. President Paonessa’s latest effort to resolve his

situation has been to ask the Minister of Tourism to intervene. President

Paonessa suggested that the Executive Committee could send letters to the

General Managers of the legitimate concierges to alert them to the issue.

Hotels should be informed about what is going on. The General Managers

should be aware of the fact that there are two conflicting societies. In Italy,

the rogue association gets a lot of money for imitating the Clefs d’Or brand.

This is not right.

First Vice President Colin Toomey thinks Italy’s experience speaks to a

stronger reason not to suspend. In Italy, the other association has great power,

strength and breadth. If China is put under suspension, it may feel it isn’t

open to return, and then the problem of falsified branding will become even

more exacerbated.

17

President Thomas Munko wondered if the hotel concierges in China are aware

of the abuses of their system. In fact, most are probably unaware of China’s

noncompliance because they have never really been exposed to the

international scene. However, Jason Zhan is aware. Now that he is President,

perhaps the awareness level will grow amongst members.

President Pavel Nikolaev agreed that China should not be put into a position

from which they feel they can’t return, but he thinks 12 months is too long.

First Vice President Toomey replied that 12 months is really the only time

frame open, since decisions need to be made at Board of Directors meetings,

and votes to suspend or expel require a two-thirds majority vote at that

meeting.

The Board of Directors cannot vote without knowing exactly what the

Executive Committee’s action plan is. First Vice President Toomey reiterated

that the action plan is to apply consistent pressure and be sure that the two

concessions that Mr. Sun Dong claims he’s made are actually real (through

both correspondence and personal visits); and that the two-tier system is really

and truly dismantled.

President Carolina Avaria doesn’t think the problem can be fixed in less than

12 months because everyone over there has keys – housekeepers, General

Managers, valet staff, etc. First Vice President Toomey agrees that the

problem is widespread, but he doesn’t think it should go beyond another 12

months.

Mr. John Sun Dong formed his own company (GKIA), created his own

school, and more. All these corporations are supported by the government,

and they are all for-profit, in direct conflict with UICH statues.

President Fred Lui spoke in John Sun Dong’s defense. He does not think

China should be suspended, because it would offend the members of China

who pay their membership fees and wear bona fide crossed keys behind their

hotel desks. It would not be fair. Conversely, Third Vice President Roderick

Levéjac responded that China is not being fair to UICH. No one wants the

Chinese members to suffer or be shamed. Everyone wants Chinese

participation, but only in compliance with the statutes.

President Fred Lui strongly recommended that the Executive Committee

consult with legal counsel before voting to suspend or expel. The Executive

Committee says UICH is not related to GKIA. However, on the GKIA

website, the Clefs d’Or logo and motto appear, and the website says there are

2,500 Les Clefs d’Or members working at GKIA. If GKIA is registered

legally in China, it could be a problem for UICH.

President Vrettos had hoped to have Mr. John Sun Dong present in Mendoza

to respond to questions directly but he chose not to attend.

18

President Vrettos ended the discussion by reminding the Board of Directors that

decisions must always be made democratically. Feelings have been expressed and the

Board must try to find the best answers. The Executive Committee has laid out all the

facts and has proposed the best solutions they could. Everyone’s opinions have been

heard, and they must be weighed equally.

President Vrettos asked for a show of hands of how many Presidents would be willing

to go to a vote on a proposal to suspend at this time. 11 hands went up, which

indicated there was not a clear majority of support for this action. An Action Plan will

be adopted, and UICH will apply continued pressure on China to come into full

compliance before the next Board of Directors meeting in Dubai.

New Section Application (Indonesia)

In Kuala Lumpur, the Executive Committee received an application for membership

from the Concierge Association of Indonesia. The application was supported by

Singapore and Qatar, a site inspection was conducted in March 2015, and the Board

of Directors was expected to vote on Indonesia at this meeting. However, the

Executive Committee realized it was not administering the application properly. The

statutes were consulted and reparations have been made.

The proper process is to distribute the application to the Board of Directors, who then

vote to accept/reject it at the next Board of Directors Meeting. First Vice President

Toomey wanted to be clear – the vote would be to accept/reject the application, not

the section. Once the application is accepted, an Executive Committee member

conducts a site inspection in the ensuing year to be sure that the section is healthy,

independent, and in full compliance. Then, at the next Board of Directors meeting,

the International President announces whether the applicant section can be admitted.

If so, then it is put before the Board of Directors for a vote.

There were five problems with Indonesia’s application:

(1) Qatar could not support Indonesia’s application, because it wasn’t yet a

member section when Indonesia submitted its application.

(2) While the application gave a chronology of events, there were no official

minutes from its most recent AGM, which are required.

(3) The statutes were not up to UICH standards. It is the responsibility of

sponsoring sections to help develop appropriate national statutes.

(4) Key-wearing members in Indonesia are predominantly administering

admission themselves. Because they are adherent to Singapore, though, it

should be Singapore who oversees the issuing of keys. Singapore has a duty to

participate and mentor more closely.

(5) Some of the Founding Members were not compliant with article IV of our

statutes.

First Vice President Toomey has suggested that Indonesia work with Singapore and

re-submit a new application before the next International Executive Committee

meeting towards the end of 2015. It can then be distributed to the Board of Directors

prior to the meeting in Dubai, and Indonesia, if successful could be accepted in

Berlin. There would be a site inspection between Dubai and Berlin that would give

Indonesia time to correct any issues.

19

First Vice President Toomey feels badly for the mishandling of Indonesia’s

application. He wanted the Board to know that when he conducted the site inspection

in March, the Indonesian section was entirely hospitable, professional, passionate, and

engaged, both in Jakarta and Bali. Their desks and procedures seemed to be in order

and they have good national support. At the moment, they have only 16 members --

just barely the minimum UICH requirement which is an additional concern.

First Vice President Toomey believes there are also some other issues that Indonesia

needs to resolve. He bases this assumption on the fact that there is only one member

from Indonesia here, at this meeting, in a year when they were under the impression

they would be accepted. There should be more members and more participation.

The Executive Committee regrets that it must decline Indonesia’s application at this

moment. It supports Indonesia’s enthusiasm and is pleased to offer them the guidance

they need to become successful in their endeavor to join UICH.

Mr. Mohammed Rabie wanted the minutes to reflect that Qatar’s support of Indonesia

was in an unofficial capacity.

President Syed Mussadiq said Singapore is prepared to guide Indonesia in the right

way moving forward.

Future Congress Presentations

Dubai. President Abey Sam announced that the 63rd International Congress will be

held in Dubai on April 10-15, 2016. The JW Marriott Marquis is the host hotel and

can accommodate up to 700 delegates. Registration will open in October of this year.

Early bird prices, from October through December, are USD $1450 for a single and

USD $1350 for a double. Afterward, the price will be USD $1675 for a single and

USD $1575 for a double. This is a congress not to miss, and President Sam looks

forward to welcoming everyone to Dubai.

Berlin. President Thomas Munko announced that the 64th International Congress will

take place in Berlin on March 23-28, 2017. A 400-room block has been reserved at

the Maritim Berlin, a four-star hotel in the heart of the city. A preliminary itinerary is

in place.

Korea. President Jini Lee offered to host the 65th International Congress in Seoul in

2018. She shared a quick video with the Board of Directors and promised to have

more details when the Board meets in Dubai.

Asian Congress. The next Asian congress will take place in Tokyo, Japan, August

24-27, 2015. The theme is “sharing the spirit of professional hospitality.” An

itinerary is already in place. The Prince Park Tower Tokyo is where all delegates will

stay. Registration is open at www.lesclefsdorjapan.com/asian-congress. Costs are

JPY 72,000 for a single and JPY 70,000 for a double.

European Congress. President Tamas Ungar mentioned that there are three cities all

hoping to host the next European congress: No decision has been made yet.

20

Ethics Committee

President Vrettos appointed an Ethics Committee to serve for the duration of the

congress in order to arbitrate and resolve any issues that may occur. Comité des

Sages member Mr. Roger Bastoni will chair the committee along with Presidents

Pascal Gaudio, Siana Iong, Shaun Ryan and Mario Morelli.

Questions from the Board of Directors

Argentina apologized for any problems encountered with the registration process in

Mendoza.

Canada asked international hosting countries to set and adhere to specific congress

dates a minimum of two years out so national sections can plan their meetings

accordingly. The Executive Committee liked this idea and suggested that in the

future, if dates need to be changed, all Zone Directors should be consulted beforehand

and that it could not happen within 2 years of the date that was originally set.

Denmark suggested that UICH do more to serve its members from an educational

perspective and also to help less wealthy sections attend more meetings. These

objectives are already under way. The Executive Committee helps finance zone

meetings and is also investing in bigger educational efforts. They are committed to

continuing to find sponsors to gain even more support.

France asked about the title of Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador that was given to Mr.

Aldo Giacomello in New Zealand. Lifetime titles should never be granted in a

professional association. In this case, it is done and it cannot be undone, but it does

not make sense – what was the mission, if any? France wanted the minutes to be

clear: the title given to Mr. Giacomello was a courtesy only. It does not grant him

any special rights or privileges.

Hellas asked how to best help the adherent members in Egypt. There are presently

about 20 members there. General Secretary Michael Romei offered to travel there

and conduct some seminars.

Hungary was concerned about the use of outside meeting planners for international

congresses. President Vrettos responded that organizers always face problems when

trying to put a congress together. UICH cannot prohibit sections from using

outsourced companies. However, the congress guidelines can be updated so that

sections are required to submit detailed reports and budgets well ahead of time. The

ultimate goal is always to offer the best value for the least amount of money.

Israel asked if subscription fees could be reduced. Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé

responded that the Treasury is finally healthy enough to undertake a lot of new

projects, so his recommendation is not to reduce membership fees at this time. He

does not see any need to increase them any time soon, though.

Italy wanted UICH to help get the Ministry of Tourism to grant Les Clefs d’Or free

admission to all national museums. President Vrettos replied that this is really a

national issue, not an international one.

21

Russia wanted the Treasury reports made available to members well ahead of

congress time. This issue has been resolved now that the Treasury reports are online

and the fiscal year will be moved forward.

The USA asked the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and all colleagues

to please respond to emails in a more timely fashion. Lack of response is a big

problem with this association. This is a volunteer association, so a short time lag is

reasonable, but it shouldn’t stretch to weeks and weeks.

Open Forum

President Tamas Ungar thinks the UAE’s early bird registration is too far ahead. The

Executive Committee, not the host country, should be the ones to set the congress

price tag. First Vice President Toomey replied that congress prices have been fairly

steady the last several years and UAE’s rate is consistent with this. He added that

early deadlines are in place to help the country collect the funds they need to execute

the congress successfully.

President Marc Pierrain reminded the Executive Committee of his request to be

involved with the translation of the Chartre. Though it is in the Kuala Lumpur

minutes, it was not done. The Chartre was completed without his help and he was

surprised that the English translation preceded the French one, when it should have

been the other way around. Regardless, he is pleased with the end result and believes

the translations are acceptable. The Chartre was created by the Swiss section and

distributed originally in Vissoie.

President Abey Sam encouraged the Board of Directors to take advantage of General

Secretary Romei’s teaching expertise. Having him in the UAE was a great success,

and his seminars were very well received.

Carolina Avaria asked if the election of zone directors could become standardized,

with written candidatures, deadlines and nominations. Third Vice President Roderick

Levéjac replied that the Executive Committee should not be involved in the selection

process. Historically it has been left to zone presidents to work it out themselves.

The Executive Committee has never interfered with this process.

President’s Concluding Remarks

President Vrettos thinks the Board of Directors meeting was very productive, with

open and direct communication. He hopes everyone leaves the room with a positive

attitude and a clear mind.

This is President Vrettos’ last year as President, and he expressed gratitude to the

Board of Directors for their professional support and for their support on a personal

level as he has been through a difficult year. He thanked General Secretary Michael

Romei in particular, for putting so much heart and soul into the association. He

thanked each member of his Executive team, the Zone Directors, and the Sages

individually. He appreciates their unique efforts in moving the association forward so

effectively.

The meeting was adjourned.

22

23

SUMMARY OF CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN

UICH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND LES CLEFS

D'OR CHINA

Background In response to concerns expressed by members of the Board regarding Les Clefs d’Or

China’s compliance with UICH statutes, 1st Vice President UICH Colin Toomey met

with President John Sun Dong to discuss the issues. This meeting took place during the

China National AGM in Tianjin in December 2013. As noted in the minutes of the

Executive Committee Meeting from the Kuala Lumpur Congress in January 2014, some

progress was made during this meeting in Tianjin in resolving some of the areas of

concern. Their remained however a number of issues of non-compliance to UICH

statutes that needed to be addressed with the Executive Committee of Les Clefs d’Or

China. Although previous attempts had been made by former members of the UICH

Executive to find a solution these problems, discussions on the whole were not

documented and consequently the impasse remained. It was therefore decided that

formal correspondence should be used by the UICH Executive Committee when

dealing with Les Clefs d’Or China in trying to resolve these outstanding issues.

Following is a summary of the correspondence between the UICH Executive

Committee and Les Clefs d’Or China in relation to these matters.

Email from Emmanuel Vrettos to John Sun Dong 4th September 2014.

President Vrettos outlined to President John Sun Dong three major areas of concern

regarding Les Clefs d’Or Chinas non-compliance with UICH statutes. Namely:

1. John Sun Dong’s appointment as President of Les Clefs d’Or China whilst not

in compliance with Article IV of the UICH statutes.

2. The wearing of gold crossed keys (similar to the Bucherer design) by Concierge

who are not members of UICH also in contravention of Article IV.

3. The alliance of Les Clefs d’Or China to a business enterprise Gold Key

International Alliance (GKIA) whereby the Les Clefs d’Or brand is used to

further the commercial interests of this company.

It was noted that President Sun Dong had previously advised that his place of

employment was the Xianglu Grand Hotel, Xiamen. Numerous attempts had been made

to contact him at Concierge Desk of this hotel without success.

It was explained that the wearing of gold crossed keys by China National members (the

two tiered system) had never been formally agreed to by UICH. In support of his

position President Sun Dong was asked to provide written correspondence from UICH

confirming that this arrangement had been agreed to. It was noted that there are no other

Sections that have adopted this practice in UICH and President Sun Dong was advised

that this model must be discontinued. An alternative to the current practices was

suggested whereby National Members form a separate Association, they do not refer to

themselves as Les Clefs d’Or members and they wear a different insignia from the gold

crossed key design of Les Clefs d’Or.

24

President Sun Dong was advised that China National members were being employed

in non-hotel operations as noted on the GKIA website. These Concierge were

identifying themselves as Les Clefs d’Or China members, wearing the replica gold

crossed key insignia, and were working in a variety of business interests including

airport lounges, residential apartments, cruise ships and shopping malls. President Sun

Dong was informed that Les Clefs d’Or is an association reserved exclusively for Hotel

Concierge and that its members cannot be employed in any other form of business.

President Sun Dong was asked to consult with his Board of Directors and respond to

these concerns as a matter of urgency. President Sun Dong was advised that a solution

to these problems would need to be realised prior to the International Congress in

Mendoza in April 2015.

Email from John Sun Dong to Emmanuel Vrettos September 15th 2014

In addressing the concerns of the UICH Executive Committee President Sun Dong

responded with the following explanations:

President Sun Dong advised that his employment situation changes regularly and that

he has since left the Xianglu Grand Hotel and is now employed by the Hangzhou Bay

Hotel in Ningbo. He confirmed that his position has always been as Chief Concierge.

President Sun Dong advised that his General Manager Robert Madan supports him in

his Les Clefs d’Or activities and consequently President Sun Dong follows him to any

new appointments.

President Sun Dong explained that the Les Clefs d’Or China logo and replica crossed

keys were created by him and that he has legal protection over them. President Sun

Dong stated that there was no objection to this system when Les Clefs d’Or China

joined UICH in 1997. President Sun Dong advised that he consulted with the

International Executive of UICH at the time of their admission and the International

and National system of membership was agreed to although there is no official

correspondence in relation to this.

In regards to China National members working in non-hotel operations President Sun

Dong advised that Chinese apartments are more of a hotel than a real hotel. President

Sun Dong stated that many international hotel groups also manage apartments and

occasionally their hotels are converted into apartments. This was explained as a

marketing trend that is prevalent in China. President Sun Dong advised that no UICH

members are employed by property management companies.

Email from Emmanuel Vrettos to John Sun Dong 6th February 2015

President Vrettos advised President Sun Dong that numerous attempts had been made

to contact him at his new hotel but they had been unsuccessful. Although the Executive

Committee had only been officially advised of his change of employment in December

2014, President Sun Dong had mentioned it in correspondence dating back as far as

September 2014. President Sun Dong was also advised that colleagues working at

Hangzhou Bay Hotel were not aware of his employment at that hotel.

President Vrettos acknowledged President Sun Dong’s version of the two tiered system

in China but reiterated that this had never been agreed to by UICH and that there was

25

no documentation confirming this arrangement. President Vrettos reasserted that in

continuing this practice Les Clefs d’Or China is in contravention of the UICH statutes.

President Vrettos stated that irrespective of any marketing trends in China, Les Clefs

d’Or members whether National or International are ineligible to work in any type of

property other than a hotel.

President Vrettos explained that in representing the Board of Directors the International

Executive has a responsibility to ensure the compliance of our statutes by individuals

as well as National Sections. President Vrettos requested that President Sun Dong

provide the Board with an action plan that will resolve these issues satisfactorily prior

to the Mendoza Congress.

President Sun Dong was advised that as per our UICH statutes failure to address these

issues could lead to the suspension and/or expulsion of Les Clefs d’Or China at the next

Board of Directors meeting.

Email from John Sun Dong to Emmanuel Vrettos 15th February 2015

President Sun Dong apologised for the problems encountered in contacting him at his

hotel explaining that a new trainee was unsure of who we were wanting to speak to.

President Sun Dong also advised that he had been on extended sick leave since the

China National AGM in December 2014.

President Sun Dong reasserted that the current International Executive was not in a

position to question the structure of Les Clefs d’Or China as these arrangements had

been in place for over 15 years and were known to all during the International

Congresses in Guangzhou in 1999 and Hangzhou in 2009.

President Sun Dong advised that Les Clefs d’Or China will not be participating in the

International Congress in Mendoza due to these misunderstandings and contradictions.

President John Sun Dong expressed a desire to resolve these differences and invited

members of the UICH Executive Committee to attend the 20th National Congress of

Les Clefs d’Or China in order to find a solution. This meeting is scheduled to be held

in December 2015.

Email from John Sun Dong to Emmanuel Vrettos 20th March 2015

President Sun Dong forwarded a copy of a Cautionary Letter (dated March 16th 2015)

issued by Les Clefs China to GKIA requesting that GKIA not use the UICH logo or

crossed gold keys image in promoting any GKIA activities. President Sun Dong

forwarded a subsequent response (dated March 20th 2015) from Henry Han Hua, Chief

Operating Officer of GKIA, acknowledging this request from Les Clefs d’Or China and

their acceptance of these conditions. The letter from Les Clefs d’Or China was signed

off by Jason Zhan as Les Clefs d’Or China President and John Sun Dong as Les Clefs

d’Or China Founder President.

Email from John Sun Dong to Emmanuel Vrettos, Colin Toomey, Michael Romei

and Edwin Saldanha 30th March 2015

President Sun Dong provided a letter addressed to the Board of Directors that is to be

tabled by the Asian Zone Director at the next Board of Directors meeting in Mendoza.

26

A number of unrelated matters were addressed by President Sun Dong in this

communication including the relationship of former UICH Executive Committee

members to Les Clefs d’Or China and the wording used in the minutes of the recent

Executive Committee meeting in Athens relating to China’s relationship with Hong

Kong, Macau and Chinese Taipei.

In regards to the matters of compliance to our UICH statutes President Sun Dong

advised the following:

That Les Clefs d’Or China uses the GKIA website and service platform to establish and

develop service partnerships. President Sun Dong reasserts that GKIA does not have

permission to use the Les Clefs d’Or logo without permission and that they have

tightened up associate member’s collaboration.

That the Les Clefs d’Or China statutes are subject to Chinese law and are approved by

the China Tourist and Hotel Management Department. Under this model Les Clefs d’Or

China supervises National Members under these locally approved statutes and

International Members are managed and developed in accordance with UICH statutes.

President Sun Dong is open to reviewing and improving this system in consultation

with the UICH Executive and a Chinese lawyer.

President Sun Dong stated that the UICH statutes do not clarify the minimum number

of hours for a working Concierge and therefore his position is not in breach of the

statutes. President Sun Dong also confirmed that Jason Zhan is the Les Clefs d’Or China

President and that he fills the role of Les Clefs d’Or China Founder President.