November 2007

NEWSLETTERALUMNI

May I extend a warm welcome back to work to all alumni after what Ihope has been a relaxing summer vacation. At the end of July we atIMHI said good bye to our first graduates on the new two year IMHIprogramme and to the second class on the one year programme. Theceremony took place on the Quai de Javel alongside the Seine and wasfollowed by an evening cruise and banquet. The occasion appears tohave been enjoyed by all despite the dull weather, unexpected at theend of July in Paris.Having now been once through the full two year cycle, we are evaluat-ing the experience gained from the changes we have brought about.First of all, a consultancy project has been introduced into the pro-gramme. This year’s students worked with Sheraton on a marketingreal life project. The end result was presented by the different teamswho were encouraged to think outside the box and the presentationsdemonstrated that professionalism may be leavened with goodhumour! The ‘best of’ will be put before the Sheraton board in NewYork in September.Students had to specialize and choose two concentrations out of RealEstate, E-commerce, Entrepreneurship and Luxury Brands. We believethat this forces students in a more formal way to focus on their future

professional career.On the whole, we think that those changes have reinforced the pro-gramme in a positive way and of course time and you as employers willtell us if we were right.This year also saw the start of ESSEC short Hotel Executive Programmeand the first generation of students received their certificate in Junein a ceremony presided by Monsieur Gilles Pélisson, CEO of Accor.It is September, so our attention now turns to this year’s incoming students. Their number has increased by 13 compared with last year’sintake. A big part of the credit for helping us to recruit good candidates must go to you, our IMHI alumni. We can’t thank youenough for that. Please, keep spreading the word. You are our bestsales people.

Jeanine PicardDirector (Internal Affairs)

Message from IMHI

Message from IMHI AlumniIn a few words let me summarize some of the things that have happened recently at IMHI.� IMHI Alumni have a new website address: www.imhialumni.com.

The previous one www.aaimhi.com will continue to be operational.�A new logo has been launched in July and was presented during the

annual general assembly.�A scholarship fund will be launched in January in order to allow you

to fund students’ scholarships.�Over 250 alumni have become active members by paying the mem-

bership fees.� International and Parisian Get-Togethers will continue to flourish

allowing you to network and get together worldwide. As you know,for quite some time, we have organised informal alumni Get-Togethers at major industry events (WTM, ITB and Fitur) and in vari-ous locations (London, Berlin, Madrid, Dubai, Brussels, Geneva andNew York City)With over 1100 members, the alumni association of IMHI is continu-ing to offer better services and to perfect its worldwide expansion.

I must thank all the alumni who during this past year have helped theschool in introducing candidates, offering internships, apprentice-ships and permanent positions to current students. Thanks also tothose who have participated to selection juries, industry leaders con-ferences, school presentations and counselling of students andyounger alumni.This year some of you will again assist the school during student fairsaround the world, in Europe, America and Asia.

Let’s continue to increase our membership base by joining the alumniassociation for 20 euros only. Let’s get the scholarship fund started topromote academic excellence and help applicants with financial diffi-culties. That’s the IMHI spirit!

Charles Lüthi H83President IMHI Alumni

Reunion of friends of H83 and H84 in Paris

THORSTEN KIRSCHKE H93Senior Vice President & ChiefOperating Officer,The Rezidor Hotel group

TAB. Could you tell us a few words about your background, who youare, your experience, your current position?TK. I was born in Hannover, Germany. Prior to being appointed as theChief Operating Officer of the Rezidor Hotel Group in September 2006,I served as the Area Vice President of Germany, Switzerland, Italy,Austria, South-East Europe and Benelux.In my role as the Chief Operating Officer, I am responsible for theoperational development and strategies of the company and itsbrands, together with the Executive Committee.I started my hospitality career in 1985 in Food & Beverage departmentat the prestigious privately owned and operated Kastens HotelLuisenhof in Hannover; before going international to Switzerland andthen France. I acquired an MBA at IMHI ESSEC Business School whileworking at the Grandes Etapes Françaises in Paris as a Sales &Marketing Assistant. In 1993 I returned to Germany as the OperationalAnalyst and Controller for the Renaissance Hotel Group in Frankfurt.In 1998, I first served as the General Manager of a hotel at theRadisson SAS Airport Hotel in Oslo. My success as a General Managerlead me to several great places from London to Beijing and Dubaiwhere I took over the strategic role of serving as the Area VicePresident for the Middle East and China.

TAB. Why did you choose IMHI?TK. Clearly with a long term view on the potential of my personalcareer development. After I had learned the very grass roots of ourbusiness starting off in food and beverage, moving abroad and thencontinuing within rooms division, I knew that there was more outthere I needed to learn if my career was to become one of internation-al standard.IMHI was the perfect grounds for that as it is highly international initself already with a student body consisting of over 20 differentnationalities in our class of H93. It also did not include lengthy intern-

ships like in some of the Swiss hotel schools.To put it simply, for me it has been the best price value opportunity outthere in Europe, where globally hotel management has had its roots.

TAB. What are the most important things you learnt from your IMHIexperience? What is your best memory?TK. Many very practical things, like financial discount and deprecia-tion methods, statistics (oh my god!), Lotus 123 (when was thatagain?) or simulation case studies. However, it is not so much thetechniques in itself as it was the principles that were important for meto gain an understanding of the bigger picture.Probably my best memory is remembering how we all supported eachother and helped. Early mornings and late nights. And then there werealways good nights out at the campus and in Paris. Work hard – play hard!And then I see Estelle in your newsletter from January as a secondtime mom- fantastic and all the best, Estelle!

TAB. What is your advice to students and Alumni?TK. To students I can only recommend not to give up, even when it istough. You are the best and very privileged to enjoy this fantastic aca-demic circle. Think long term and be confident and patient when need-ed. Quality will always pay off in the end.I wish to congratulate the Alumni for their continuous efforts andhard work in making sure that the family sticks together. Due to myown many years of travel I had unfortunately little time to spare butwill surely try to change that.

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Zooming in on IMHI Alumni

Jobs on www.imhialumni.com or www.aaimhi.comHave you been on the website lately to look for jobs? You can also « post a job offer » by going to Career Services on www.aaimhi.com.The IMHI administration is sorting out and posting on a daily basis on the AAIMHI.com website all offers that are sent directly to IMHI orto AAIMHI.

Jobs on imhialumni.com

Below is a sample of jobs that have been offeredon AAIMHI since September 07

Director Häagen Dazs store Paris Champs Élysées Häagen Dazs

Directeur Général Groupe Le Duff

Assistant Financial Controller InterContinental

General Manager Hilton

Senior Analyst Atisreal Hotels Atisreal Hotels

IMHI Alumni at the Radisson SAS EU Hotel, Brussels

Graduation July 2007

It was July 28, and to some students, Paris, the Seine and the banks

of the Seine seemed to be calling for the long awaited event: a cere-

mony marking the end of an era, and the beginning of another.

Thanks to the collective efforts of BDE IMHI, the graduation team

and collaboration from the rest of the class we were able to hold an

event that took place at Yachts de Paris, on the docks of the Seine

River, and was followed by a cocktail on the deck of the Paquebot

before cruising the Seine during dinner. It was a grand success!

The ceremony opened with all 37 graduating students entering the

venue before each one of us taking our individual seats. I, on the

other hand, walked straight to the podium and began reading a poem

I initially wrote for the yearbook. The poem, called Let us

Remember, was an attempt to tell the story of a two-year journey by

saying many of the things touching each one of our experiences – the

good and the bad, the serious and the naughty – without revealing too

much.

The poem was followed by a 14-minute movie that was put together

for the graduation. It was a series of videos and photos taken from the

moment we got together in September 2005 up until the month of our

graduation. It brought together moments in class and outside class,

on campus and off campus, at the student residence in Cergy and in

the glamorous streets of Paris. The movie was received with bits of

laughter, smiles, some tears, and an occasional sigh.

Professor Peter O’Connor’s speech was a blend of idealism, serious-

ness and humor. He spoke of the contacts we have made and the end

of the IMHI journey. He talked about the importance of the alumni

association and the success of the IMHI family worldwide.

And then, our diplomas! In alphabetical order, each of our names was

called and we went up to receive our certificates. And in the back-

ground, individual slides of our names were accompanied by a photo

of us as babies. After moving our tassels from left to right we were

then declared graduates of the Class of 2007.

Elie Milky H07

Consulting & Valuation Analyst

HVS International

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Developing the ideale-Distribution ande-Marketing team

Prof. Peter O’Connor, Co-Director of IMHI, ESSECBusiness School

The hotel sales function in the hotel sectorhas changed drastically over the past tenyears. In the past, we received most of ourbusiness from the chain CRS or a few selecttravel agents, and distribution was effective-ly the responsibility of the Front OfficeManager as a relatively minor part of his role.Today this scenario should have changed.Bookings from multiple electronic sourcescan now make up over 40% of room nights,but who is managing this important source ofbusiness? Distribution has become morecomplex, and hastily taken decisions canresult in the hotel effectively competingagainst itself over alternative channels.Despite this danger, the way in which mosthotel companies organise distribution hasremained static. The exception, of course, isthe introduction of yield managers at theproperty, cluster and regional levels. With abetter understanding of distribution thanmost, the latter are quickly finding their roleexpanding as they are given responsibility formanaging anything that has to do with elec-tronic distribution.

Having someone dedicated to distributionand e-commerce is clearly a step forward.However what are the skills and competen-cies needed by such people. In my opinion,the person filling this role must have:

A global understanding of the distributionenvironment. Given the complexity of elec-tronic distribution channels, this personmust have a global overview of how it all fitstogether. They need to understand the impli-cations of working (or not working) with dif-ferent channels; the business models used bycompeting intermediaries and macro trendsin consumer booking patterns. Unfortunatelysuch a skill set is difficult to maintain, partic-ularly as travel technology evolves towardsWeb 2.0 and user generated content.

An implicit understanding of pricing. Such aperson must also understand how to manipu-late price to maximise benefit in the longrun. Doing so has become difficult because ofthe use of multiple simultaneous channels ofdistribution. However being able to priceproducts competitively to drive bookingstowards direct channels is a critical skill.

Both a marketing and a sales orientation.Working in the online world doesn’t change

general business principles. A key element ofsuccess is being able to understand customers.Only by focusing on their needs can we be suc-cessful. However working electronically offersnew opportunities to better understand cus-tomer needs. In-depth customer preferencedata can be collected easily, and this can beanalysed in sophisticated ways to get a betterpicture of the guest. Understanding where andhow to use such tools, and deploying theresulting knowledge, will become even moreimportant in the future.

A flair for website design. Understandinghow websites work will become increasinglyimportant. A key competency is the ability tocritically analyse website features and con-tent and refine them to match customerexpectations. Currently many hotel compa-nies fail to do this – and this is reflected inlow conversion rates. In particular our abilityto merchandise seems to be poor, perhapsbecause of too much focus on price. We havemuch to learn from the retail sector abouthow to sell effectively on the web.

A comprehension of search. With searchbecoming more important for travel, anunderstanding of search engine marketinghas become essential. With their deep under-standing of the customer, hotels are in aunique position to manipulate search enginesand drive business directly. Distribution man-agers need to be able to monitor their com-petitors’ actions, design search strategiesthat work and insure their effective imple-mentation. Failing to do so will result in valu-able direct business being diverted.

Embrace electronic marketing. Operating in aweb enabled world opens up a vast array ofways to reach out to customers. From recipro-cal links to banners to affiliate and viral mar-keting, a whole host of electronic marketingopportunities are now available. Being ableto select amongst and manage an appropri-ate portfolio of such options requires a set ofcompetencies hereto not common in the hos-pitality sector.

As you can image, such a diverse range ofskills is unlikely to be found in one person.Even if much of the specialist work is out-sourced, hotel companies still need a dedi-cated team of people to implement an effec-tive distribution strategy. The investmentneeded to find, hire and retain appropriatepersonnel in this area can be considerable,and even more investment is needed to keeptheir skills up-to-date. Perhaps the best wayto justify such investment is in terms of incre-mental revenues. Most hotels still haverooms vacant each night. More effective elec-tronic distribution undoubtedly results inincreased business, with the resulting rev-

enues going straight to the bottom line. Evenif efforts only result in channel cannibalisa-tion, the resulting cost savings are substan-tial and still justify the investment. Reroutinga booking from channels such as GDS, call-centre or online merchants towards thehotel’s own website can result in cost savingsof up to 20%. Coupling this with the potentialfor increased revenue makes devoting appro-priate resources to building up an effectivedistribution and electronic marketing teaman easy decision.

« The Hotel Executive Program graduation tookplace on June, 1 2007 in the presence ofMr. Gilles Pélisson (CEO of Accor Group),Prof. Paul Beals (Academic Director),Mr. Jean Harvis (Président of Paris Honotel),Mr. Philippe Bijaoui (Senior Vice President ofWorldwide Development Club Med),Mr. Michel Perchet,Prof. Michael Olsen,Mr. Gérard Guibilato (Director of Spécialized &Avanced Programs)and various numbers of the IMHI team.

The next session will begin in January 2008.

For more information, please contact:Miss Catherine Jeannin by phone:+33 1 46 92 17 53 or bye-mail: jeannin@essec.fr »

Article

ESSEC Hotel Executive Program

EXECUTIVE EDUCATIONCENTER

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Experiencing an openingThiébaut OSSOLA H08

After a few months at IMHI, I was offered by Jean-PhilippeBittencourt (IMHI ’91) the opportunity to join the pre-opening team of The Palace – The Old Town in Dubai for thetime of an internship, along with Miss Ivy Bian H08.

This hotel is a new property opening in September 2007,owned by Emaar – a major developer in the Middle-East –and managed by Sofitel. It is located at the very heart ofDubai, in front of one of the most astonishing architectur-al achievement of our time: the Burj Dubai - on the courseof being the tallest tower in the world. Being part of suchan adventure is quite a challenge, since the property ispositioned as one of Dubai’s finest property – both by itslocation and its expected level of service – in a city ofunequalled concentration of 5 star hotels.

I had the chance to do my internship in the marketing

department of the hotel, under the management of AyeshaQureshi (Cornell H05), and to work on the actual building ofthe hotel’s “brand” and image – be it through advertising, PRrelations, design of all communication material, etc.As a support department of all the other departments of thehotel, it is also extremely interesting to see how each aspect ofthe hotel is “coming to life”, each manager working in its ownway, facing its own challenges, faithfully preparing the bigopening day in spite of difficulties and – sometimes – doubts.But one of the most enriching part of this internship was todeal with the extreme cultural diversity of the team – whichis quite a common thing in Dubai – and to learn how to col-laborate efficiently with people from all over the planet,from Brazil to Lebanon, from Pakistan to Croatia, fromAustralia to Germany…

As our industry is about dealing with complexity and diversi-ty, being in a place as dynamic and cosmopolitan as Dubaiprovided me with a unique learning opportunity and madethis internship a fantastic experience.

Internship Story

Get-Togethers Worldwide

Bob Beck receives the ESSEC Alumnimedal in Cergy on September 17th 2007

Winner 2007 Eric Omgba Sida H05

« Introduce a candidate »

Geneva « Get-Together » June 7th 2007

Dubai «Get-Together » May 1st 2007 New students 2007 at September 20th

Paris « Get-Together »

New York « Get-Together » September 23rd 2007

Special award winner 2007 Osman Dogramaci H85

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Professional news…

January 2007Emmanuel VALLEE H01 was Directorof Sales EMOA based in Paris. SinceJanuary 1st 2007 he has become theDirector of Sales for emerging coun-tries in charge of Russia, Ukraine,Baltic states, Eastern Europe, China,India, Middle East for Accor (Sofitel,Novotel, Mercure and Ibis).Emmanuel VALLEE H01Accor International SalesDirector Sales Emerging Countries

Philippe Josse H94 Directeur régionalHaagen Dazs, devient directeur desopérations réseau HD boutiques.

Alain Flipo H94. Maguina RAMILOFlipo H94J’ai quitté Häagen Dazs et je travailledepuis décembre 2006 pour le groupeNorauto pour lequel j’occupe la posi-tion de Directeur Général de MidasEspagne. Le groupe Norauto a fait l’ac-quisition de 160 points de vente enfranchise. De surcroît, c’est un petitretour au pays pour Maguiña et unetrès bonne opportunité de compléterla double culture pour les enfants.

Nina Kullander H00 has left HiltonInternational Corporate Office in UKand is Vice President Human Resourcesfor First Hotels, based in Oslo sinceJanuary 2007.

February 2007Message de Jérôme Le Bohec H94J’avais rejoint HARVET NICHOLS LTD en1997, au départ basé au restaurant OXOTower, South Bank, Londres, puis baséau Knightsbridge Store, Londres depuis2003 en tant que Hospitality Manager.Je rejoins DESCAMPS SA en mars 2007en tant que International DevelopmentManager, toujours basé à Londres. Jeserai en charge de :- Développer les boutiques Descamps enpropre et de monter un réseau de fran-chise en Grande-Bretagne et Irlande.- Coordonner la stratégie du groupeavec nos agents, intermédiaires etmaster franchise sur le marché bri-tannique et du Moyen-Orient.- Introduire sur ces marchés d’autresconcepts, magasins et produits dugroupe ZUCCHI, leader européen du

linge de maison et propriétaire deDescamps.

In continuing with Hilton’salignment and continued growth,Olivier Chavy H88 assumes the role ofVice President – Resort Operationssince April 16, 2007. In this capacity,his global responsibilities includeRevenue Management, Sales &Marketing, Food & Beverage, SpaServices, Advertising and all otherancillary revenue services. He hasdirect responsibilities for US-Mainland– Resort Operations. Olivier is nowbased in the USA and serves as IMHIalumni Honorary President.

Isabelle Arnaud H 96 has left Hudson inMay 2007 for Ellis Fairbank executivesearch and selection consultancy in Paris.

Hélène et Laurent Garrido H97 etleurs deux filles ont quitté l’ÎleMaurice et l’hôtel Dinarobin pour laPolynésie française où Laurent estdepuis le 15 mai General ManagerSheraton Hotel à Papeete, Tahiti.

June 2007Julien Leroy H99, Business DevelopmentDirector South Europe Expedia PrivateLabel prend le poste de directeurFrance ValueClick Media et Search123(régie publicitaire online).

Eva Maria Campo H83 GeneralManager, San Juan Beach Hotel, SanJuan, Puerto Rico, for three yearsbecomes co-owner/General Manager,Delirio Hotel & Company, Cartagena,Colombia as of June 4, 2007.« Eva Maria Campo was born inBarranquilla, Colombia. She studiedHotel Administration in the University ofExternado. Then, she came to Paris tostudy an International MBA inHospitality. After IMHI, she was hired bythe international hotel chain Hilton,where she matured profession-ally. Fouryears ago, she was named CEO of a resorthotel in Puerto Rico. Now, after 23 yearsof being an enthusiastic andinternational hotelier, she is pleased toopen a hotel-boutique in Cartagena,where she started her career and receivedseveral awards for her contribution to thetourist development of the town. Herinnovative hotel-boutique concept will becalled « Delirio » and will be only one of

the different products that she and herpartners project to market under thisbrand name. »

Je quitte mon poste de responsableproduit Expedia.fr pour devenirdirecteur Espagne d’Easyvoyages.comMon objectif est de lancer et de gérerl’exploitation du site www.easyviajar.comPablo Szefner H04

Article 26 juin 2007 Hotel RestauHebdo.Nomination :Vincent Levy H90 becomes SeniorDirector Acquisitions & DevelopmentEMEA Starwood Hotels & Resorts

July 2007Sophie Perret H01 has been promotedAssociate Director HVS GlobalHospital-ity Services - London.

Eric-Michel Omgba H05 has leftDisneyland Resort Paris after 4 years.to join SODEXHO (www.sodexho.com)as Sr. Marketing Manager for theirLeisure Division.

August 2007Chinmai Sharma H03« Dear Industry colleagues and friends –I wanted to drop a quick note that anexciting opportunity has come acrossmy way and I have decided to move onfrom Joie de Vivre Hospitality to joinWyndham Hotels and Resorts as their VPRevenue Manager (New Jersey). I havethoroughly enjoyed the past couple ofyears interacting with most of you and also managing the RevenueManagement/Distribution aspect atJoie de Vivre. JdV is poised for signifi-cant growth in California and I am confi-dent that the company will do extremelywell with your continued support. »

Matthieu de Montferrand H03 is leavingInterContinental Malta to join the pre-opening team of the Crowne Plaza FestivalCity Dubai as Front Office Manager.Pierre-Alexandre Le Bihan H98« 9 années se sont déjà écouléesdepuis ma sortie de l’IMHI.Immédiatement après l’obtention demon diplôme j’ai eu la chance d’intégr-er le plus grand groupe hôtelier mondi-al, IHG. Après un passage au sein de 5hôtels dans la zone E.M.E.A. (Paris,Beyrouth, Libreville, Genève), j’ai été

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Annika was born on 24th November 2006from Sunaina Shivpuri and GauravShivpuri H02.

Fatma Djenayah et Karim Djenayah H00sont heureux d’annoncer la naissanced’Alexandre, le 1er décembre 2006.

Margaux Faisandier et son petit frèreThibault né le 8 janvier 2007.Carole Faisandier H97 et ÉtienneFaisandier H00.

Naissance le 13 janvier 2007 de LiamPablo Szefner H04 et Anna Szefner

Matthieu, né pendant le MBA de Mamanet Papa - Marie-Laure Pozzo di BorgoH03 et Jean-Marie Gras H03 vousprésentent son petit frère Raphaël, néle 17 janvier 2007.

Samantha Pirenc H99, Lawrence PirencH98 and Tom are pleased to announcethe birth of Manon May 9th in Sydney.

Maud Mesny, Florian Mesny H01 etArthur vous présentent Adrien né le 7 juillet 2007.

Christopher Michau H02, GwenaelleMichau et le petit Paul sont heureux devous annoncer la naissance de Titouanle 7 juillet 2007.

Eugénie Desarnauts H00, Autissier etAntoine Autissier sont les heureux parents de Mana née le 14 juillet 2007.Mana est un nom d’origine Maori, quisignifie force spirituelle de la vie.

Caroline et Joris TOYE H05 sont heu-reux de vous faire part de la naissancede Margaux le 22 juillet 2007.

Antoine Moubarak H00 et GaétaneMoubarak ont la joie de vous annoncerla naissance de Marjane le 7 août 2007,Marjane signifie Corail.

Ananya with her brother Ekam bornAugust 9th, Shinmai Sharma H03 andMona Sharma.

Anaïs Adjoa Helene Basalgete wasborn on August 20, 2007 from BarbaraBalsagete H06 and Nicolas Balsagete.

Helena-Elise daughter of MargreetYntema Papamichael H96 celebratingher first birthday.

Loic Wietzel, 2 ans et son petit frèreHugo né le 20 juillet 2007 (Jean-ClaudeWietzel H91).

Valérie Poulingue, Vincent PoulingueH02 et Augustine sont heureux de vousannoncer la naissance de Marie-Louisele mardi 7 août 2007.

Manon est arrivée le 12 août 2007 pourla plus grande joie de Corentin etMarine.Odile Delorme H98, Jacky Delorme H98.

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transféré dans la zone Asie Pacifique entant qu’ Executive Assistant Manager-Rooms à l’hôtel InterContinental deSingapour. Désormais depuis 5 mois j’oc-cupe le poste d’Executive AssistantManager au sein de l’hôtel InterContinentalHanoi Westlake qui ouvrira ses portes aumois de Novembre prochain. »

Puneet Chhatwal H91 has been promotedfrom Vice President & Chief DevelopmentOfficer to Senior Vice President & ChiefDevelopment Officer for the Rezidor HotelGroups

After two years and half with HMS Dubai asDirector of Operations Bani Haddad H01has joined Wyndham Hotel Groupinternational as Director InternationalDevelopment - Middle East in September,still based in Dubai

September 2007Marc Descrozaille H00« After 4 years as GM of Hilton CDG, I havebeen promoted to the job of:Senior Director of Brand PerformanceSupport for EMEA with Hilton. For yourinfo, the primary role of this position is tooptimize the performance of the hotels inthe area. »

Jean-Claude Wietzel H91 Hotel Managerdu Four Seasons George V Paris a été promuDirecteur Général du Four Seasons, Sharmel Sheikh, Egypte.

November 2007Philippe Bijaoui H92 was appointed VicePresident & Chief Development Officier forthe Rezidor hotel group.

Marriages

Matthieu de Montferrand H03 a épouséRomina le 18 mai 2007.

Alice MICOLAU H01 et Vincent Mafaity sesont mariés le 16 juin à La-Charité-sur-Loire.

Mariage de Marie Bernede H06 et XavierParis H05 le 14 juillet.

Pauline Gleize H01 et Winoc’h BilletteH01 se sont unis le 18 août en l’ÉgliseSaint-Jean-de-Malte, Aix en Provence.

Rahul Ghai H04 married Yvonne Thomsenon 18th August in Germany.

Florence Chenet H00 a épousé NicolasBourdelot le 1er septembre à Auvers-sur-Oise.

Benjamin Codet H04 s'est marié àVienne, Autriche, le 11 août à la plusgrande joie de Lucas né le 15 mars 2007.

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Alumni Newsletter Editorial Team: Charles Lüthi, IMHI H83, Président AAIMHI - Isabelle Arnaud-Bled, IMHI H96, AAIMHI Newsletter team member - ClaireTagand Battard H94 - Geneviève Danten - Jeanine Picard, Co-DirectorIMHI Alumni (AAIMHI) Board 2007-2008 : Charles Lüthi H83, President - Claire Tagand Battard H94, Secretary - Francis Rollin H83, Treasurer - Isabelle ArnaudH96 - Frédéric Darré H97 - Sébastien de Courtivron H02 - Honorary Presidents : Éric Vincent H89, Managing Director of HIPPOPOTAMUS restaurants, Groupe Flo,France - Olivier Chavy H88, Vice President Resort Ops Hilton Grand Vacations, USA www.imhialumni.com

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Already 10 years, nobody changed! (Well, almost…). On Saturday, July28th 2007, the IMHI Class of 97 re-united at the Holiday Inn HotelDisneyland Paris (special thanks to our IHG team, Soizic and Camillewho made this possible). More than 20 alumni gathered with spousesand kids from various destinations in Europe, Asia and NorthernAmerica, a crowd of 35 people in total who came to spend the weekend. A day of emotions starting with a get together breakfast, after-noon treasure hunt in the Disneyland Park and a well catered dinner,followed by a ‘few’ drinks late into the night. Peter O’Connor andCharles Luthi (President of the IMHI Alumni Association) althoughvery busy with the last details of the graduation (happening the samenight) joined the happy crowd in the morning and updated us on theschool happenings. Thanks to ‘Papa Fred’, the afternoon treasure huntwas a great way for everyone to reunite and express their creativitytalent and challenge their Disney knowledge. The evening dinner, per-fectly catered by “La Table de Cana” (Jean-Marie Clement, H85)(thanks to Walter our food consultant expert who made all dinnerarrangements), was a good opportunity to discuss and celebrate theafternoon treasure hunt adventures and teams achievements, but alsofor everyone to catch up on 10 years personal and professional

a c h i e v e m e n t s .After dinner, Ivanput his cocktailmixing skills intopractice and hisexplosive recipesmade sure thatnobody wouldremember a sin-gle evening conversation.The 10th year reunion was a true success, everyone really enjoyed get-ting back together again… Everyone agreed not to wait 2017 to cele-brate again. See you in 2010! (Any volunteers for the organization?)Our school and our alumni network are good opportunities to keepconnected and keep enjoying ourselves and maintain our IMHI spirit.(by the way, Alumni fees are only 20 euros and can be settled online at(www.aaimhi.com). And for those wishing to get a few pictures, visitour official site (http://www.fasquelle.com/IMHI97).

Denis Fasquelle H97

Class Reunion Class of ‘97

A couple of years ago, it was decided to create a course called“Industry Leaders in the Classroom”. More than a simple course, theseconferences have become an institution at IMHI.They have become a tool for IMHI students to network with IndustryLeaders, challenge them through Q&A sessions, and impress by theirprofessional level. These conferences also help students discoveringunusual career paths and new trends in the hospitality industry.

This year, we had the chance to welcome thirteen Industry Leaderssplit up into ten conferences. Weare very grateful to our guestspeakers: Philippe JOSSE H94and Alain FLIPO H94 (Häagen-Dazs), Didier COUTTE (CompassGroup), Thierry GUILLOT H92a n d E m m a n u e l l e L A C O S T E(Hyatt), Arthur De HAAST (JonesLang LaSalle Hotels), NicolasBURQUIER H92 (KFC), Grace Leo-Andrieu (GLA Hotels), OlivierROUGIE (Revenue ManagementS o l u t i o n s ) , A n d r e a J O N E S(Marriott International), PeterANSCOMB and Lesley JONES (TheRoyal Bank of Scotland) and

Nadra MOUSSALEM (Colony Capital).I would like to thank Youmna MAATOUK and Rose BESONE, respec-tively President and Vice President of IMHI Traiteur. They regularlyoffered us professional and innovative cocktails, which undoubtedlyenhanced the value of these conferences.

These events would not havebeen possible without the help ofCharles Luthi and GenevièveDanten. Geneviève has takencare of me throughout the yearand helped me realize how broadand impressing the IMHI Alumnidatabase was. Forced to sharepart of her office with me, shemanaged to stand me the entireyear… Not an easy task!Finally I would like to thank all thestudents and alumni who regularlyattended these conferences and helped making it a great success. A spe-cial thought goes to Thiébaut Ossola, future coordinator of the events.Dear classmates, these two years spent with you have been fantastic.I wish you all the best for the rest of your professional and personallife and hope to see you very soon!

Jérôme Briet H07

Industry Leaders in the Classroom

Grace Leo of GLA Hotels at la Maisondes ESSEC Industry Leaders Conference.

Daniel Chenain, Director General of ESSECAlumni receives a certificate of apprecia-

tion from IMHI and IMHI Alumni.