M I N U T E S

General Assembly

13 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

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

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

Moment of Silence – Deceased Members ..................................................................... 3

Highlights from the Mendoza Board of Directors Meeting ........................................... 4

General Secretary’s Report ............................................................................................ 6

Brand & Social Media Presentation ............................................................................... 7

First Vice President’s Report ......................................................................................... 8

Second Vice President’s Report................................................................................... 10

Third Vice President’s Report ..................................................................................... 11

Treasurer’s Report ....................................................................................................... 11

Report by the President’s Representative in Paris ....................................................... 12

Future Congress Presentations ..................................................................................... 12

Sponsor Presentations .................................................................................................. 13

Andy Pongco Award .................................................................................................... 15

International Honorary Membership Diplomas ........................................................... 15

Executive Committee Nominee Presentations ............................................................. 16

Remarks from the Sages .............................................................................................. 19

President’s Concluding Remarks ................................................................................. 19

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President’s Welcome & Report

President Emmanuel Vrettos welcomed delegates. He thanked the entire Argentinean

team for putting together a great Congress.

The society has begun many new projects. Changes don’t happen without the support

of the Board of Directors, the delegates, or the Executive Committee. President

Vrettos thanked his team for their dedication, time and effort. They have performed

their duties in the best possible way, always upholding the values of the association

and supporting partners/sponsors.

President Vrettos’ mandate has been about transparency, about open communication,

collaboration, and cooperation. He acknowledged that mistakes get made. It is

important to learn from them and go forward. He has done his best to set a viable

roadmap for the future of the association.

President Vrettos officially opened the 62nd General Assembly of Les Clefs d’Or.

He encouraged all delegates to participate fully and actively. This is what will move

the association forward. Everyone has a voice. Everyone has something to

contribute. “If you have questions, criticism or suggestions, please speak up. This is

your society.”

Introductions & Correspondence

General Secretary Michael Romei introduced the Board of Directors:

Argentina: Mr. Mario Morelli

Australia: Mr. Peter McBrearty

Austria: Mr. Christian Paral

Belgium: Mr. Mariano Van Cleve

Brazil: Mr. Guilherme Borges

Canada: Ms. Carolina Avaria

Chinese Taipei: Mr. Alex Lai

Czech Republic: Mr. Petr Zezula

Denmark: Mr. Anders Ruggiero

Finland: Mr. Pascal Gaudio

France: Mr. Philippe Lesigne

Germany: Mr. Thomas Munko

Great Britain: Messrs. Antony Lynch and Paul Still

Hellas: Mr. Dimitrios Liapis

Holland: Mr. Brian Mackenzie

Hong Kong: Mr. Fred Lui

Hungary: Mr. Tamas Ungar

India: Mr. Edwin Saldanha

Ireland: Mr. Martin Mulholland

Italy: Mr. Michele Paonessa

Japan: Ms. Mayako Sumiyoshi

Korea: Ms. Jini Lee

Macau: Ms. Siana Iong

Malaysia: Mr. Ragu Kumarasamy

Mexico: Mr. Jose Alberto Monson

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Morocco: Mr. Mohammed Taoufik Ait El-Hadad

New Zealand: Mr. Shawn Ryan

Portugal: Mr. Joaquim Alves

Qatar: Mr. Mohamed Rabie

Russia: Mr. Pavel Nikolaev

Singapore: Mr. Syed Mussadiq

Spain: Mr. Manuel Pizarro

Thailand: Mr. Surachai Thong-On

Switzerland: Mr. Marc Pierrain

Turkey: Mr. Adnan Oner

UAE: Mr. Abey Sam

USA: Mr. Shujaat Khan and Ms. Jeanne Mills

General Secretary Romei introduced the Comité des Sages, Messrs. Roger Bastoni

and Robert Watson.

Lastly, he introduced the Executive Committee:

President Emmanuel Vrettos

First Vice President Colin Toomey

Second Vice President Simon Thomas

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac

French Representative Dominique Guidetti

General Secretary Michael Romei

Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour

Jacob Detering, assisting the General Secretary

Muffin Spielman, Administrative Assistant

A letter of correspondence was read from Ms. Virginia Casale.

Moment of Silence – Deceased Members

General Secretary Michael Romei read a list of deceased members. A moment of

silence was observed.

Australia Basil Cole

China Mr. Gong Zhi'guo

Denmark Sonia Mathiesen

France Mr. Samuel Elong Kome

Mr. Claude Fresia

Mr. Jean Claude Blanchard

Mr. Marcel Occelli

Germany Alfons Bollinger

Rudolf Schwab

Adolf Agreiter

Oskar Schweser

Great Britain Peter Gajadhur

Hellas Gioulatos Dionisios

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Holland Rob Goverts

Israel David Shama

Italy Giorgio Reiner

Macau James Chan

Mexico Eloy Rodriguez

New Zealand Rex Anson

Spain Miguel Salamanca

Switzerland Alex Weiss

Louis Gsponer-Schneuwly

USA Eugene Ferguson

Ursula Sleep

Howard Storm

Highlights from the Board of Directors Meeting

General Secretary Michael Romei read highlights from the Board of Directors

meeting held on 11 April 2015:

President Emmanuel Vrettos welcomed all Presidents and delegates to the Board of Directors

meeting. He encouraged everyone to participate fully and actively, because this is what will

move our association forward.

President Vrettos appointed an ethics committee, whose purpose it is to arbitrate disputes

and/or resolve any issues that might arise during a congress. Roger Bastoni heads this year’s

committee along with Pascal Gaudio, Siana Iong, Shaun Ryan and Mario Morelli.

Newly elected presidents were announced:

Peter McBrearty (Australia)

Carolina Avaria (Canada)

Antony Lynch (Great Britain)

Syed Mussadiq (Singapore)

Abey Sam (UAE)

Last year’s Andy Pongco winner, Mr. James Elliot, and observers Andres Vergara (Chile)

and Steve Watson (Sweden) were welcomed.

Letters of correspondence were read from Denis O’Brien, Aldo Giacomello, Simon

Delcomminette, Mohammed Ismael, and Arshad Khokhar.

General Secretary Michael Romei reviewed the various documents distributed to the Board of

Directors. He thanked the Argentine section, the MCI staff, and Martin Rodriguez, our one

and only member here in Mendoza. Martin was featured in the Mendoza newspaper on April

10th, and General Secretary Romei shared the article with the Board of Directors.

General Secretary Romei quickly reviewed his Training Initiative program, which he will

continue to offer to our members worldwide.

The secretary is a unique position in this organization, and General Secretary Romei has

enjoyed serving Les Clefs d’Or over these past 10 years. He thanked his two trusted

assistants, James Ridenour and Jacob Detering, who will assume the role of General and

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Assistant General Secretaries during the next mandate. I He will remain available to assist

them as they learn the many facets of their roles.

Officers’ reports were heard from various members of the Executive Committee, which you

will hear yourselves during today’s General Assembly.

The Executive Committee acknowledged some of the procedural errors made at the Kuala

Lumpur congress last year. Some of the procedures were accepted as past practice but upon

review of the statutes, it was realized that they were not in compliance. This has been

addressed, so we can now move forward with certainty.

The following are some of the issues that were addressed:

1) Minutes will be sent to the Presidents within one month after the conclusion of the

Congress, after which there is a one-month time frame in which they may make

objections or offer corrections.

2) To avoid confusion on the outcome of any elections, all voting will be done by secret

ballot and the official tally will be publicly shared. This is the process that will take

place later today.

3) The KL Congress took place so quickly after the conclusion of the fiscal year that

Presidents were not able to receive and digest the year-end report ahead of time.

This problem has been resolved. The state of our finances is now available via the

password-protected Virtual Paris Office. Furthermore, today we voted to change our

fiscal year end to October 31, which will allow us to have the reports audited and

compiled well before the start of any international Congress.

Jeanne Mills, Americas Zone Director, who is also a member of this year’s educational

committee, gave a brief report on highlights of the Educational Day.

The Board of Directors applauded the Book of Members project launched last year by Third

Vice President Roderick Levéjac. The project continues to evolve and it is a great tool for all

of us. Roderick is offering a tutorial of the online Book of Members on Tuesday, April 14 th, at

9 a.m. in the Sheraton Mendoza Hotel.

During his report, Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac discussed the organization of the

Zones. It was announced that Morocco has requested to be part of the Western Europe Zone

instead of the Mediterranean Zone.

Morocco was moved from the Mediterranean Zone into the Western European Zone.

The Executive Committee talked about the two statutory amendments, which were voted on

just prior to this meeting at a specially convened Extraordinary General Assembly.

Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé gave his report and provided clarifications and answers to

various questions posed by the Board of Directors. Further details will be presented later by

Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé.

Assistant Secretary James Ridenour gave a comprehensive report on a new branding

initiative, which included the announcement of a newly designed social pin (basically a

miniature version of our crossed key logo) which has been manufactured by Bucherer and is

now available for sale.

James’s presentation was enthusiastically received by the Board of Directors, and many

positive comments and suggestions followed the presentation.

President Vrettos addressed the role of the Sages. He thanked them for safeguarding the

association. Their advice and wisdom are invaluable. They are a great and respected asset

for our society. The role of the Sages is defined clearly in Article X of our statutes.

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A report was heard from Dominique Guidetti, the President’s Representative in Paris.

The Board of Directors talked at great length about the way the Chinese section operates.

The section has not been in compliance with several of our statutes, and the inconsistencies

were discussed in detail. First Vice President Colin Toomey will discuss this in great detail

during his report.

In Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia submitted an application to become a member section. The

application was not approved by the Executive Committee due to problems with statute

compliance. First Vice President Colin Toomey will discuss further details in his Agenda

Report.

Future congress presentations were heard from Dubai (2016) and Berlin (2017). Korea came

to the podium and offered their intention to host the international congress in 2018.

A brief presentation was also heard from Japan, host of the 2015 Asian congress. Tamas

Ungar also spoke about possibilities for the next European Congress.

It is customary for the General Secretary to circulate and receive back very specific

questionnaires in preparation for each Board of Directors meeting. One of the items on the

questionnaire offers each section the chance to pose a question or make a statement to the

Executive Committee.

Argentina, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Hellas, Hungary, Israel, Italy,

Russia, the UAE, and the USA submitted questions and statements that the Board of Directors

addressed.

An open forum session ensued at the end of the business day and various Presidents spoke,

offered opinions and suggestions on ways to improve our society.

President Vrettos concluded the meeting with heartfelt thanks to each of his Committee

members and the entire Board.

The meeting was adjourned.

General Secretary’s Report

General Secretary Romei has enjoyed serving over the last 10 years. Less than five

years ago, he began a blog, UICH got a Facebook page, and the rest is history. UICH

has over 32,000 “likes” today.

General Secretary Romei talked about how to contribute to the International Review

and the blog. Because both outlets are digital, they can now be more widely used and

distributed. It is also more cost-effective. He encouraged delegates to forward

articles about events that happen in their section. He welcomes feature articles,

articles about sponsors, special awards, community events, and more. The subject

matter should be relevant and appropriate. On average, it takes about three months to

create a Review.

Blog posts begin with a great photograph. Identify the people in the photo and give a

description of what the photo is about. Provide a short title for the article. Always try

to highlight sponsors and partners, because they will be tagged and receive good

exposure and recognition. Be sure to include clear photos with captions.

Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour is now responsible for the blog and the

Facebook pages.

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General Secretary Michael Romei invited delegates to go to the UICH website to

download the new “Chartre.” It is a particularly nice thing to include in pinning

ceremonies.

General Secretary Michael Romei quickly paged through his “Customer Service

Magic” presentation, part of an educational initiative he developed and continues to

offer to interested sections. General Secretary Romei offers training to travel

consultants at various American Express call centers, as well, educating them on how

to work more effectively with Les Clefs d’Or.

This is General Secretary Romei’s final year on the Executive Committee. He

concluded his presentation by saying “I’m not leaving you. I will always be here.” He

has provided the incoming Secretaries with all the necessary tools and training, and

will continue to mentor them as necessary. “You are in trusted hands. Thank you for

the privilege to have served.”

Brand & Social Media Presentation

Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour shared a detailed presentation with

delegates (copies of this presentation may be obtained upon request by contacting Mr.

Ridenour at james.ridenour@ihg.com).

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 (members are welcome to ask Mr. Ridenour for a copy

of this report). 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. Delegates can learn more

about Mr. Whipps by visiting www.underbrand.com. Mr. Whipps is an expert in

building brands and designing websites and social media platforms. For a fee of

$10,000, he will design a brand new website and refresh all the social media; the

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

series that InterContinental Hotels does. 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 General Managers). All

sponsors will be highlighted, and there will be a link to a ‘members only’ section of

the site.

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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 we refer to ourselves by

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

Gold Keys. Moving forward, members should become used to using only the

following:

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 crossed keys

(not the circular logo, which is more confusing and harder to remember).

Assistant General Secretary Ridenour is putting 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.

“Les Clefs d’Or is not fulfilling its potential; it’s time to change that.”

At the conclusion of his report, Assistant Secretary Ridenour received a unanimous

show of hands in support of his proposal.

First Vice President’s Report

First Vice President Colin Toomey began his report by complimenting James

Ridenour on his presentation. He is confident the society will experience continuity

and success in the coming years. Thanks to the Virtual Paris Office, delegates can

now go to a central website to look at minutes, reports, etc., all in great depth.

First Vice President Toomey briefly reviewed his activities over the past year,

including travel to Malaysia, Greece, New Zealand, Indonesia, and India. In every

location, he has always received wonderful hospitality.

There are two major issues he wanted to share with delegates: (1) the status of the

China section and (2) Indonesia’s application.

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China. Statutory compliance in China has been an unresolved issue for a number of

years. In an effort to rectify this situation, all correspondence is now being

documented. At the Board of Directors meeting, the trail of correspondence was

distributed and much discussion ensued.

First Vice President Toomey has been working with China on three major issues:

(1) As President, is John Sun Dong compliant with Article IV of the statutes (a

full-time hotel lobby concierge)?

(2) John Sun Dong must no longer allow 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) China has developed a two-tiered membership system where international

members wear Bucherer keys, and Les Clefs d’Or China national members

wear replicas of those keys. This practice must cease.

As it stands, China’s response to these three points has been:

(1) John Sun Dong is no longer the President. Jason Zhan is now the President,

and John Sun Dong is the “Founding President.” This change of office was

only recently revealed to the Executive Committee while Les Clefs d’Or

China says the change took place in 2011.

(2) GKIA has agreed to cease using the gold key logo or images, and to refrain

from using any Les Clefs d’Or members in their operations.

(3) The two-tier system remains a problem. The Executive Committee has

suggested that China establish a separate, national association that uses an

entirely different insignia, and that they no longer refer to themselves as

members of “Les Clefs d’Or China.”

At the Board of Directors, a decision was taken to give China one more year to make

these concessions real and binding. If, in Dubai, China is still noncompliant, the

Board of Directors will take further steps.

In addition to these three issues, it has recently come to light that China’s statutes are

noncompliant, and this situation will also be addressed.

Indonesia. Shortly before the Kuala Lumpur meeting, the Executive Committee

received an application from Indonesia to become a member section. There are

currently 16 members in the Indonesia Society and the section is adherent to

Singapore. First Vice President Toomey, along with Presidents Edwin Saldanha and

Syed Mussadiq, visited Indonesia and conducted a site inspection in March.

Prior to the inspection, it became apparent that there were issues with the application

as well as issues with how the Executive Committee administered the application.

The Executive Committee had no option but to reject the application at this time.

They have pledged to help Indonesia with its forward path, working closely with their

sponsoring country, Singapore, in the hopes of being able to submit a revised

application before the next Executive Committee meeting (toward the end of this

year). The application could then come before the Board of Directors to

reject/approve in Dubai. If approved, a site inspection would ensue during the

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following year, and Indonesia could be admitted as early as the 2017 Congress in

Berlin.

First Vice President Toomey said “We’ve learned some valuable lessons. We need to

fully understand the statutes and apply them in each and every way.” He feels sorry

for Indonesia; most likely, they did not get the support and guidance they needed. On

the other hand, he wanted to point out that, during his site inspection, the Indonesian

Society was very professional and hospitable, with passionate and engaged members

in both Jakarta and Bali.

Concluding his report, First Vice President Toomey thanked the Executive Committee

for their camaraderie and professionalism. They have accomplished a lot over the

past two years. He looks forward to the next two.

Second Vice President’s Report

Second Vice President Simon Thomas gave his report. He attended the Danish AGM

to speak about and promote Les Clefs d’Or and its values. He used General Secretary

Michael Romei’s PowerPoint presentation to deliver the message. It is a great tool to

demonstrate the rich history, value and international reach of Les Clefs d’Or.

Second Vice President Thomas was pleased to be able to attend the French gala last

year.

Second Vice President Thomas did a radio interview with Peter Greenberg, a very

respected and knowledgeable travel writer. He was surprised that Mr. Greenberg

found Les Clefs d’Or a bit mysterious and vague. In fact, Mr. Greenberg said he

learned a lot from speaking to the group yesterday.

Second Vice President Thomas attended the 2nd European Congress. It was an

excellent evolution from the year prior. So much so, that he thinks it could become a

blueprint of how Europe should proceed. The event makes it possible for more

people to attend and participate, especially those who might not be able to travel to

international events. It is also a good way to show Les Clefs d’Or to General

Managers.

The Executive Committee meeting in Athens was particularly notable for Second

Vice President Thomas. There were definitive actions made and future plans

developed, with an abundance of time to conduct business. Second Vice President

Thomas really believes the organization is moving forward into a new era.

Second Vice President Thomas achieved both of the goals he’d set for the past year:

(1) There is now an action list to drive the organization forward. Jacob Detering

put it on a Google drive, so now the Executive Committee has a live document

that everyone can alter and update. There are many more issues than just

China and Indonesia. The action list helps the Executive Committee stay on

track, assign jobs productively, and follow progress.

(2) American Express sponsorship is up substantially. Last year, they distributed

a combined $97,800 to UICH and national sections worldwide. Second Vice

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President Thomas has worked hard to develop a relationship with American

Express that is one of company to company, not individual to individual. He

believes the partnership continues to strengthen.

Second Vice President Thomas has enjoyed chairing the educational committee. He

was pleased with how the educational day flowed yesterday. It is time for him to pass

that torch on to another individual. Fresh blood and new eyes are what move the

association forward.

Third Vice President’s Report

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac gave his report. There is now a virtual Paris

office. Members can go to www.uichlesclefsdor.org, input the password and find a

wealth of information such as statutes (international and national), minutes, forms,

etc.

The official UICH website has a new look and its address is www.lesclefsdor.org.

In the past week, a second version of the Book of Members was launched. The new

version works well with I-Phones and Androids. Members can go to

www.lesclefsdor.net, input their logon credentials, and search for colleagues via a

variety of sort fields.

Third Vice President Levéjac asked for a show of hands on how many members have

used the Book of Members. About half of the hands in the room went up. He

encouraged all members to make use of this tool. Because it is digital, the association

has realized a huge cost savings. When printed, the Book of Members was outdated

before it arrived in the mail. This problem is now eliminated, too, but it hinges on

member participation and an effective administrator for each section.

Third Vice President Levéjac explained that members have a choice to allow their

profiles to be public or private. By default, all member information is private in order

to adhere to privacy laws. If members want their profiles to be public, there is a

toggle switch on the site where they can change their settings.

Third Vice President Levéjac has enjoyed chairing the Andy Pongco Committee. He

thanked President Shujaat Khan for his help. The award process and participation

gets better every year. In particular, it is great to see the friendships that the nominees

develop.

Third Vice President Levéjac has worked diligently on zoning issues over the past

year. There are now job descriptions in place for each zone director, and this is a

good start. There is more work to be done.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé gave a recap of the 2014 fiscal year. At year end,

UICH realized a net profit of about 9,000 Euro. The bank balance as of December 31,

2014, was 198,054 Euro. Norway and Romania still owe subscription fees for 2014.

Treasurer Boutillé reviewed the profit and loss statement line by line. The report may

be found by visiting the virtual Paris office. Posting the report online allows for more

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timely distribution and gives the Board of Directors more time to digest the

information before a meeting.

Treasurer Boutillé asked the Board of Directors to approve the report. The report was

approved and ratified by the General Assembly by a unanimous show of hands.

2015 Budget. Treasurer Boutillé explained that the 2015 year will be a short one

since the fiscal year will now end on October 31. He asked delegates to keep this in

mind when looking at the 2015 budget figures.

Treasurer Boutillé reviewed the budget line by line. He expects the organization to

incur expenses totaling 177,620 Euro, and to take in total income of 165,300 Euro.

Therefore, he expects a net loss at the end of 2015 of about 12,320 Euro.

Treasurer Boutillé also prepared a preliminary budget for 2016, which must be in

place because the start of the next fiscal year begins on November 1, 2015. He

anticipates 2016 expenses to total 153,000 Euro and income to total 166,000 Euro, for

an expected net gain of 13,000 Euro at year end.

Treasurer Boutillé asked the Board of Directors to approve the 2015 and 2016

budgets. The budgets were approved and then ratified by the General Assembly by a

unanimous show of hands.

Report by the President’s Representative in the Paris Office

President Dominique Guidetti’s primary duty on the Executive Committee is to

oversee the Paris office. He explained that there is a new staff member, Mr. Michael

Fitting, who is filling in until Ms. Esther Baldocchi returns in September.

President Guidetti enjoys greeting members and showing them the Paris office. He

encouraged delegates to visit the office if they are in Paris. Last year, President

Guidetti was pleased to welcome President Dimitrios Liapis and President Simon

Delcomminette, who brought his entire Luxembourg delegation with him.

Future Congress Presentations

Dubai. President Abey Sam was proud to present Dubai as the location for the 63rd

International Congress. The dates are April 10-15, 2016. Delegates saw a video on

Dubai. President Sam announced the prices. Early bird prices, from October through

December, are USD $1450 for a single and USD $1250 for a double. Afterward, the

price will be USD $1675 for a single and USD $1450 for a double. (Double Room

price reduction offered)

Berlin. The 64th International Congress will be in Berlin on March 23-28, 2017.

Korea. President Jini Lee spoke hopes to host the 2018 in Seoul. More details will be

forthcoming at next year’s congress.

Asian Congress – Japan. On behalf of President Masumi Tajima, Ms. Mayako

Sumiyoshi and Mr. Osamu Hamasaki invited everyone to attend the Asian meeting in

Tokyo, August 24-27, 2015.

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Pan-American Congress – Quebec. President Carolina Avaria announced that the

next Pan-American Congress will be held in Montreal March 9-13, 2016.

European Congress. The first Pan-European congress was held in Bucharest in 2013.

The second one was held in Vienna in 2014. There are three countries interested in

hosting this year’s congress – Finland, Portugal and Great Britain (in Scotland).

Sponsor Presentations

American Express. Les Clefs d’Or was pleased to have Mr. Gerald Parent, Ms. Judy

Johnstone, and Ms. Amy Johnson with them today. Ms. Sophia Skinner was unable

to attend; however, she presented a very lovely video message highlighting our long-

term relationship and relaying various updates of American Express.

American Express is celebrating 100 years of travel service this year. They are

pleased with the way relations are improving with Les Clefs d’Or, and to this end,

they implemented the following three initiatives this past year:

Access – in 2014, American Express handled over 650,000 requests from

Lifestyle customers (mostly dining and ticketing). She thanked Les Clefs d’Or

members for helping her service these requests.

Education – Over 500 staff from 11 markets have now attended a Les Clefs

d’Or “Master Class.” There are particularly strong relationships between

travel counselors and Les Clefs d’Or members in Great Britain, Hong Kong,

and Australia. The German section offers travel counselors “lunch and learn”

sessions, and also produces quarterly trend reports on “What’s hot?” In the

United States, General Secretary Michael Romei travels to call centers and

gives classes on what Les Clefs d’Or is, and how travel counselors should

interact with Les Clefs d’Or members. American Express acknowledged that

it “missed the boat” by directing travel counselors to do it all on their own.

The point of Mr. Romei’s training is to say “We don’t do this on our own. We

do it with Les Clefs d’Or partners who deserve our recognition.” As a result

of the training, the level of understanding of the importance of the Clefs d’Or

partnership has significantly increased.

Customer/Guest Share – In 2014, American Express travel counselors booked

a total of 590,000 room nights. This focus is a pillar for 2015. By working

together, Les Clefs d’Or and American Express can truly demonstrate a

competitive advantage. There is a pilot program in London that offers

customers a “warm welcome.” Travel counselors explain Les Clefs d’Or to

the guest, and when the guest arrives, he/she is greeted personally by the Clefs

d’Or member who will care for them during their stay.

American Express has enjoyed working with Second Vice President Simon Thomas

over the past year. They appreciate his honest feedback and his willingness to address

and fix issues.

International New York Times. Mr. Patrice Monti addressed delegates. He began by

saying what a fervent supporter he is of Les Clefs d’Or on an international level. The

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International New York Times offers a Digital Hotel Program which gives unlimited

access to www.NYTimes.com and its international edition, www.INYT.com. It also

includes unlimited access to CN.NYTimes.com, a Chinese-language site.

The program is optimized for all web-enabled devices. It is particularly guest-

friendly. There is no paywall. Guests simply connect to Wi-Fi, go to the newspaper’s

website, and enjoy. There is no app to download; no hassle.

To sign up, a hotel simply gives its IP address to the International New York Times.

The Times then provides promotional materials to help the hotel sell the paper to its

guests. There is no technical investment whatsoever. The overall cost to the hotel is

less than .10 per room per day.

Delegates are invited to visit www.nytimes.com/hotel for more information.

Mr. Monti shared current reader statistics:

43 million users/month

538 million page views/month

910,000 digital-only subscribers

Digital is a good complement to print. The International New York Times has a large

footprint in the hotel industry. They are opening new avenues for hotels to offer the

world’s best journalism to their guests. Since the program launched in January 2014,

220 hotels have become clients, all of them major luxury, upscale brands. Mr. Monti

thanked Les Clefs d’Or for being instrumental in making the program so successful.

The Times tailors its articles for domestic and international audiences. They try to

make everything captivating and entertaining. They have 50 bureaus in and outside

the USA and over 100 editorial staff. They produce about 150 articles per day. The

Times manages 25 blogs and puts out 180 interactive stories per month. The focus is

on dynamic multimedia. They produce 50-75 videos weekly.

What is best for the guest? A modern, dynamic, constantly updated, and highly

entertaining news solution that makes the most of digital technology and that they can

enjoy on any device? Or a pdf collection from various newspapers from the previous

day? The answer is obvious. Most guests are now using smart phones, not laptops or

computers, to consume their news. They are looking for updated websites, not digital

replicas or pdf’s.

Bucherer. Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour invited Ms. Cecile Gameiro

to the podium to unveil a new social pin for members. The pin is of the crossed keys

rather than the circular logo, which is more difficult to discern.

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

These new pins do not replace the old ones; they are simply another option, and part

of the branding initiative Assistant Secretary Ridenour is undertaking. He believes

that the new pin will give instant recognition to Les Clefs d’Or members on social

occasions.

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Andy Pongco Award

Third Vice President Roderick Levéjac asked members of the judging panel to come

to the stage. He also invited Ms. Cecile Gameiro from Bucherer to remain on stage.

The candidates were announced.

Australia David Luff, Assistant Chef Concierge, Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

Austria Johannes Hausberger, Concierge, Hotel Bristol Vienna

Brazil Carmen Gonzalez, Concierge, JW Marriott Rio de Janeiro

Canada Veronique Bourgeault, Chateau Champlain Montreal

Chinese Taipei Jasmine Fang-Zu Pai, Concierge Team Leader, W Hotel Taipei

France Olivier Delmasse, Hermitage Monte Carlo, Monaco

Germany Alexander Hohmann, Ritz-Carlton Berlin

Great Britain Alixandra Mellor, Assistant Head Concierge, Charlotte Street Hotel

Holland Priscilla Overdiek, Concierge, Hotel Des Indes, Den Haag

Malaysia Mohamad Razif Bin Zulkifli, The Andaman Langkawi

Russia Maria Maksimova, Lotte Hotel Moscow

Singapore Mohamad Hifni, Concierge, InterContinental Singapore

Spain Alberto Perez Carrillo, Concierge, Hotel Mandarin, Barcelona

UAE Maria Ela Lanzanas, Fairmont Dubai

USA Sarah Dandashy, Concierge, London West Hollywood

Hublot is the proud sponsor for this year’s Andy Pongco Award. The Committee

thanked Mrs. Capucine Huard and Mr. Philippe Tardivel for their support and

contribution. Hublot’s sponsorship will make it possible for this year’s winner to

attend next year’s International Congress in Dubai.

Third Vice President Levéjac invited delegates to go the virtual Paris office to look at

the candidates’ exams.

Because it was such a very close competition this year, Third Vice President Levéjac

announced the top three winners:

3rd Place – Alixandra Mellor, Great Britain

2nd Place – Maria Ela Lanzanas, UAE

1st Place – Sarah Dandashy, USA

All candidates received framed certificates as an acknowledgement.

Ms. Cecile Gameiro surprised winner Sarah Dandashy with a pair of solid gold lapel

keys from Bucherer that included the inscription, “APA 2015.”

The sponsor for next year’s award will be Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.

International Honorary Membership Diplomas

General Secretary Romei distributed international honorary diplomas, as follows:

Argentina Lic. Javier Espina, Ministro de Turismo de Mendoza

Sr. Luis Veiga, "El Viejo Almacen" Tango Show

Sr. Albino Garcia, Restaurant Cabanas Las Lilas

Veronica Bodner, Copax

Sr. Antonio Ruiz, Rojo Tango

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Belgium Mrs. Caroline Huybrechts, Owner Restaurant Scheltema

Brazil Paulo Roberto Correa, Founding Member of Les Clefs d'Or

Rosane Lucas, Chairwoman, Concierge Foundation of Brazil

China Mr. Hu Yun'bo, General Manager of Hangzhou Bay Hotel

Czech Republic Mr. Tomas Janeba, Carollinum

Denmark Mads V. Olesen, Stromma Danmark

Finland Markku Virolainen

Hellas Ms. Helen Zacharia, Guest Relations Manager, Zorbas Restaurant

Hungary Gyorgy Kalmar, Founding Member of Les Clefs d'Or Hungary

India Biswajit Chakraborty

Ireland Henry Anderson

Israel Ilana Goor, Owner of Ilana Goor Gallery

Italy D.ssa Lucia Morgano, Director of S.I.A. (Sosieta Italiana Alberghi)

Korea Matthew Cooper, General Manager of JW Marriott Seoul

Macau Mr. VONG, Kok Seng, Vice President-Board of Directors – Macao

Chamber of Commerce

Morocco El Houcine Yassine

New Zealand Franz Staufer, Past President Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand

Norway Kim Ertsas, Past President, Les Clefs d'or Norway

Portugal Rogerio Santos Ventura, C.O.P WebMaster

Russia Alexander Bobylev, GM Baltschug LLC

Spain Angel Masa Martinez, Honorary President Les Clefs d’Or Spain

Miguel Amnegual Cifre, Hotel Owner in Baleares Island

Thailand Ms. Noppart Aumpa

Turkey Ferda Aydin Ugurlu, Owner of ESOP Group

UAE Redwan El Juma

USA Marjorie Silverman

Michael Romei

President Vrettos gave special recognition to Secretary Romei again for all of his

dedication and tenure to the Executive Committee and for receiving this special

Honorary Diploma. Secretary Romei received a standing ovation.

Executive Committee Nominee Presentations

The new 2015 Zone Directors were announced:

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Americas – President Shujaat Khan

Western Europe – Mr. Paul Still

Central Europe – President Tamas Ungar

Mediterranean – President Dimitrios Liapis

Oceania – President Shawn Ryan

The directors of Scandinavia and Asia will not be selected until after the Third Vice

President election results are determined.

Election speeches were heard from each of the candidates, as follows:

Mr. Colin Toomey, running unopposed for International President. He wants his

mandate to be “identity.” Les Clefs d’Or is not as well defined as it should be. The

association needs to improve on its education, networking, and communication. It is

time to look closely at the statutes -- identify those that need updating and adhere to

those that are in place. When the Executive Committee makes a mistake, it is either

misinterpretation of the statutes, or a lack of will in enforcing the statutes. “Identity

and purpose can only be built on a solid platform, and we must adhere to the statutes

always and ever, not just when it suits us.”

Mr. Toomey is pleased to support Assistant Secretary Ridenour’s branding initiative.

Les Clefs d’Or has to figure out how to send a consistent message to the public, hotel

management, guests, and partners/sponsors. But it is equally important that we

communicate with each other. Over two-thirds of members have never been to an

international congress. Mr. Toomey’s goal is to engage the entire membership.

Mr. Toomey thanked the Executive Committee and the Australian section for their

support. He thanked the members for their trust. He paid homage to Tony Facciolo,

who would be very proud today, and thanked General Secretary Michael Romei for

his energy and dedication.

Mr. Simon Thomas, running unopposed for First Vice President. Mr. Thomas

congratulated Mr. Toomey on his incumbent presidency. He looks forward to being a

good right-hand man, lending support to the entire Executive Committee. Mr.

Thomas will focus on consistently updating the Committee’s action plans and

tracking them on the ever-evolving roadmap that he has put into place.

Mr. Thomas thanked President Emmanuel Vrettos for his leadership. “He has been a

calm and measured guiding force.” Mr. Thomas also thanked General Secretary

Michael Romei, the Executive Committee, and the Great Britain section for

supporting him.

Mr. Roderick Levéjac, running unopposed for Second Vice President. Mr.

Levéjac is looking forward to the next mandate. He characterized himself as a

creative individual who will try to bring new approaches to future congresses. He

looks forward to the continual improvement of the digital Book of Members. He has

ideas for revisions to the International Review, which he thinks could be a good

vehicle to communicate with the outside world. All of his actions are driven by the

question, “What do we give to our members?”

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Mr. Levéjac thanked the Executive Committee and the Zone Directors for their hard

work. He thanked the Comité des Sages and, in particular, Ms. Marjorie Silverman

for her sage wisdom and gentle guidance.

For Third Vice President. Three candidates were vying for this position, and

speeches were heard from each:

Denmark – Mr. Anders Ruggiero. His platform is to increase educational

benefits for members to improve the flow of communication between Zone

Directors and the Executive Committee, and to look after present member

sections before expanding too fast. When accepting new countries, it should

be done thoughtfully, with full compliance of the statutes and a respect for the

history of the association.

India – Mr. Edwin Saldanha. His platform is to focus on Asia – to help China

with its problems and to establish the concierge profession in areas where it

doesn’t yet exist: Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Kenya.

United States – Mr. Maurice Dancer. His platform is on promoting the values

and motto of Les Clefs d’Or. He is a consensus builder who recognizes the

importance of protocol and diversity, and who believes education is the

cornerstone of the association.

Mr. Jean-Roland Boutillé, running unopposed for Treasurer. This will be Mr.

Boutillé’s fifth mandate and he has seen much improvement over his 10-year tenure.

Les Clefs d’Or’s financial future is secure enough that the Executive Committee can

begin making some really good investments in new projects. Mr. Boutillé thanked

both the French and Swiss sections for their support. He appreciates the confidence

that members have placed in him.

Mr. James Ridenour, running unopposed for General Secretary. Mr. Ridenour

is well aware of the massive job he is about to fill. He thanked Mr. Romei for his

tutelage, mentoring and constant support. He is thankful that Mr. Romei will continue

to guide him as he assumes his leadership role. Mr. Ridenour is proud to be serving

under Mr. Colin Toomey’s mandate. He wished to thank the Australia section and

the many members who have encouraged him on his journey.

Mr. Jacob Detering, running unopposed for Assistant General Secretary. Mr.

Detering thanked the Australian section for supporting him. He loves the profession

and wants to be a part of its future direction. He does not want or need to be visible,

he just wants to help. Mr. Detering thanked the Executive Committee for embracing

him over the past few months. It has been a privilege to sit in and see how they work.

Messrs. Roger Bastoni and Robert Watson oversaw the election process and tallied

the votes.

President Vrettos read the results:

For President – Mr. Colin Toomey received 35 votes

For First Vice President, Mr. Simon Thomas received 35 votes

For Second Vice President, Mr. Roderick Levéjac received 35 votes

For Third Vice President:

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o Mr. Anders Ruggiero received 22 votes

o Mr. Edwin Saldanha received 11 votes

o Mr. Maurice Dancer received 4 votes

For General Secretary – Mr. James Ridenour received 35 votes

For Assistant General Secretary – Mr. Jacob Detering received 35 votes

For Treasurer – Mr. Jean-Roland Boutillé received 35 votes

Remarks from the Sages

Mr. Roger Bastoni gave the address from the Sages. He was pleased to see how

professionally the Executive Committee conducted their business and retained

everyone’s attention so closely throughout the day.

Mr. Bastoni reminded delegates to always use good manners. Speeches require

silence. Cell phones should be turned off.

He reiterated that although the Branding Presentation is a great idea, we must

remember that Les Clefs d’Or is not a corporation but a nonprofit organization and we

must always remain professional in every way.

Were Mr. Bastoni to choose one word to describe this congress, he would say

“delighted.” He’s delighted by the expansion of the Andy Pongco Award and its

elegant representatives. He’s delighted that President Emmanuel Vrettos stopped the

General Assembly numerous times in order to ask if delegates had questions and to

encourage them to speak.

President’s Concluding Remarks

President Emmanuel Vrettos hopes everyone found the General Assembly fruitful and

productive. He thanked delegates for their participation. He would have preferred

more participation and again encouraged delegates to speak freely and not be

intimidated. “From your ideas come the Executive Committee’s directives.”

President Vrettos is proud and privileged to have served the last two years. The

association can achieve significant advances when working as a team. He thanked his

entire Committee, one by one. His mandate was to create an open and transparent

association and he feels he’s accomplished this task.

The meeting adjourned.