Les Clefs d'Or® International Revue | Winter/Spring 2015 No. 210 (Update) by Les Clefs d'Or®

REVUE

THE CONCIERGE TRAVELLER

LES CLEFS D'OR Revue de l'Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hotels

CONSEILLES DES SAGES R. BASTONI J.M. BAUTISTA A. DAMONTE (deceased) W. FREYTAG A. GIACOMELLO A. GUNST (deceased) D. OBRIEN A. SCHNEIDER M. SILVERMAN R. WATSON

(FRANCE) (SPAIN) (GREAT BRITAIN) (GERMANY) (SWITZERLAND) (HUNGARY) (IRELAND) (AUSTRIA) (UNITED STATES) (UNITED STATES)

MEMBRES D'HONNEUR J. DESJEUNES A. OSTERTAG

(FRANCE) (SWITZERLAND)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE International President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President 3rd Vice President Treasurer General Secretary Assistant General Secretary Representative for International President in Paris

EMMANUEL VRETTOS Hotel Mistral, Athens, Greece COLIN TOOMEY Shangri-La Hotel, Sydney, Australia SIMON THOMAS Lanesborough Hotel, London, England RODERICK LEVÉJAC Four Seasons George V, Paris, France JEAN-ROLAND BOUTILLÉ La Reserve, Geneve, Switzerland MICHAEL ROMEI The Waldorf Towers, New York, NY USA JAMES RIDENOUR InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto Australia DOMINIQUE GUIDETTI Park Hyatt Vendome, Paris, France

Director of Publication MICHAEL ROMEI Coordinator of Information MICHAEL ROMEI ZONE DIRECTORS AMERICAS ASIA OCEANIA CENTRAL EUROPE MEDITERRANEAN SCANDINAVIA WESTERN EUROPE

J. MILLS E. SALDANHA S RYAN T. UNGAR D. LIAPIS A. RUGGIERO S. DELCOMMINETTE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS (45 MEMBER SECTION COUNTRIES) ARGENTINA AUSTRALIA AUSTRIA BELGIUM BRAZIL CANADA CHINA CHINESE TAIPEI CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREAT BRITAIN HELLAS (GREECE) HOLLAND HONG KONG HUNGARY INDIA IRELAND ISRAEL ITALY JAPAN KOREA LUXEMBOURG MACAU MALAYSIA MEXICO MOROCCO NEW ZEALAND NORWAY PHILIPPINES POLAND PORTUGAL QATAR ROMANIA RUSSIA SINGAPORE SPAIN SWITZERLAND THAILAND TURKEY U.A.E UNITED STATES

M. MORELLI P. MCBREARTY C. PARAL M. VAN CLEVE G. BORGES C. AVARIA J. SUN DONG A. LAI P. ZEZULA A. RUGGIERO P. GAUDIO D. GUIDETTI T. MUNKO A. LYNCH D. LIAPIS B. MACKENZIE F. LUI T. UNGAR E. SALDANHA P. FITZSIMMONS R. ALKELAI M. PAONESSA M. TAJIMA J. LEE S. DELCOMMINETTE S. IONG R. KUMARASAMY J.A. MONZON M. TAOUFIK S. RYAN O.A. FOSSBAKKEN M. HAYAKAWA P. PRASULA J. ALVES R. SANTOS C. MALUREANU P. NIKOLAEV S. MUSADDIQ M. PIZARRO M. PIERRAIN S. THONG-ON A. ONER A. SAM S. KHAN

Cover design by JACOB DETERING Acting 2nd Assistant Gen Secretary

Cover photo by PAUL RUMPFF Graphic design and printing Montreal, QC., CANADA cascomkt@aol.com L’opinion exprimée dans la revue n’engage que ses auteurs et ne saurait en aucun cas engager l’UICH “Les Clefs d’Or”

UICH LES CLEFS D’OR REVUE

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

Post-Humous International President ANDY PONGCO (PHILIPPINES)

Winter - Spring 2015 No 210

Message from the International President Message from the International General Secretary France Great Britain Germany Ireland Italy Switzerland Denmark Belgium Spain Argentina Australia Brazil Canada Chinese Taipei Czech Republic Finland Hungary Holland Hong Kong Hellas India Japan Korea Luxembourg Macau Malaysia New Zealand Qatar Singapore Sweden Thailand USA UAE

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Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels LES CLEFS D’OR OBJET : Regrouper les Membres ou les Sections Nationales ayant pour appellation LES CLEFS D’OR Siège Social : 12, rue Cambon - 75001 PARIS Tél.: 33-1-42-60-77-57 Fax: 33-1-42-60-17-44 Association Loi 1901 déclarée à la Préfecture. Paris Website: www.uichlesclefsdor.org Blog: www.lesclefsdor.wordpress.com

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

MESSAGE FROM OUR

INTERNATIONAL UICH PRESIDENT

Dear colleagues, dear friends, The second edition of our Review is now online, which I am sure you will enjoy and distribute to your members, sponsors and partners. I would like to thank all sections for contributing, one way or another, to create this Review, and I invite you to continue involving yourselves with this and other projects that showcase how our profession and our association serve hotel guests in the best possible way. In two months we will all meet in Mendoza, Argentina, for our 62nd International Congress. President Mario Morelli, his Board and the Organizing Committee have done their very best to provide all delegates the warmest welcome and the most pleasant stay. They have worked hard to organize this congress to be interesting, educational, fruitful and productive. Their commitment, dedication, and timeless efforts deserve our support, our appreciation, and our warm applause. The Executive Committee has organized a remarkable educational day and a challenging Andy Pongco Award. We promised at the beginning of this mandate to do things differently, and I believe we have had an interesting, efficient and productive term. In encourage you to evaluate and comment on our different projects, ideas, and practices during our meeting discussions. I would like to wish each and every one of you a year full of energy, innovation, challenges and achievements. I look forward to seeing you all in Mendoza, In friendship, Emmanuel Vrettos President, UICH “Les Clefs d’Or”

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MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

UICH GENERAL SECRETARY UICH REVUE EDITOR

UICH WINTER 2015 REVUE -

WELCOME MESSAGE FROM MICHAEL ROMEI

Dear Friends and Colleagues, I am delighted to present to you another edition of our most historic UICH REVUE Winter-2015 Magazine. As you can see from the cover Page; this particular edition is devoted to the “Concierge Traveller Within Us.” Beneath every pair of Golden Keys lies the soul of an explorer. Concierges, by nature, are globally curious individuals who seek out experiences in the nooks and crannies of the world. And perhaps what makes us unique, is that it is in fact our passion, our calling, to share that expertise with our guests. Travel is essential in molding a great concierge. It is through travel and the first-hand experience that travel provides, that we become the experts. As I continue to teach and profess our concierge profession throughout the world; I often mention that one of the best ways to learn our craft is to actually put ourselves in the “shoes of our guests and customers.” This allows us to truly guide and serve in a deeply personal way. We are therefore the premier resource at our hotels, and the better we know the world, the better we can be of service. Attending our meetings and congresses throughout the world also adds to this important experience. We are now getting ready to attend another Congress in a most unique travel destination: Mendoza, Argentina; the capital of the latest and fastest growing “EnoTourism” or wine destination. Mendoza will prove to not only enhance our strong camaraderie but also to experience and share together the fascinating local culture and wonderful world of wine. Vive Les Clefs d’Or and see you all in Mendoza!

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

FRANCE

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

Let us introduce you to our new member: Monsieur Antoine. Monsieur Antoine is always smiling, he is the representative of the charity section Les Clefs d’Or. He owes his name to the character played by Pierre Fresnay in the french movie « L’homme aux clés d’Or » . This mascot is our way to communicate about the association in a joyful and modern style. Every month he tells us about the news of our association in his chronicles which are edited in a newsletter. More than 50 events took place in 2014. We were very busy. Let’s talk about the most significant ones. The Annual Gala March 21st. To accomplish his work, a concierge has to have talent. So the idea was to reward the best concierge for his artistic talent. It’s how “Les Clefs d’Or’s Got Talent” was created. So we asked VIP members to be our jury, such as a champion boxer, an actor and a famous television presenter. It was a memorable evening.

Our customary return from the summer holiday party was this year a very special event!! We celebrated the 85th anniversary of the « Clefs d’Or » France. What better place to celebrate it than at the famous « Brasserie » La Coupole, located in the historical art area of Montparnasse, which opened in 1927! We experienced again a 1930s fancy-dress party. This event was full of surprises: Brass band during the dinner, burlesque show directed by « La baronne de Paname », contest of the best 1930s suit and a jazz band to dance to. Take a look at the following link: http://www.clefsdor-france.org/asso5/Videos/Lacoupole2014.mp4. Hope you will enjoy!!

FPE 2014_2015 We are glad to announce that M. Alain Ducasse, famous chef, is the godfather of the new class FPE.

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National Congress of Les Clefs d’Or 2015 in Monaco During the weekend of November 14th, more than 200 concierges, partners and friends gathered in the famous Principality of Monaco. What a wonderful setting for Clefs d’Or to shine! These three days were full of delights. We were welcomed by a cocktail in the Monaco Casino, where we had the honour to be welcomed by Prince Albert II de Monaco. Saturday was a busy day, with the traditional work meeting, M. Alain Ducasse as a special guest, and many awards given out with an amazing lunch at Joél Robuchon's restaurant at the Metropole Hotel. Following our involvement in Les Coeurs d’Or, the congress members participated in the « No Finish Line », a charity race in which you can run or walk without any minimum. Runners of the team were wearing yellow t-shirts and did a great job!! Our gala event was an exceptional evening, with dinner cooked by six Michelin-starred cooks. In short: Tentez Monte Carlo.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

FRANCE

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

End of the year dinner in the Picasso Museum and Ceremony of new Clefs d’Or. This year we welcomed no less than 25 new Clefs d’Or members and organised the ceremony in the hôtel Le Meurice. We decorated also four members after 25 years of membership. We had the honor to be invited to celebrate the end of the year with an exclusive and private dinner at the famous Picasso Museum . What a privilege! It was the first private dinner since the grand reopening. We had the chance to visit the museum privately during cocktails, and we dined within the masterpieces.

We are proud to count more than 700 likes to our facebook page. Thank you to everyone for the support! Please welcome Mickaël as the new secretary of Les Clefs d’Or France and of UICH, replacing Esther, who is gone for a sabbatical year.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

GREAT BRITAIN

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

Article for the International Revue By Jose Pauco on behalf of the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth. The following summarises the Society’s activities in 2014: January 2014 Congratulations to James Elliott, Assistant Head Concierge at the Renaissance St. Pancras Hotel in London for winning the Andy Pongco Award at the 61st UICH congress in Malaysia.

April 2014 The Society of the Golden Keys held its 62nd Anniversary Cocktail Party at the Corinthia Hotel, London, on 15 April 2014. General managers, Golden Keys members, associate members and key hospitality industry professionals were in attendance. Last February 2014 at the annual Ladies Night event, the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth raised £2860 in a raffle held at the Royal Gardens Hotel. The Society generously matched this amount and a cheque for the grand total of £5720 was presented by Antony Lynch on behalf of the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth to Giuliana Vittiglio, Senior Fundraising and Marketing Executive, Hospitality Action. Over the last 11 years, the Society has raised and donated over £74,000 to Hospitality Action.

May 2014 Concierge Roadshow held at the Royal National Hotel, Russell Square, London on 15th May 2014. An educational day where concierges are given the opportunity to learn about the products and services of Golden Keys Associate Members. A first for the concierge roadshow, James Elliott, winner of the Andy Pongco Award, was present to discuss the award and the UICH International Congress.

July 2014 The annual Honorary Life members cocktail party held at the Milestone Hotel on 15th July 2014.

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August 2014 The annual Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth Retired Golden Keys Members lunch was held at the Criterion restaurant on Saturday 9th August 2014.

October 2014 On Monday 13th October 2014, Morris Visitor Publications held the Annual Concierge Awards at The Royal Horseguards Hotel.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

GREAT BRITAIN

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

The Awards’ nominees and winners were: CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR - LONDON MEMBER AWARD Sponsored by London & Partners Winner: Paul Walsh, Thistle Marble Arch, London CONCIERGE OF THE YEAR - REGIONAL MEMBER AWARD Sponsored by MasterCard UK Winner: Alan McDougall, Cameron House on Loch Lomond THE SOCIETY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS “SERVICE THROUGH FRIENDSHIP” AWARD Winner: Paul Whittle, Le Meridien Piccadilly Sponsored by Big Bus Company THE SOCIETY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS “LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT”’ AWARD Winner: Ron Crowdy, Royal National Hotel

November 2014 Hotel Cateys Awards Held on Friday 28th November 2014 at Park Plaza Hotel, Westminster Bridge. The caterers, Hotel Cateys, are now in Congratulations to Richard Jenkins, Head Concierge at the Cavendish Hotel, who recently their eighth year, and each year's awards have won Concierge of the Year 2014 at the Boutique been bigger and better than the last. Congratulations to Burak Ipekci, Hotel Awards. The glittering awards ceremony was held on Tuesday 21st October 2014 at the In- Concierge & Lifestyle Manager, South Place Hotel, London who won the Concierge Award sponsored dependent Hotel Show. by the AA.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

GERMANY

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

“BUILD BRIDGES – LIVE VALUES” Report from the 32nd National Meeting of the German Section in Dresden End of August 2014 Our national meeting takes place every two years in different cities throughout Germany. This year, 25 years after the fall of the wall, we held our meeting in the beautiful and amazing city of Dresden, a beautiful place. Approximately 120 participants from all over Germany and the world, such as Šárka Hakenová, Christian Paral, Tamas Ungar, Arshad Khokhar, David Levy and, last but not least, Albert Ostertag joined our congress in Dresden. After our arrival on Thursday, we met at the very famous “Frauenkirche,” historically a very meaningful church, for a guided tour. After that we had a get–together at the Hotel Innside by Melia. We met many “old” and new friends and exchanged plenty of business cards, as there were numerous new members, who had joined our meeting for the first time. On Friday, the second day, we had the opportunity to take part in a guided tour through the wellknown Semper Opera House. Afterwards, we enjoyed the second highlight of the day: the visit and guided tour of the Residenz-Castle with its world famous Green Vault. After this remarkable experience of culture, we took the bus to our next sight: We visited a beautiful natural hot spot called Saechsiche Schweiz. It is an impressing part of nature directly above the Elbe river. We had the opportunity to take a short walk before we were on the bus again to Pillnitz, from where we got on a historical paddlewheel steamer back to Dresden. After our return to Dresden, we travelled by bus to the Glaeserne Manufaktur by Volkswagen, where one gains insight into the production of the Volkswagen Phaeton. They welcomed us with a champagne reception. After our return to the hotels to rest shortly and refresh, we had our dinner at the restaurant Pulverturm – a typical German casual restaurant in the center of Dresden. On Saturday, the most important day of our congress, our national assembly started in the morning. After several presentations from the different German sections, PR, Marketing and Social Media, the election of the new German board took place. Our Treasurer Hans J. Benkwitz and Revisor Joachim Lenk were confirmed for the next four years. Then, we elected Thomas Munko for the next President of the German Section and Florian Weidenbach from Munich for Vice President. Thomas and Florian: All the best wishes for the next two years for you – we are absolutely sure you will do a great job. Our meeting was quite emotional. We are experiencing innovative changes in our section and are truly inspired by what lies ahead. After lunch, the educational part of our meeting was held by Gerhard Fuchs. It is always impressing to follow his guidance. Last but not least, the Gala Evening was on our agenda. It took place at the Hilton Hotel Dresden. They have a beautiful ballroom, where we were served an outstanding dinner, accompanied by a pleasant entertainment program. We truly had a good time together, dining and dancing. After a short night, we met in the morning at 11:00 o’clock for the parting brunch at the Swissotel. We would like to thank Steffen Wolf and the entire section of Sachsen-Thueringen for their great hospitality and perfect organisation of this congress. Fond memories of it will stay with us! The next German Congress will take place in Hamburg in 2016. In service through friendship, Ralf Schuetz PR – Clefs d’Or Germany Photography by Sabine Dennert

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ONCE UPON A TIME www.hotelconcierge.de

Tailor made memories

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

IRELAND

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

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For my first Annual General Meeting as President, I was pleased that everyone enjoyed the congress in Verona from November 13 to 16, 2014. Verona is the beautiful city in which William Shakespeare set his romantic tale of Romeo and Juliet. In addition to the Annual General Meeting, we included a day excursion to the beautiful town of Mantova. For our workshop we invited two General Managers to speak: Mr. Roberto Cappelleto, General Manager of the Hotel Villa Cortine in Sirmione (Garda Lake) and Mr. Luca Finardi, General Manager of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Milan, which opens next spring. Their presentations were inspiring and helped to make our congress a very special occasion. At our congress we also hosted 40 students and two teachers of the Verona Hotel School "IPSSAR Angelo Berti."

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

ITALY

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

I am also very pleased to announce that from the beginning of 2015 Sicily will be part of Les Clefs d’Or Italy as a new Regional Section. Warmest regards, Michele Paonessa President –UIPA Les Clefs d’Or Italy

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SWITZERLAND

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

The main event in Switzerland over the last months was our traditional biennial “Journée des Clefs d’Or Suisse,” which took place in the Hotel Crans-Ambassador in Crans-Montana. All the Swiss Sections were well represented and we had a total of 104 participants. It was a great opportunity to meet friends and colleagues from all over Switzerland.

It was also a unique moment for the four Swiss presidents (from 1976 until today ) and two past international presidents to be together. From left to right: Marc Pierrain (current president), Enzo Bacciochi, past Swiss Treasurer, Claudio Caser, past Swiss president (2002 until 2013), Albert Ostertag, Swiss president (1976 until 1990) and past international president (19861988), Aldo Giacomello, past international president (2001–2003), Peter Wirth, past Swiss president (1990 until 2002). During the ZermattOberwallis general assembly, a new section president was elected: Mr. Roland Margelish. While we congratulate him for his election, we also would like to thank Past President Mr. Franz-Joseph Imbode for his years of dedica-

The Swiss Committee and the local section presidents were invited to visit the prestigious Hotel School l’ Ecole Les Roches.

tion and hard work.

In Graubünden, the General Assembly conducted by Mr. Oliver Assandri took place at the Suvretta House in St. Moritz with the presence of Mr. Peter Wirth (Swiss Past President) and Mr. Cornelius Haug (Swiss treasurer).

Les Clefs d’Or Ticino welcomed UICH General Secretary Michael Romei, with the presence of Swiss Past President Mr. Claudio Caser.

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In Zurich, Swiss President Marc Pierrain, together with Zurich section President Mr. Jérémie Varry, were welcomed by American Express and made a presentation of the profession and Les Clefs d’Or in the offices of American Express Lifestyle And later, in October, a traditional dinner at the Services. Osteria della Posta à Porza organized by section president Mr Giovanni Lia.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SWITZERLAND

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

In Zurich, the General Assembly conducted by In Geneva, the Mayer family, together with Gensection president Jérémie Varry. eral Manager Mr. Ivan Rivier, organized a surprise celebration honoring the 50th anniversary of services in the Beau Rivage for Mr. Aldo Giacomello.

Past presidents Mr. Albert Ostertag and Mr Peter Wirth were present.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

DENMARK

ATTENDED 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CANNES 1952

The 77th birthday of Les Clefs d’Or Denmark On 3 May 2014, we celebrated the 77th birthday of Les Clefs d’Or Denmark at Søren K in the Black Diamond. The evening began with a welcome drink followed by a delicious three-course menu, and ended with a few drinks and a few dances on the dance floor. Our President, Anders Ruggiero, gave a great speech, and this year's Concierge of the Year 2014 was also found. This time the title was awarded to Nete Villaume. Congratulations, it is well deserved! Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks members, partners and Søren K for a great birthday. Bornholm, Bornholm, Bornholm……. On 23 April 2014, Les Clefs d’Or Denmark was invited to experience Strömma’s day trip to Bornholm. We started Wednesday morning at DGI town and went by bus to Ystad where we took the ferry. After some waves and breakfast on the Bornholm ferry, we arrived at Rønne and here we were joined by our tour guide. The next hours we got the pleasure of some of the island's best attractions, including Hammershuus lunch at the Old Post Office in Allinge and the sweets of Gudhjem and Svaneke where we visited a smokehouse. The tour ended with a visit to Østerlars round church and a quick trip to Rytterknægten, the highest point of Bornholm. Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks Strömma for a nice day on the island.

Visit at Ole Lynggaard , Royal Copenhagen & MAD On 22 May 2014, Les Clefs d’Or Denmark had a small shop crawl followed by dinner, this time at Ole Lynggaard, Royal Copenhagen and MAD. The event started at Ole Lynggaard, where we were invited in to their new book launch, looked around the store and enjoyed light snacks and refreshments. Then we all went together to Amagertorv, where we were invited in at Royal Copenhagen, where we got a tour of the premises and tested our creative skills by painting our own cup. The evening ended with a dinner at MAD House of Industry with tastings of their delicious American menu. Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks you all for a lovely evening at Ole Lynggaard, Royal Copenhagen and MAD.

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Tour at Copenhagen Mall and visit to Søren K On 25 June 2014, we were invited to a backstage look at the Copenhagen Mall. We were welcomed with refreshments at the current piano. Then we were allowed to get behind the scenes in the center. The event concluded with a tour of the center. Then we went all together to the Black Diamond, where we were invited inside by Søren K to a small summer snack to end the evening. Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks Copenhagen Mall for showcasing the great center, and thanks to Søren K for the small event afterwards. Grønnegårdsteatret TLes Clefs d’Or Denmark held its Golden Keys annual Grønnegårds event on 16 August 2014. As usual, the event began with the year's cosiest picnic in the King's garden with food from Restaurant Kofoed, Chico's Cantin, Cofoco, Reinwalds, Era Ora/Che-fe and dragon, with dessert and wine provided by Hertz.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

DENMARK

ATTENDED 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CANNES 1952

After a few pleasant hours we went to Odd Fellow Palace, where this year’s play is performed. We had the pleasure to see Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Winsor. Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks members and partners for another good and cosy Grønnegård event.

Christmas Party 2014 Les Clefs d’Or Denmark held its annual Christmas party on 8 November 2014. Again this year, the Christmas party was held at Brødrene Price in Tivoli. The evening featured a delicious three-course menu and more surprises. Again this year, we held a big Christmas lottery between the members, which was sponsored by our partners, and this year there were a few extra surprises: a gift certificate from Liberty Cruise to a lucky member, as well as an extra one to Nete Villaume (Best Western Hotel City) for the great work she has done for Les Clefs d’Or Denmark over the years. The evening also featured a surprise to Jonas Lagoni from Copenhagen Plaza Hotel – he was handed his keys after a successful exam. Les Clefs d’Or Denmark thanks its members and partners for a pleasant evening, and we look forward to next year’s Christmas party.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

BELGIUM

ATTENDED 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CANNES 1952

Dears friends, This year, our chapter has been quite busy and dynamic. We produced a new edition of our magazine focused on the luxury industry, and we invited our friend, the President of the Indian section, Mr. Edwin Saldanha. We were hosted at the "WY" restaurant at the Mercedes House. We took Edwin on a lovely private tour to the magnificent city of Bruges. You may see some pictures of this event following this link: CLEFS D'OR BELGIUM/THE MERCEDES HOUSE on youtube We have enforced our relationships with our partners and set different projects of visits to major houses like les Maisons, Dandoy, Marcolini, le Theatre de La Monnaie, le Palais des "Bozars." We also have very close contacts with the private jets airport "Abelag," with a visit scheduled for January. Marc Neuville, from the Amigo, and President Mariano had the honor to present our association and our profession on a TV Program called Teletourisme on RTBF, the national TV. It was also broadcast on TV5 Monde. Follow this link: www.rtbf/video/tekletourisme les metiers du tourisme We had the pleasure to be invited to Diamondland in Antwerp, thanks to our friends from the Dutch section, Brian Mackenzie and Ben Wahlte. We ended 2014 with our trimestrial gathering with our partners at the Hard Rock Cafe of Brussels. You may follow this link to see some pictures of it: www.Youtube les clefs dor belgium@hard rock cafe 2015 looks full of new discoveries and gatherings, but most of all, it will be full of moments of friendship among our members! Mariano Van Cleve President of Belgium Clefs d’Or mariano.vancleve@clefsdor.be

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“The Concierge Role in the World” Les Clefs d’Or Spain is one the founding members of the well-known UICH. We were there from the very beginning together with our French friends in 1952 in Cannes. That long history brings us together to share with you in this outstanding Revue, today, for the very first time, our success and the important role we play every day as an association in our lovely country, Spain. If you had the chance to explore our important cities – Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Marbella and the Balearic islands, among others – you know what means “lovely” for us. Our feeling, our people, our culture and attractions such as Casa Batllo in Barcelona or San Miguel Market in Madrid, is what makes our country one of the most important places to visit, to live and enjoy. Apart from all that, today you’re reading this because a few weeks ago we experienced a great time at our 53rd Assembly of Les Clefs d’Or Spain in Barcelona, organized by the executive committee of the Catalonia section. As friends around the world, we manage to fight for our association and that gives us the idea to prepare a symposium explaining the present, the past and the future of a concierge. We named it “The Concierge Role in the World.”

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SPAIN

ATTENDED 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CANNES 1952

It was such an achievement! We had students, teachers and our sponsors and friends speaking and explaining about their relationship with us, the concierge. Our dear president, Mr. Manuel Pizarro, opened the meeting and introduced what we were going to do that morning and the value that a concierge has for any luxury hotel in the world because only the concierge can find what the guest needs. Our exposition had this feeling that, no matter what, our duty is to make the stay of our guest the best they had in their entire life and become friends, their best friend. The most important point of all is to show the students the possibilities that such an important profession can offer and increase the interest in it, because in Spain not everybody knows what a concierge does. Furthermore, we exposed the idea that the building where the hotel is can be amazing, we can have a magnificent lobby, even the shower can be made with gold but, at the end of the day, what makes the difference is the service, a smile and a good recommendation. After all, our duty as members of Les Clefs d’Or Spain is to enjoy our profession and encourage every city and every single person to participate in what we do. That’s our goal for this New Year 2015. We are proud of where we are and where the path is taking us. We just need to let us guide by the old and make the path easier for the new. Because “service through friendship” is not just a phrase; it’s part of what we are.

!Vive Les Clefs d’Or and have an amazing year 2015!

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

ARGENTINA

UICH 62nd International Congress Mendoza 2015 Site Inspection January,2015 Tuesday 6th January •Welcome dinner at “El Club de la milanesa” restaurant, located on Ave. Aristides, where most of the bars are located. This restaurant is an option for the “Dine around” or “Free night - Country dinner” Wednesday 7th January • Argentina Rafting site inspection, getting to know the premises and activities for accompanying guests and possibly delegates. No tours or activities were taken due to lack of time, it was a brief visit and this activity is optional. • Lunch at “Fuente y Fonda”, a local, home made food restaurant, serviced by the owners with a local and friendly atmosphere. Possible “Dine around” or “Free night - Country dinner” option. • Sheraton Hotel Site inspection including meeting rooms to be used during the congress (registrations, opening ceremony and Board or directors meeting on the first day). Catering, meeting rooms set ups and IT / Media requirements were discussed with the hotels representatives from Banqueting & Sales department. • Diplomatic Hotel Site inspection. Given that only guest rooms will be taken at this hotel, different categories and common areas were inspected. •Los Toneles Winery site inspection site. We were kindly welcomed with a tour from the main entrance to the main Ballroom where the Gala will take place. Wine and dishes tasting, and an invitation to stay for dinner was gladly accepted.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

ARGENTINA

Thursday 8th January •Atamisque Winery visit. Located one hour away from Mendoza city. Site inspection where the lunch for the last day will be held. Media/ IT, catering and transfers were discussed. The traditional show will be shortened in order not to extend the time of the visit since the Gala will take place that evening and delegates should have enough time to get ready for it. Lunch was a courtesy of the wineyard. •Bustello Convention centre. The most important group acivities will be held at this location: the Educational Day and General Assembly. IT and Media requirements were specified for each meeting. Inspection of the convention centre, common areas, food and beverages set up and VIP lounge. It is a spacious and functional convention centre and ideas came up. Budget will be revised. •Dinner at Azafran restaurant. Possible option for “Dine around” or “Free night - Country dinner”. This was one of the favourite restaurants. •The local commitee left on Thursday night. Friday 9th January •The Interncontinental hotel was visited along with Michael Romei, met their concierge. This hotel might be used if Le Parc doesn’t apply). • Park Hyatt Mendoza visit. Met their concierge. End of activities.

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AUSTRALIA A change of Executive Committee took place in June of 2014 at Les Clefs d’Or Australia’s Annual General Meeting. Peter McBrearty, Chef Concierge at The Langham Melbourne was voted National President. Jacob Detering, Concierge Clefs d’Or from InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto was elected as National Secretary and Ben Davies, Concierge at The Langham Melbourne was voted National Treasurer. Steve Ciric, Chef Concierge at Westin Melbourne will assume the role of Past President. The new Executive has already undertaken an increased focus on Les Clefs d’Or Australia’s relationship with State and National Tourism Associations, whilst also reaching out to hotel companies that have not embraced the notion of having Concierge on staff. This continues to involve meeting with General Managers and Front Office management in properties that don’t have a titled Concierge – to see that they are made aware of the benefits a Concierge and especially a Clefs d’Or Concierge can provide to their business; in terms of high quality guest service, increased guest loyalty attributable to having a Concierge on staff and an overall statistical reduction in staff turnover that is commensurate with employing a high level hotel Concierge. Whilst also pointing out the current high level of public recognition enjoyed by the hotel Concierge profession which translates to greater recognition of each individual hotel. The newly formed Australian Executive will also continually work to ensure that Les Clefs d’Or Australia fosters educational and successful meetings and membership programs that promote the ideals of Les Clefs d’Or and foster the personal development of individual members and the growth and strength of the association as a whole. As part of the Annual General Meeting the members of Les Clefs d’Or Australia unanimously nominated Mr Colin Toomey, Chef Concierge at Shangri-La Sydney as a candidate for the international Executive Committee in line with our Les Clefs d’Or international statutes (see Article VII, Section 5b). As a national section we look forward to the Board of Directors elections scheduled to take place at the 2015 Mendoza Congress with a great deal of satisfaction in the hope that Mr Toomey will successfully be voted by the Board to take a position on the international Executive. Mr Toomey has time and again proven himself to be a wonderful international statesman for Les Clefs d’Or and Mr Toomey’s endorsement as candidate and plenipotentiary from Australia comes with the full support of the Australian Executive and the entire Australian membership.

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AUSTRALIA After an unfortunate absence for the last few years, Australia has once again welcomed female members into our national association. In the latter part of 2014 three fantastic new members joined Les Clefs d’Or Australia. Yuki Kimura, Chef Concierge at the Brisbane Marriott along with Ashleigh Macdonald, Concierge at the Crown Towers Melbourne were both successful in the application and interview process and both acquitted themselves with distinction throughout the entire undertaking. Phoebe White who has recently returned to her native Australia was able to transfer her newly acquired membership from Les Clefs d’Or Canada to take on the Chef Concierge position at the freshly reopened Langham Sydney. Our Australian colleague and International Assistant General Secretary James Ridenour was recently named winner of the HM Awards 2014, ‘Concierge of the Year’. James was able to share this award with Fiona Lawson of the Crowne Plaza Queenstown, our friend and colleague from Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand. Within the last few weeks the members in Melbourne were able to host a successful Gala Ball event with a horse racing theme which was also able to raise $8000 for local charity, Bayley House (a centre that provides support programs and services for adults with an intellectual disability). The members in Sydney were also able to stage a successful ‘Awards Night’ that jointly raised funds for St. Anthony’s Family Care (a family support centre for children with developmental disabilities).

Text by J. Detering Secretary Les Clefs d’Or Australia Webmaster Les Clefs d’Or International Concierge Clefs d’Or | InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto

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BRAZIL 6º AGM – Annual General Meeting – São Paulo President Guilherme S. Borges and the Les Clefs d’Or Brazil Board of Directors organized the 6th annual AGM for the first time in the business capital of the country, São Paulo. The event was two days long and took place on November 28th and 29th, 2014. In the AGM, we had lectures and nice encounters for our group of Les Clef d’Or concierges. The opening event featured great chefs discussing the “Gastronomic Tendencies of Brazil.” The meeting table was composed by Caco Zanchi, owner of the catering company with the same name, Emmanuel Bassoleil, from Sky restaurant, and Jorge Gonzalez and Marcio Silva, owners of Buzina Food Truck. Also part of this amazing debate were Wellington Fonseca, F&M manager of Unique Hotel, Manoel Beato, sommelier of Fasano Hotel, and Almir Paiva, Fasano restaurant manager. In the afternoon, we went to different restaurants: Rubaiyat Figueira, Fogo de Chão and Nonno Ruggero, where we had lunch and received information about the services and food. After lunch we had a fantastic lecture with Célia Leão, “Luxury with Kindness,” and then we went for a shopping tour, snce São Paulo is very famous for its luxury boutiques and brands. This tour was at one of the most famous shopping malls, Shopping Cidade Jardim, which includes the newest cinema theater in the city. We finished the night with an amazing cocktail party at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The second day begin with a mesmerizing breakfast in the restaurant of the Renaissance Hotel, followed by a city tour around São Paulo to get know a little bit about the city, its architecture and street art. We had lunch at Tarsila Restaurant (InterContinental Hotel) and began the General Assembly, where we discussed results of the past year, events we had done, and projects for 2015. There were also some tributes to those who made our year special. At the end of the assembly, we decorated the new international members with the golden keys. This year we had 12 new members: Rio de Janeiro: Luceane Daly - Hotel Sofitel Rio de Janeiro Igor Alvim – Hotel Copacabana Palace Henrique Silva - Hotel Radisson Barra Raquel Pessoa Brandão - Hotel Radisson Barra Rhiane de Assis – Hotel Othon Palace Rio Grande do Sul: Izabel Dourado – Hotel Laghetto Sytlo Adriana Paludo – Hotel & Spa Condominio Vitivinicola Autograph Collection São Paulo: Daniel Lopes Correa – Blue Tree Verbo Divino Fausto Lameiras – Hotel Tivoli Mofarrej Moacyr Lutti – Hotel Unique São Paulo Sergio Seiji Sampe – Hotel Renaissance São Paulo Diego Turcato – Casa Grande Hotel To finish the 06º AGM (Annual General Meeting) 2014 we had the Concierge Foundation Brazil party at Noh Bar, where we celebrated our success as an association and also collected some food and donations for the homes of children and old people that we assist in São Paulo since April 2014. In Service through Friendship, Luís César Rodrigues General Secretary, Brazil

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Dear Friends, The members of Les Clefs d’Or Canada wish you all a most prosperous and happy New Year! As you may have heard by now, our respected President Hugo Legrand has taken a position outside of hotels and has stepped down, promoting our Vice President Mrs. Carolina Avaria to the position of National Interim President. Hugo was a fundamental President; Canada’s stability and strength has certainly developed thanks to his leadership. We will miss him but he will always be one of us. We are also thankful of Carolina’s vision, which has reignited our focus on School Partnerships and our Brand. She has worked closely with Hugo and all the Directors to ensure we are united even with the wide distances between our seven regions. Canada’s notable activities since our last Review: In July, we conducted a National General Manager’s Survey as the platform for Project Brand. Developed by our Vice President and Steda Research from the Netherlands, this project will aim at focusing our Brand toward the specific market segment of hotel managers.

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CANADA

In August - several regions fundraised with some of Canada’s most revered industry Golf Tournaments. If you are a golfer... talk to one of the Canadians, we host AMAZING annual tournaments to network with vendors, members and our hotel managers. • In September - we raised $17,000 for Cancer Research across the country in support of one of our National Charities, The Terry Fox Run. Our goal was $10,000; we were super proud! • In October - we continue to create new avenues for sharing information through social media platforms. As part of Project Brand, together with my team, we created a National Blog. Please check us out and follow us at www.lesclefsdorcanada.com. In November - Vancouver hosted Les Clefs d’Or Canada’s Annual Board Meeting. We are now a proud 157 members in Canada! We also focused on our 10th National Congress to be held in beautiful Whistler, British Columbia, in May. Please join us! www.lesclefsdorcanada.org. In December – most regions held successful General Manager Holiday events to network with vendors, and to recognize and thank our hotels managers for their continued support. In January - Canada will hold Regional Board Elections. The Executive Board of Canada would like to send a heartfelt Thank You to the seven Regional Directors and their Boards for their work and commitment to running successful regions these past two years. We are strong thanks to all of you! And finally, an early plug... Canada is excited to host the 2016 Pan-American Congress in Montreal. The organizing committee is well under way – we will keep you posted but can promise an outstanding congress!! Vive Les Clefs d’Or Canada! On behalf of the members of Canada and in Service through Friendship, Korey Rorison, Public Relations Director

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CHINESE TAIPEI First of all, in the beginning of 2014, we had a great start: the section logo of Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei and the international logo of UICH Les Clefs d’Or have both been officially authorized by the local government. Meanwhile, it was nice to meet some old friends and make a lot of new friends at the gathering of our Les Clefs d'Or family at the 61st International Congress in Kuala Lumpur.

Secondly, in April, we produced a new edition of our Taipei Tourism Map, thanks to a great partnership between a local publisher and our organization. This quarterly map was distributed in the major hotels of Taipei city in April, July, October, and December. With lively information and a functional layout, the map has gradually become one of the best tools for concierges to introduce Taipei to all their visitors. Because of the current success of the Taipei Tourism Map, we are highly looking forward to producing similar maps in other cities in the coming year. Next, our number of members is seeing a boom. 20 new concierges have been selected as adherent members; and five experienced concierges who were eligible became full members after the interview and examination: Ms. Jasmine Pai of W Taipei, Mr. Nick Tung of Le Meridian Taipei, Mr. Alan Chou of Howard Plaza Taipei, Mr. Colin Lai of the Lin Hotel Taichung and Mr. Eric Lin of Millennium Taichung. Ms. Jasmine Pai will represent Chinese Taipei as the 8th Andy Pongco Award Candidate on behalf of our section at the 2015 UICH International Congress in Mendoza, Argentina. Further, we have not only focused on the internal increase of members, but also on exterior friendships as well. We hosted many Les Clefs d’Or friends from Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and China, who came to visit our beautiful island, Formosa Taiwan. In December, the president of our society, Mr Alex Lai, was invited to attend the Asian Presidents meeting and China congress in Ningbo, China. It’s honorable for us to join this grand meeting and exchange various experiences with attendants from different locations. Finally, the fantastic year of 2014 is coming to the end. It is the time for all members of Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei to be together sharing and enjoying the precious moment. In Beitou Hot Spring, one of the must-see spots in Taipei, we will hold our year-end party to celebrate another yearly achievement of the society. As the motto “Service through friendship” expresses, we invite all our old friends and new members to join and make our end of the year remarkable and enjoyable.

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CHINA The 19th Annual Congress of Les Clefs d’Or China has came to a successful end. We have had the pleasure to host the 2nd Les Clefs d’Or Asian Zone Presidents meeting. Both meetings were hosted by The Hangzhou Bay hotel and The Hangzhou Bay Universal hotel. The People's Municipal Government of Cixi City and the Tourist Administration of Ningbo city show support and importance to this meeting. The officers ceremoniously organized a "government reception" and warmly welcomed all presidents from our Les Clefs d'Or Asian Zone. All delegates have learned greatly from our meetings and therefore feel more confidence to spread our “In Service Through Friendship” motto.

Greeting upon arrival

Asian Zone President meeting

Government Reception

Executive committee meeting

CZECH REPUBLIC Dear Colleagues, Dear Friends, The members of the Czech Les Clefs d’Or Association send their warmest greetings to all of our colleagues around the world. We are delighted to enter yet another year in a situation when the travel industry in our country has been booming and we are confident that 2015 will be even more successful than previous years. The past year has been a truly successful one; new members joined and we have had an amazing array of activities and achievements. To highlight just a few: • • • • • • •

Our membership now counts 34 concierges from two cities. National elections took place in summer 2014. Petr Zezula was reelected as the President, Stanislav Malek is the Vice-President and Brigita Brejchova is the Treasurer. The next elections will take place in summer 2016. With great interest, we participated in the European congress in Vienna in July 2014. Our German colleagues kindly extended their invitation for us to attend their national meeting in Dresden in September 2014. We are very much looking forward to taking part in the International Congress in Mendoza 2015. Our national organization gratefully received new sponsors. We have created our new website both in Czech and English.

With the best regards from the heart of Europe, Stanislav C. Malek Vice-President, Les Clefs d’Or Czech Republic

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FINLAND Les Clefs d'Or Finland joined forces with Helsinki City Tourist Information to organize the “Helsinki Summer Info.” This year, the invitation was also open to hotel front-office personnel, Helsinki city tourist helpers, guides and tourism industry partners. There was very successful attendance, with over 110 participants. It was a great collaboration project with www.VisitHelsinki.fi (Helsinki tourism board). The aim was to bring together the tourism workers in a relaxed and inspiring setting to share information and updates about Helsinki tourism, and to point out how wonderful, diverse and eventful Helsinki is. Ultimately, as a result, we hope visitors to Helsinki will be well informed, very satisfied, and go home full of great memories to share. Service through friendship!

12.6.2014 Kullo Golf Tournament. http://www.kullogolf.fi/fi/etusivu/

12.6.2014 Les Clefs d’Or Finland and Edupoli are invited to be mystery guests on the Jyrki Sukula show, Hotellit Kuntoon – the equivalent of Gordon Ramsey’s Hotel Hell. On the spotlight: Les Clefs d'Or Finland’s Vice-President Kalle Valjento and Michael Dredge, Team Manager at Edupoli education centre.

17.6.2014 Friman Travel get to know: Tytyrin kaivosmuseo, Alitalon omenaviinitila, Mustion Linna, Ravintola KW, Fiskars, Tammisaari, Tammisaaren luontokeskus, Raaseporin Linnanrauniot, Linnanvoudin tupa, Degerby Igor museo, Gårdskulla, and Sjundby linnankahvila. Beautiful places in Finland.

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10-13.7.2014 Les Clefs d'Or Finland’s Vice-President Kalle Valjento attended the Second European Congress of UICH.

14.7.2014 Les Clefs d'Or Finland had a great 4th of July traditional outdoor activity. We organised an Amazing Race Concierge edition and the teams all had to take selfies while visiting many of the famous locations in Helsinki. Great fun on a sunny summer day!

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FINLAND

24.7.2014 Les Clefs d'Or Finland board members had a meeting under the sunny summer sky of Helsinki. Thank you to Ravintola Saari for inviting us for this lovely evening! www.ravintolasaari.fi/en/

21.8.2014 Les Clefs d'Or Finland concierges were invited to Helsinki Festival to the concert of Sound Tracker. Many of us attended. We started the event with a dinner at www.kitzens.fi, and we had a pleasant evening and party afterward! We thank all our partners and colleagues that joined us on this warm and fun evening. http://www.helsinginjuhlaviikot.fi/en/

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FINLAND In August 2014, Robert Watson, Past President of UICH, invited worldwide participation to raise awareness and donations for ALS via the Icebucket Challenge. http://www.alsmndalliance.org/

28-3.08.2014 Les Clefs d'Or Finland President Pascal Gaudio was invited to the 32nd German National Congress in the beautiful city of Dresden. It was exceptionally organised, with a personal touch. Truly friendly and luxury at its finest, from beginning to the end.

7.10.2014 On top of the podium for the pool tournament: Mr Kalle Valjento! Thanks to everyone for the fun evening.

In October 2014, the Sheraton Stockholm webpage was dedicated to Steve Watson, Head Concierge and Member of Les Clefs d'Or! http://www.sheratonstockholm.com/en/concierge2

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20.10.2014 Virpi Vidal taught classes at Edupoli about front office and concierge practices. He visited Hotel Radisson Blu plaza with Petri Uronen for an inspection tour with students. www.edupoli.fi

22.10.2014 Madis Aleva, Concierge Les Clefs d’or at Swissotel Tallinn Estonia, was featured on the UICH Please Meet series and shared in all social media. http://lesclefsdor.wordpress.com/2014/1 0/16/please-meet-les-clefs-dor-membermadis-alvela-from-estonia/

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24-26.10.2014 Sweden, you did it! What a great Scandinavian zone meeting, what a beautiful location, sublime hotels and many happy faces. A pinning ceremony also took place new Les Clefs d’Or members from Sweden, Finland and Norway. Thank you to www.grandhotel.se/en, www.sheratonstockholm.com, www.americanexpress.com, http://international.nytimes.com and www.stromma.se, and all the others that made this happen! See you next year in Helsinki.

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FINLAND 29.10.2014 Helsinki's Concierge Erkki Kerttula at Hotel Haven was featured in a series of popular photography projects portraying the Finnish capital daily life for 365 days. We are so proud that Les Clefs d'Or is being featured. Please take a look and enjoy also all the other photos from our capital. http://www.helsinki365.com/HELSINKI365/i-Wh4MfWT/A 24.11.2014 Our Traditional Friendly Poker Tournament was all about skills and little about luck at www.casinohelsinki.fi. After an intense card battle, Janne Ant-Wuorinen won the trophy against many times winner Mr. Kari Toivanen, Past President of Les Clefs d’or Finland. 2.12.2014 Wow! What a happening we had with our colleagues by invitation of Sea Life Helsinki for their Christmas special event! We were over 100, including kids and families visiting and enjoying the ocean life. Children had a chance to make some Gingerbread and meet this beautiful snake. www.visitsealife.com/helsinki/en/

10.12.2014 Joulu Sauna. Traditional Christmas Sauna event and dinner at Madame Krog. Thanks to www.helsinkilimo.fi and www.luxuryaction.com for fully sponsoring Sofia Saarinen from www.hotelhaven.fi to attend the upcoming Mendoza Congress. Congratulations, Sofia!

President Pascal Gaudio, Hotel Haven, Helsinki Vice President Kalle Valjento, Klaus K Hotel, Helsinki Members of the Board Sami Joutsenvuo, Scandic Park, Helsinki Janne Ant-Wuorinen, Hotel Haven, Helsinki Markus Peura, M/S Baltic Princess Virpi Vidal, Hotel Haaga Alternates Petra Rissanen Sokos, Hotel Pasila Jad Lian, Hotel Haven, Helsinki Scandinavian Zone Director Anders Ruggiero, Hotel d’Angleterre Copenhagen Treasurer Petri Uronen, Radisson Blu Plaza, Helsinki Secretary Kiira Jokela, Hotel Haven, Helsinki Picture taken in Haaga Best Western Plus. www.hotelhaaga.fi/ The UICH Finnish section has 25 members including Finland, Sweden and Estonia.

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The second part of 2014 was a busy period for the Hungarian section of Les Clefs d’Or. The 2nd European UICH Congress was held in the Austrian capital Vienna from July 10th to 13th. Under the leadership of the president of Les Clefs d'Or Hungary, Mr. Tamas Ungar, also Central European Zone Director, eight members of the Hungarian association attended the conference. Besides the various leisure programs, there was time for education also. The private jet company called GlobeAir, The New York Times, SIXT, and the local Hard Rock Cafe owner made short presentations to participants. It was a busy day for the Zone Directors also. They had a long and successful meeting in the Sofitel Vienna Hotel. Great thanks for the perfect organization of the Austrian colleagues. The Hungarian Les Clefs d'Or Section meets every month. Most of the active and senior members participate at events. The meetings are really a very good way for concierges to share experiences and learn about the new tourist attractions of the city and the country.

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HUNGARY

We visited two cellars of the famous Eger wine region on July 29th. It was not just about nice wines, but also about the beautiful environment – it was truly a refreshing experience. Budapest's recently opened Miniversum hosted Les Clefs d'Or Hungary's September gathering. Miniversum is a sand table exhibition situated in one of the palaces of the famous Andrássy Road. The 3rd Concierge Competition named by Mr. Andras Gunst, our founder and former president, was organized in October by The Hungarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants, in co-operation with Les Clefs d’Or Hungary. 53 young concierges from 38 hotels signed up for the competition. The winner was Ms. Timea Karlik from Danubius Hotel Arena. She won the right to be a regular member of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary. Les Clefs d’Or Hungary visited the Bartok Memorial House in Budapest in November, where the famous composer has been living and working. Besides the personal relics of Bartók, regular concerts await the visitors. After the piano recital, Lufthansa introduced their VIP service called Private Jet and First Class. It was an apropos presentation, since Lufthansa is a new partner to Les Clefs d’Or Hungary and we look forward to their support in the future. They were also responsible for the wonderful catering during the event. The most important event of the year was held in December. The general assembly of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary was organized by our 2nd Vice President, Mr. Andras Judak, in the Art’otel Budapest, by Park Plaza. After the president’s report of Mr. Ungar, Ms. Aniko Panczel presented the financial statements. At the end of the event, the members elected a new board. The members of the board for the next two years are as follows: President: Mr. Tamas Ungar, Chief Concierge, Corinthia Hotel Budapest 1st Vice President: Mr. Tamas Takacs, Chief Concierge, Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest 2nd Vice President: Mr. Andras Judak, Night Concierge, Art’otel Budapest Treasurer: Ms. Aniko Panczel, Chief Concierge, Mercure Budapest Duna 1st Secretary: Mr . Gabor Sinka, Chief Concierge, Radisson Blu Beke Hotel 2nd Secretary: Mr. Balazs Andronyi, Chief Concierge, Hilton Budapest Public Relations: Mr. Barnabas Kovesdi, Chief Concierge, Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge

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HOLLAND Dear friends from around the world, We would love to tell you about what has kept us busy over 2014. After the Kuala Lumpur congress, everyone went back to business with good memories and lots of pictures from all exiting tours, visits and events we encountered whilst visiting KL. These are moments you will never forget. By showcasing these pictures to our members, we hope to get more members enthusiastic to join us on international congresses.

Visiting the street food market.

The Petronas Towers from the ground.

Not only pleasure, some work had to be done!

Pinning ceremony during country dinner evening.

Again this year we organized a charity golf event in August. Together with 45 members and sponsors we had a beautiful day of golf. During lunch we presented the cheque we raised for the “Make-A-Wish” foundation. Total amount we raised was €2500. We will continue with this event every year and hope to increase the number of players and, of course, the amount for a charitable organization. Our AGM was hosted by Hotel Pulitzer in November. With the help of Mr. van Gasteren, GM of the hotel, the entire concierge staff and F&B outlets, it was an amazing AGM. This was an election year but the entire Board was re-elected in the positions they held. There were no changes. Also during the AGM we received our new merino pullovers from our newest sponsor “Joe Merino.”

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Our new pullovers during our AGM. On the 29th of November we went on our annual weekend. The bus took us to Maastricht where we started our day strolling along the Christmas market. The temperature outside was exactly spot on for the Glühwein which a lot of the members enjoyed. After exploring the city centre, which dates back to the Roman Empire, we headed for our hotel, where we met Simon Delcomminette (Western European Zone Director) and Adrian. Both were kind enough to join us on this weekend and get to know some of our members. Dinner was served on a boat which took us along the banks of the river Maas in the direction of Liege. During this trip, we had an extra passenger, Saint Nicolas. With presents and rhymes he will see if you’ve been good or bad this year. Fortunately, he did not know Simon that well, because he had a present for Simon and Adrian! Normally, if you don’t behave you’ll get nothing.

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HOLLAND

Who’s in charge here?

The next morning we went to Roermond, a 30-minute drive from Maastricht, to visit another sponsor of our society at shopping outlet McArthurGlen. After an introduction everybody had spare time to shop. Here we said goodbye to Simon and Adrian and went back to Amsterdam. We hope to see a lot of friends in Mendoza!!! For sure this will again be a Congress to remember. On behalf of the entire Dutch section, Tot ziens!

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HONG KONG In November, newly elected President & Committees for 2015-2017 President: Fred Lui, The Royal Garden Vice President-Membership: Tony Lo, The Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel Vice President-Finance, Gary Yu, The Royal Pacific Hotel & Towers Society Senior Advisor: Ringo Chau, Kowloon Shangri-La International Delegate: Edward Ma, The Langham Hong Kong Treasurer: Hamson Tsui, Four Seasons Hotel General Secretary: Lewis Li, Royal Park Hotel Committee Advisor, Ringo Chau, Kowloon Shangri-La Committee Members: Steven Wong, The Langham Hong Kong, Jason Yeung, The Park Lane Hong Kong, Woody Leung, The Excelsior, Hong Kong and Thomas Tong, Conrad Hong Kong Current Member status: 94 Full Members: 14 Adherent Members Education Program 2014 Two-day educational workshop in partnership with Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong and Mr. Michael Romei, UICH International General Secretary. There were around 160 participants ranging from chef concierges to potential candidates interested in the concierge field. Our Society will continue the momentum in 2015 to broaden the exposure of young and future concierge generations. General Meeting 2014 Six General meetings took place with a Spring dinner and a Christmas dinner. Numerous industrial partners and associate members presented and exchanged information, and caught up with fellow Society members.

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HONG KONG

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HELLAS President Dimitrios Liapis, now serving his second term on the Hellas board, has a passion for the development of the concierge position in Greece. Despite all the economic problems plaguing the country, the closure of many hotels and the opening of few new ones, Hellas continues to develop its section and seek support of official entities of tourism and potential new partners, showing them the added value that concierges offer, which can help increased economic development in the country. Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos and Mr. Dimitrios Liapis were invited to participate in debates on tourism with the Minister of Tourism, Ms. Olga Kefalogianni, and the President of the Greek Organization of Tourism, Dr. Christos Pallisat, at the Second Conference Luxury Hospitality Summit at the hotel Grand Bretagne. In July, we participated at the Second European Congress in Vienna, where we also had the Mediterranean Zone Meeting. Major Events: *Pita Cutting - 26 February 2014 *Annual General Meeting - 15 October 2014 *Executive Committee Meeting - 30 October to 2 November 2014

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Country Report Les Clefs d’Or India for UICH Review 2014 1. Membership in India a) Membership in India currently includes two international UICH honorary members. b) There are 153 members in total, including 74 adherent members and 79 full members. This number includes 10 members from Kenya (3 adherent and 7 full). 2. Meetings a) 11 Concierges from Chennai had their first monthly meet in March 2014, which was hosted by California Pizza Kitchen. b) National Executive Committee meetings held: i. Taj Vivanta, Bengaluru, in March ii. Ritz Carlton, Bengaluru, in August iii. Four Seasons Hotel, Mumbai, in December. c) 8th AGM held in Bengaluru in August 2014 welcoming all 141 concierge delegates from all over the country at the Ritz-Carlton, ITC Hotels, JW Marriott and Chancery Pavilion. d) Concierge day celebrations with family and friends in April 2014 at Kingdom of Dreams, Gurgaon, for Northern Region (NR) members and at Sofitel Mumbai for Western Region (WR) members. e) Holi Celebrations with Gerald Parent by NR members in March 2014 at PCO Bar Vasant Vihar. f) Networking Evening by NR members in April 2014 hosted by The LaLit, Jaipur. 3. Trainings & Presentations a) WR members at: i. Don Bosco College for Hospitality Studies in April & July ii. Sophia Polytechnic Hotel, Administration & Food Technology Department in July iii. Anjuman Islam Catering College in September b) NR members at i. IHMCTAN, Gurdaspur, in February ii. Institute of Advanced Management, Kolkata, in June iii. Full day training workshop hosted in August at The Grand, New Delhi where 38 NR members participated. c) Southern Region (SR) members at Army Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Science, Bengaluru, in July. 4. Visit to Nairobi a) Edwin Saldanha, President Les Clefs d’Or India & Zone Director Asia, along with Albert Amanna, International Co-ordinator Les Clefs d’Or India, visit Nairobi to have a networking evening and pinning ceremony for Kenya society. 5. Visit to China a) Edwin Saldanha, President Les Clefs d’Or India & Zone Director Asia, visited Ningbo for the 18th AGM for Les Clefs d’Or China and Asian Presidents meeting in December. 6. Visit to Brussels a) Edwin Saldanha, President Les Clefs d’Or India & Zone Director Asia, visited Brussels to inaugurate the third edition of “Concierge Magazine–Excellence in Belgian Hospitality.” An invitation was sent to be a Guest of Honor at their 7th Meeting of Les Clefs d’Or Belgium and Partners in June. 7. International Congress a) There will be eight concierge members representing the country to attend the 62nd UICH Argentina Congress in April. We are also working on our maximum attendance in the coming Asian Congress in August as well. 8. E-newsletter a) We published the 11th edition of our e-newsletter and shared it with all members of our Society in order to spread awareness of various events happening around the country. 9. FAM tours a) WR members explore i. Slum Tour, Dharavi, in March, hosted by Be The Local Tours ii. Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gorai, in June iii. Adlabs Imagica, Khopoli, an amusement park, in August. 10. Awards & Recognition a) Taj Awards for Business Excellence (TABE) 2013-2014 in July: i. Concierge of the Year Award received by Mr. Ram Chimbaikar, Assistant Manager Concierge of Taj Lands End, Mumbai. ii. MD Club of the Year received by Mr. Sanjib Ghosh and Mr. David Aaron of Taj Bengal, Kolkata. b) Concierge of the Year Award 2014 at 8th AGM held at Bengaluru in August: Mr. Maxim Mascarenhas, ITC Maratha, Mumbai 11. Social Service Activities a) NR members at i. Bharatiya AdimJati Sevak Sangh, a destitute home for girls, in January ii. Old Age Home of Guru Vishram Vridh Ashram, New Delhi to serve senior citizens, in July. b) Eastern Region members celebrate Concierge Day by visiting Shishur Sevay, Kolkata, a childlife preserve c) SR members joined Walkathon against tobacco at Bengaluru, in May. d) WR members visited Children of Irshalgad village, in August. 12. Partners a) Les Clefs d’Or India and Locus Media, India’s leading in-destination marketing company, have entered into a strategic tie-up to en hance the city experience of tourists visiting India. 13. Concierge Map a) Cities like Delhi, Mumbai & Bengaluru have published concierge maps with the co-ordination of our marketing partner, Locus Media.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

INDIA

Thanks & Regards, Shaunak Vengurlekar

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

JAPAN The 17th Anniversary In November, we celebrated the 17th Anniversary of Les Clefs d’Or Japan in Sapporo (Hokkaido). At this event, we strengthened our teamwork and committed ourselves to a successful Asian congress in 2015. An Asian Congress Organizing Committee meeting was held every month throughout 2014 with constant revisions and improvements being made to the program, including enhancement of the Japanese cultural experience. The Asian Congress has found some new sponsors. The registration system for the congress is in the final stage of development. We have also updated information regarding Pre/Post tour options on the Asian Congress website.

Membership We welcomed new concierge members and associative companies to our family. Les Clefs d'Or Japan consists of 2 honorary members, 15 full members, 10 adherent members and 12 associative companies. By Misa Yamamoto, Public Relations

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The main event from Les Clefs d’Or Korea last year was the 12th Annual General Meeting of Les Clefs d’Or Korea, which was held at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square, Seoul, on November 19th 2014. The theme was “My Les Clefs d’Or Service,” and we had the chance to share our own know-hows of service techniques with each other. Also, we had a guest speaker, Mr. Matthew Copper, General Manager of JW Marriott Seoul. He has a great passion for concierges and shared his story of career development. At our AGM, we reviewed our annual events, and the highlights were the workshop in May and the volunteer work in August.

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Workshop: It was the 2nd official workshop of Les Clefs d’Or Korea and we had a chance to meet other members from different sections and share information about current issues. Also, Ms. Jung, a guest speaker, talked about the “Magic of Time” and how we can use our time effectively. Volunteer Work: We delivered meals to more than 500 elderly people who don’t have proper meals each day. 50 of our members have attended on different dates, also, to provide meals to them. Overall, year 2014 was a successful one for Les Clefs d’Or Korea. We have tried to focus on increasing the quality of concierge service instead of the quantity. We feel that we have grown up compared to last year. Viva Les Clefs d’Or!

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

LUXEMBOURG The second part of the year was very active for the small Luxemburgish section. First, dinner took place at the wonderful restaurant La Mirabelle, part of the gourmet group Espaces Saveurs on September 21st.

A short week later, Simon took his Clefs d’Or friends to the Crystal Saumur, where a lovely meal was served. After dinner the art of pole was shown to the concierges.

October took President and Western Zone Director Simon Delcomminette to the Executive Committee meeting in Athens.

After Athens, President Delcomminette went to visit President Adnan Oner in Istanbul, who hosted a very nice dinner prepared by Chef Rudolph at the 10 Karakoy Hotel for an occasion with the whole Turkish section.

In November, Simon went to Maastricht in Holland as President Brian McKenzie’s guest and attended the annual Dutch section weekend. Santa Klaus came to visit the members with nice gifts as all concierges had been good boys and girls.

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Sunday morning the golden keys friends were the VIP host at the McArthur Glen luxury outlet store center in Roermond. At the end of November, Dolce & Gabbana, under the management of Mr. Francis Benamore, hosted our Christmas drinks party followed by a dinner at Basta Cosi Italian restaurant. This diner was hosted by the publisher of the concierge book of Luxembourg, Emile Cukier. Special Dolce & Gabbana pieces were brought for the event.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

LUXEMBOURG

On December 4th, Simon Delcomminette was Antony Lynch’s guest at a monthly meeting of the British Les Clefs d’Or. Simon gave a brief presentation of the role of zone director and introduced himself to the UK members. The meeting was followed by the annual Christmas party at The Metropole Hotel. A splendid wonderful section, very well organized.A splendid wonderful section, very well organized.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015

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Clefs d’Or M a

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Year of Admission: 2014 Malaysia Founding Members: Ms. Siana Iong, Mr. Sammy Chan, Ms. Maria Yang, Mr. Jovi Ng, Mr. James Chan, Mr. Julian Ieong, Ms. Thitsar Ma, Mr. Gilbert Kam, Mr. Ricky Yeung, Ms. Julia Leong, Mr. Francis Sien. Supporting Section: Hong Kong Current Number of Members: 17

On May 29, 2014, Les Clefs d’Or Macau celebrated her official Founding Ceremony along with the local tourism department, management from members’ hotels and our long-time friends from Hong Kong. With its announcement to the local community, we have immediately begun moving forward toward our educational journey, fostering the young generation.

Working together with the Hong Kong section, Mr. Michael Romei, General Secretary of UICH, was invited to host an education program in both Hong Kong and Macau. This will be a continuous program with the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT), the local hotel and tourism university. A special thanks to Michael on his contribution and inspiration!

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2014! What a year it has been for us all in the Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia! This year alone we achieved many new milestones thanks to the passion and dedication of our members and the strong support from our respective hotel management teams, industry partners and friends. The biggest event that will go down and remain in the history of our Society is the success of organizing and hosting the prestigious 61st UICH International Congress, which was held 10-15 January 2014 in our vibrant capital city Kuala Lumpur! We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parties involved who made our first hosting of an international congress such a huge success. It was indeed a great experience for all of us. A big THANK YOU to all of you, our Clefs d’Or friends (you know who you are!) from all over the world who made your presence felt in Malaysia! You are always welcome to visit us again, any time! As hosting country, we are also indeed proud to see history in the making where we all celebrated and welcomed Les Clefs d’Or Macau and Les Clefs d’Or Qatar into our big family!

With Wes Andersen’s much awaited movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel” being the hot topic during our recent International Congress, in April, we were honored to be invited to a premiere pre-screening of the epic movie, two days before it was due to be released nationwide! Thank you to 20th Century Fox Malaysia and Golden Screen Cinemas for making this possible!

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

MALAYSIA

In 2014, too, for the first time, in two occasions, we held our bi-monthly meeting outside of our usual venues within the capital of Kuala Lumpur. In June, we visited the historical state of Malacca for our first bi-monthly for term 2014/2016, and recently, in November, we had our third bi-monthly on the beautiful island of Penang – with the hope of spreading awareness of Les Clefs d’Or among the hoteliers in both states.

In September, as a tribute to KDU University College, the school that assisted us throughout the 61st UICH International Congress, members of our Society had the honor of being invited to give a successful career talk sharing their knowledge and experience to Hospitality Degree students on the topic of “Les Clefs d’Or Concierge: Our Lil’ Known Profession.” Les Clefs d’Or membership across the nation has grown to nearly 50 members now, with 20 being Full Keys Clefs d’Or Concierges. Future projects for the Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia include bidding for the proposed Asian Clefs d’Or Solidarity Games in 2015, expanding our road trips to enhance awareness and networking to the eastern states of Malaysia, namely Sabah and Sarawak, and also hosting another Junior Concierge Training. On the international front, we are aiming for a healthy participation from Malaysia to the upcoming 62nd UICH Congress in Mendoza and also the 9th Asian UICH Congress in Tokyo. We are looking forward to more exciting activities and events in the year 2015! Vive Les Clefs d’Or! And best wishes from Kuala Lumpur!

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

NEW ZEALAND Greetings from New Zealand. What a great year 2014 has been for Les Clefs d’Or in Aotearoa. The whole industry has been kept busy throughout, with many great festivals, concerts and sporting events. A well attended 20th AGM was held at The Stamford Plaza Hotel on the 1st of June with five members attending from Australia. This was followed by an amazing Concierge Ball to celebrate our anniversary. All in attendance enjoyed great food, music, company and libations. All our past Presidents were in attendance: founding President Derek Fenn, Gustavo Concha, Franz Staufer and current President Shaun Ryan. We have seen our Active Members ranks grow by three new concierges this year. We now have 24 Active Members in New Zealand. We look forward to the contributions and insights of these new members. The Executive Committee has travelled extensively to develop and promote Les Clefs d’Or. President Shaun Ryan and Treasurer Nick Steele met with members in Wellington and Queenstown to strengthen ties and develop strategies to grow Les Clefs d’Or throughout New Zealand. Longstanding Active Member Fiona Lawson, from the Crowne Plaza Queenstown, along with Australian member James Ridenour from the InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto were the joint recipients of the Hotel Management Magazine’s Concierge of the Year Award for Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. What an amazing achievement! We are all so proud of them. President Shaun Ryan, Treasurer Nick Steele and Secretary Daniel Marsh travelled to the Australian AGM back in July and were shown a fantastic time, learning and contributing a lot to Trans Tasman relations. Social media, in the form of our Facebook page and new website, has been far-reaching in promoting our Society. We have had local and international interest in our events and in Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand in general. I would encourage you all to find us and like our facebook page. Our 21st AGM has been scheduled for the 15th-18th May 2015. The 21st AGM will be held in Wellington and will be an election year. We all look forward to another busy and constructive year in 2015. Lastly it is with great sadness that we farewell a dear friend and retired Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand Member, Mr. Rex Anson. Rex, who spent many years working at the Hyatt Auckland, passed away on the first Sunday in December. Rest in peace "T-Rex." Viva Les Clefs d’Or. Mr Arie Jackman Active Member & Director of Public Relations, Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand

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December 14, 2014. During our year-end meeting and 2015 calendar plan for Les Clefs d’Or Qatar. The meeting was held in Movenpick Tower & Suite Doha along with Les Clefs d’Or Qatar members and observers/guests.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

QATAR

Les Clefs d’Or Qatar year end report with special greetings via skype with UICH President Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos.

November 16, 2014. Our trip to Kuwait to acknowledge our new Adherent Member section under Les Clefs d’Or Qatar. Mr. Angelito & Mr. Franky of Sheraton Kuwait Luxury Collection Hotel, presented by Randy Santos, Les Clefs d’Or Qatar Founder & President along with his executive committee.

Kuwait: Les Clefs d’Or Qatar 1st Vice President Mr. Andrew Ferrer & Mr. Mohamed Rabie - Les Clefs d’Or Qatar Executive Member / Public Relations conducted as short presentation about the Les Clefs d’Or International and functions in the middle east.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SINGAPORE Les Clefs d'Or Singapore celebrated her 28th Anniversary on May 29th, 2014, and the main highlight of the event was the election of the new Executive Committee for the term 2014- 2016. The new Executive Committee Members are as follows: President: Vice President: Honorary Secretary: Assistant Honorary Secretary: Honorary Treasurer: Assistant Honorary Treasurer: Public Relations & International Delegate: Assistant Public Relations: Executive Committee:

Mr. Syed Musaddiq, Chef Concierge at The Fullerton Bay Hotel Mr. Ali Alsagoff, Chef Concierge at Four Seasons Hotel Singapore Mr. Roszel Ma'Rop, Guest Service Manager/Concierge at The Fullerton Hotel Mr. M Karikalan, Chef Concierge at PARKROYAL On Kitchener Road Mr. Mohd Hafiz, Assistant Chef Concierge at The Regent Hotel Mr. Herman Shah, Assistant Chef Concierge at Equarius Hotel Ms. Mari Sawade, Assistant Chef Concierge at Grand Copthorne Waterfront Mr. Xavier Kok, Chef Concierge at Sofitel SO Singapore Mr. Mazelan Mohd Ali, Operations/Concierge Manager at PARKROYAL On Pickering Street Mr. Bernard Theseira, Chef Concierge at St. Regis Singapore Kitchener Road Mr Mohd Fasle, Chef Concierge at Conrad Centennial Singapore

Simultaneously, President Syed Musaddiq along with other Asian Presidents were in Hangzhou, China, attending the Asian Presidents Meeting. Saddiq enjoyed tremendously his first Asian President Meeting as the President of Les Clefs d’Or Singapore, citing the event as fabulously organised with good discussion amongst the Presidents.

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On Dec 2-4, the Concierge Society of Indonesia (affiliated to Les Clefs d’Or Singapore) conducted the first Surabaya Concierge Workshop at Hotel Ciputra World Surabaya. Vice President Ali Alsagoff was one of the speakers for the two-day workshop, talking about the concierge profession and the history of Les Clefs d’Or. The workshop was attended by members from both Singapore and Indonesia as well students of the Universitas Ciputra. The workshop was well received by the students and members alike. Day Two of the workshop was followed by a full day tour of Surabaya – the City of Heroes.

2014 was certainly a busy year for Svenska HotellPortierFöreningen – SHPF. We have increased the number of international Les Clefs d’Or members from four to eight since the congress in Kuala Lumpur. It is a small, but significant step towards our goal to become an independent section once again. Until we reach that goal we are happy with our current situation of being part of the Finnish section. We will send even more membership applications across the Baltic Sea during 2015. If we just keep the energy and focus we are certain that we will meet all the requirements to become independent sooner rather than later. We have also started up a very interesting collaboration with Stockholm Visitors Board/Visit Stockholm. Members of SHPF will assist Visit Stockholm in educating the staff at the tourist information offices, hotel receptionists and other key persons around the city who might need a greater knowledge about Stockholm in order to provide accurate and meaningful information to the visitors of our city SHPF and Visit Stockholm will also develop a more advanced course in Stockholm knowledge which will be available to all the concierges, and it will be an annual event taking place in the spring, just before the busiest tourist season starts. Stockholm Visitors Board/Visit Stockholm is working hard to get more journalists from travel magazines, newspapers, blogs, etc., to come to Stockholm and write about our city. In the future they are planning to include us, the Les Clefs d’Or concierges, in their work more frequently to give the journalists our “inside tips.” Through this collaboration between SHPF and Visit Stockholm, all the members of SHPF will have access to a “Key of Honour” card, which will give free entrance to almost all museums, free tours and public transportation and much more in Stockholm.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SWEDEN

The last weekend in October, SHPF was the host for the first time for the UICH Scandinavian Zone Meeting. A fruitful meeting, nice restaurants and a lot of networking! SHPF would like to thank all of our sponsors (American Express, The International New York Times, Strömma, Sheraton Hotel, Grand Hôtel, Hotel Rival, Limousine Stockholm, Mr. French, Brasserie Le Rouge, Visit Stockholm, Prioritaire, Moderna Museet and Savor Media), Mr. Svante Isberg from American Express, Mr. Jörg Müller from The International New York Times, and of course all the delegates who made this weekend not only the largest Scandinavian Zone Meeting ever but also a huge success.

In December the collaboration between SHPF and our international partner American Express took another step forward. Two team members from the local American Express office did visit the Grand Hôtel and worked alongside our President Olow Frank during a day to see how a normal day as a Les Clefs d’Or concierge can be like and learn a little bit more about our view on service. SHPF has organized many different events for our members and partners over the last year including our annual bowling tournament and a harbor cruise on the unique M/S Molly followed by a dinner at wonderful Rosendals Trädgård where we enjoyed a piece of Shakespeare performed by The Stockholm English Speaking Theatre. We recently had a private tour of the Swedish History Museum, which holds one of the world’s most renowned Viking exhibitions. They have two touring Viking exhibitions as well, one just ended at Royal BC Museum in Victoria, Canada, and one is now showing in Gallo Romeins Museum in Tongeren, Belgium.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THAILAND On behalf of Les Clefs d’Or Thailand, please find this country report for your kind preparation and reference. Membership: 53 Full Members 59 Adherent Members 39 Associate Members Activity

President Surachai Thong-on and committee join 43 countries at the 61st UICH world congress 2014 in Kuala Lumpur on 10-15 January 2014.

Event team invited President and all members to join 9th Thai Concierge on 26 January 2014 at Baan Khanitha at 53.

President Surachai Thong-on invited all members to attend the 2014 AGM in Chiang Mai, the meeting held on 20-22 February 2014 at Imperial Mae Ping Hotel. On 20-21 February 2014, the event team organized a trip to update information sightseeing in Chiang Mai, and the last day the committee reported on our activities from the last year.

President Surachai Thong-on organized Associate meeting on 19 June 2014 at Wan Fah restaurant. The meeting shared some problems from Associate member to discuss with the committee to find the best solution.

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See Town Section invited members to join our traditional praying 9 temples trip organized by Baan Khanitha. We recently launched the program of merit making nine temples on February 1, 2014. We gather and register our journey at 08:00 am from the Sathorn pier. The members are entitled to attend with family.

President Surachai Thong-on and the See Town team organized See Town activities to inspect Floating Market & Tiger Temple with World Travel Service Company on August 9, 2014.

President Surachai Thong-on visited members in Myanmar to mentor them and conduct creative activities to help them grow their association on August 20-22, 2014.

LES CLEFS Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OR ACTUALITĂ&#x2030; INTERNATIONALE

THAILAND

Golden Key Presentation

President Surachai Thong-on attended the Asian President meeting in China from 30th November3rd December 2014.

President Surachai Thong-on and committee joined Golden Keys ceremony for Mr. Thammanoon Karnchanawong, Concierge from Ascott Sathorn, on 17th June 2014.

President Surachai Thong-on and committee attend Golden Key presentation and congratulate Mr. Sarawut, Concierge at Somerset Lake Point, on 23rd June 2014.

President Surachai Thong-on and committee attend Golden Key presentation and congratulate Mr. Torsak Yodrak, Team Leader/Concierge at Oriental Residence Bangkok, on 24th June 2014.

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Les Cl Cleefffss d’Or Or US USA SA Our ur Purp rpose TThe he purpose of Les Clefs d’Or USA is to foster the professional development of concierges rge ges in in tthe he hhotel industry by promoting tourism and adhering to the highest ethical standards ds of of sservice ervi for hotel guests.

The Clefs d’Or Di!erence You You can recognize Les Clefs d’Or concierges by the golden keys displayed on the lapels els of of ttheir heir uniforms. These crossed gold keys are more than just the symbol of the organization; ation; tthey hey are the symbol of guaranteed, quality service. Les Clefs d’Or members have dedicated cated many m any years of hard work and training to the concierge profession. Whether requesting sting something some simple or complex, you’ll find Les Clefs d’Or concierges are trusted resources es to to bbusiness usin and leisure travelers alike, always keeping the guests’ safety, enjoyment and and ssatisfaction atisf in mind. !

Look for the Keys! You You will find Les Clefs d’Or concierges throughout the great hotels of the world. Yourr Les Les Clefs to Clefs d’Or concierge may become your best friend during your hotel stay, and they are sure ure to become Clefs beco your greatest asset. To receive the finest possible service, seek hotels with Les Clefs d’Or d’Or concierges concierges on on sta". sta". To To learn learn more, more, visit visit www.lcdusa.org. wwwww.lcdusa.org.

In Seerrv rvivice th thrroouuggghh Frriieenndsshhiipp

Les Clefs d’Or USA continues its educational initiative with the International School of Hospitality in Las Vegas, Nevada. Several members of Les Clefs d’Or USA are assisting in writing the curriculum for a concierge certification class. We expect the class to be available in the summer of 2015.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

USA

Sarah Dandashy (The London West Hollywood Hotel) was selected as the first Eugenio Chinigo Award recipient. Sarah received her award during the Board of Directors meeting in Las Vegas. She will proudly represent the USA during the international Andy Pongco competition in Mendoza in April.

Les Clefs d’Or USA partnered with the Lincoln Motor Company to help develop a training program for their sales and service staff. The goal of the program is to provide a luxury hospitality experience for Lincoln clients. Phase II of Lincoln Academy is currently under development.

Les Clefs d’Or USA’s 2015 annual meeting will be held in July in New Orleans. Themed “Unmasking your Potential,” this congress promises to provide an extraordinary attendee experience. The Board of Directors displays the specially made Mardi Gras beads, made with our logo.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

U.A.E. Attendees representing Les Clefs d'Or UAE are: Dubai, UAE Abu Dhabi, UAE Doha, Qatar Manama, Bahrain

4th Annual Anniversary

Concierge of the Year Awards 2014 Our very first participation to European Congress. Attendees representing Les Clefs d'Or UAE are: • Oussama Itani • Ashok Kuckian • Cheriza Arangorin • Antonio Afonso • Hisny Mohammed • Avnish Masih • Sandra Newman

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

U.A.E. 4th Annual General Meeting September 2014 Tuesday, 2 September 2014 4th Annual General Meeting of Les Clefs d'Or UAE 2014 in Al Ain Rotana attended by more then 250 Active & Adherent Les Clefs d'Or, Abu Dhabi Concierge Group (ADCG), Dubai Concierge Group (DCG) Members, Fellows Concierges and Friends.

Monthly Meeting November 2014 Tuesday, 16 November 2014 Les Clefs d'Or UAE Monthly Meeting November 2014 in Emirates Golf Club Dubai attended by almost 85 Active & Adherent Les Clefs d'Or, ADCG, DCG Members, fellow concierges and friends, including Aldo Giacomello, UICH Past President & Sage.

TRAINING SOLUTIONS About the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing’s (DTCM) Training Solutions. The Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing established Training Solutions in January 2001 as a centre of excellence. It provides specific training solutions for the tourism sector to ensure that Dubai’s tourism industry continues its world-class development with world-class people involved at all levels. The courses are open to all individuals interested in enhancing their skills and tourism industry knowledge. They are of particular relevance to employees of tour operators and destination management companies, part-time exhibition and conference staff, concierges and other personnel dealing with visitors. Unless otherwise specified, all courses are held in the Training Department of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing at the Cruise Terminal, Port Rashid. English will be the medium of instruction and applicants must have an acceptable knowledge of the language – both spoken and written. Where applicable, candidates will be provided full documentation and course materials by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. All refreshments will be provided by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. Attendees should dress for comfort.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

U.A.E. H.E. Helal Saeed Al Marri Director General of Dubai DTCM Receiving UICH International Diploma

Khalil Al Yaman Founder & President of Bahrain Hotels Concierge Group Chief Concierge of Sofitel Thalassa and Spa Bahrain, Member of Les Clefs d’Or UAE

H.E. Sheikh Khalid Bin Humood Al Khalifa Assistant Undersecretary of Ministry of Culture & Tourism Receiving Diploma of Associate Membership from Les Clefs d’Or UAE

Monday, 15 September 2014 The official pinning ceremony for 16 members of the Bahrain Hotels Concierges Group (BHCG), graced by Mr. Hisham Alsaken, Director of Marking and Promotion Ministry of Culture and Tourism Bahrain.

Congratulations to our NEW Les Clefs d’Or Members:

Khalil Al Yaman Chief Concierge Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa, Sea & Spa

Benjamin Panlilio Assistant Chief Concierge Jebel Ali Golf Resort

Marie Ela Lanzanas Concierge Supervisor The Fairmont Dubai

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Arnulfo Guinto Chief Concierge Dusit Thani Dubai

Mandar Naik Chief Concierge The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina

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