Les Clefs d'Or® International Revue | Winter/Spring 2014 by Les Clefs d'Or®

REVUE

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

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

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

HONORARY UICH AMBASSADOR A. GIACOMELLO (SWITZERLAND) MEMBRE D'HONNEUR J. DESJEUNES

(FRANCE)

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE International President 1st Vice President 2nd Vice President 3rd Vice President Past 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 Browns Hotel, London, England RODERICK LEVÉJAC Four Seasons George V, Paris, France VIRGINIA CASALE Montreal, Canada JEAN-ROLAND BOUTILLE 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 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 S. CIRIC C. PARAL M. VAN CLEVE G. BORGES H. LEGRAND 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 R. DEVINE R. ALKELAI M. PAONESSA M. TAJIMA J. LEE S. DELCOMMINETTE S. IONG R. KUMARASAMY J.A. MONZON M. TAOUFIK S. RYAN O.A. FOSSBAKKEN L. HIDALGO P. PRASULA J. ALVES R. SANTOS C. MALUREANU P. NIKOLAEV S. MUSADDIQ M. PIZARRO M. PIERRAIN S. THONG-ON A. ONER C. FERRER S. KHAN

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”

Photographs of The Grand Budapest Hotel film courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Studios

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

Post-Humous International President ANDY PONGCO (PHILIPPINES)

UICH LES CLEFS D’OR REVUE Winter - Spring 2014 No 209

Message from the International President Message from the International General Secretary History of the Golden Keys The Grand Hotel Budapest Film France Great Britain Denmark Switzerland Educational Training Initiatives Kuala Lumpur Congress Highlights Argentina Austria Australia Brazil China Chinese Taipei Canada Czech Republic Holland Finland Hungary Hellas Hong Kong India Ireland Japan Korea Luxembourg Mexico Portugal Morocco Macau New Zealand Qatar Romania Russia Singapore Thailand USA U.A.E.

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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 àla 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, Once more I have the opportunity to address you through the pages of our International Revue and in this unique way to communicate with each and everyone one of you. In this 2nd edition of the Revue your contribution and assistance was remarkable, not much with advertisements, but mostly with articles and activities. The editorial team, Michael, James, Jacob, Muffin and Giuseppe has done a miracle once more. The 61st International Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, is now a precious memory, an educational experience and a step forward to the 62nd International Congress in Mendoza, Argentina, where all of us will be wiser and more effective. Many thanks to both Presidents Ragu Kumarasamy and Mario Morelli, both their Executive boards and organizing teams. During the last few months, few projects have started, some completed and some in process: The virtual Paris office, the Book of Members online, the newly designed Bucherer Keys, sponsors and partners agreement, the Charter in English and French version, the Zones, congress guidelines, meeting agendas and bylaws. The web site, the blog, the International Revue, the PPT presentation and all other social media projects give us the opportunity to showcase our association and to be visible and recognizable. The film “Grand Hotel Budapest” was a significant step for our profession with a great success internationally and reflects our achievements over the years. The service through friendship got its true meaning when it was most needed. As Zone meetings will be soon organized, I would like to invite all Presidents, members and Zone Directors to participate and contribute with topics and suggestions for our forthcoming congress. The Executive Committee members will always be at your disposal for any assistance and support. With my warmest regards and always In friendship Emmanuel Vrettos President UICH Les Clefs d’Or

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UICH GENERAL SECRETARY UICH REVUE EDITOR

If all the world's a stage, the Concierge has certainly had a starring role this year. Our profession, in fact our very own organization, has been illuminated by the cinematic glow of Wes Anderson's critically acclaimed film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. The film pays homage to the Concierge profession, declaring "Many of the hotel's most valued and distinguished guests came for him." The portrayal is hilarious, tender and elegant, and always underscores the resourcefulness and solidarity of the concierge community.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

MESSAGE FROM OUR INTERNATIONAL

In the film’s pivotal moment, Gustave H., the Chef Concierge of the hotel, is rescued from disaster by the actions of fellow concierges from around the world. The friendship,the connection that these concierges have with one another, exemplifies what all of us in Les Clefs d'Or do for one another on a daily basis. Of course we all know this, our guests know this, and now so does the movie-going world. Therefore my dear friends around the world this REVUE is not only based on the theme of the Grand Hotel Budapest film but also pays tribute to all of us, our concierge profession, our Les Clefs d’Or organization worldwide together with our profound and spirited motto “In Service Through Friendship.” We have experienced an exciting year of events and activities from all Sections worldwide; from our Teaching and Educational Training Initiatives, Community Services, Mentoring and Development of Students, and Embracing Modern Technology from Google Glass to our new OnLine Membership. This is the Year of The Concierge and let us celebrate all of our efforts and achievements. Vive Les Clefs d’Or!! Michael Romei International General Secretary UICH

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS From Military Collar Decoration to International Symbol of Exceptional Service: The Uniform Golden Keys of Les Clefs d’Or text by Jacob Detering The axiom that “the hotel Concierge of Les Clefs d'Or invented the modern profession the world now calls 'Concierge'”, should be frequently repeated. This statement is endowed with such compelling meaning that it deserves to be more broadly acknowledged. In the early days of the profession, hotel Concierge in European capital cities took to wearing two pairs of crossed golden keys on their uniform collar to symbolize their newly created Concierge roles within their individual Hotels. People familiar with the traditions and mysticism of Catholicism would immediately recognize an instant similarity between the Les Clefs d’Or crossed golden keys and the crossed keys of St. Peter that appear on the Papal coat of arms. That the founders of the Concierge profession in their many and varied faiths appropriated a mystical symbol that was intended to represent ‘the keys of the kingdom’ or divine power on earth, is a representation not far off what a great hotel Concierge can actually achieve… truly! Today the crossed keys as worn by Concierge Clefs d’Or throughout the world have become an internationally recognisable trademark of quality. In much the same way that the established Woolmark® symbol denotes an excellent textile product; the crossed keys can be immediately recognised by hotel visitors as representing an individual capable of providing a superior service product. The crossed keys are also forever associated with world travel, many romantic locations, local knowledge, honesty, individual discretion, dignity and an ever present attitude of friendship. There is now such evocative and multi-layered meanings associated with these simple crossed keys as worn in a hotel lobby; but it wasn’t always the case. The beginning of the crossed keys as used in hotels has a purely functional origin that commenced a long time prior to the formation of any Concierge association. The practise of hotel Concierges wearing crossed keys insignia on a uniform collar finds its establishment in the traditions of military dress and the wearing of collar decorations to indicate branches of the armed services or military ranks. It is no coincidence that many early Concierges served in the military prior to their hotel employment. As military conflicts of the late 19th and early 20th century throughout the world concluded, a number of former armed services personnel began new lives as hotel employees and many of them brought their military traditions to their hotel lobbies and this included wearing uniform collar insignia. Frenchman Pierre Quentin, who founded Les Clefs d’Or in 1929 also served in the First World War. For his service he was awarded both the Croix de Guerre and the Médaillé Militaire. In his later life Quentin was also named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur. Following the First World war, Concierge associations emerged throughout Europe. As members of these Concierge associations already wore the crossed keys on their collar, in process of time the symbol of the crossed keys came to informally represent membership within each association. Many members of these associations wore uniform coats with crossed keys embroidered with gold thread on their collars. A number of Concierges also took the more elaborate step of personally engaging local jewellers to create metal crossed keys that could be pinned to their uniform collar. When the French formed their association of hotel Concierges in 1929, they formally named themselves: Les Clefs d’Or. Which means quite literally, ‘The Golden Keys’. When Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels was founded in its European form in 1952 – in addition to the new association’s original lengthy title the members also more simply named themselves after the keys they wore. They also called themselves: Les Clefs d’Or. The following year at the Congress held in San Remo, Italy, Les Clefs d'Or adopted the crossed golden keys as the official symbol of membership. From this time onward the use of metal keys became more prominent. The individual who championed the adoption of the keys symbol and who is often known as the ‘Father’ of Les Clefs d’Or in its transnational form, was Mr. Ferdinand Gillet. Gillet was a Swiss national who had moved to Paris in the years following the foundation of Les Clefs d’Or in France. In the period after the official adoption of the keys symbol, a constructive relationship was formed between the Swiss Clefs d’Or and a local Swiss jewellery company named Bucherer, which was founded in 1888. Bucherer was commissioned to provide a simple model of the crossed keys insignia for the Swiss Concierge community. Occasionally international Concierge colleagues visiting Switzerland, would ask about obtaining the keys for use in their own country. In this way Bucherer was able to supply many global Concierges with keys. A number of other national Concierge associations and individuals formed similar relationships with local jewellers to created crossed keys pins. However it wasn’t until the late 1990’s that Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels «Les Clefs d’Or» undertook to create a universal key design for use throughout the worldwide association. In 1997 the international Les Clefs d’Or Executive Committee under the leadership of International President Andras Gunst charged Second Vice President Aldo Giacomello with exploring the possibility of creating an elegant and universal crossed keys collar insignia. A symbol of membership that would represent with consistency every Concierge Clefs d’Or in every hotel lobby throughout the world. Second Vice President Giacomello wrote about the initial spark for the uniform keys concept, “The society was growing fast and I took into consideration that we needed a strong element to unify and maintain a common ideal around the world and strengthen every member within a common identification. Enriched with my international experience and deep personal involvement in our association, I deduced that the best element to develop was the common element of identity: ‘THE KEYS’. Giacomello, then Chef Concierge at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Geneva sought a meeting with Mr. Gianfranco Ritschel, manager at the Bucherer headquarters in Lucerne. Mr. Ritschel heartily embraced ‘The Keys’ project proposal and set his design team to work on creating a suitable design for the universal keys.

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Over the following year Second Vice President Giacomello corresponded with Mr. Ritschel and the Bucherer design team as they researched the history, heritage and values of Les Clefs d’Or in order to best understand the needs and purpose of the eventual design. The minutes of board meetings during this time reflect the advancement of the project as Giacomello updates the Les Clefs d’Or international Executive on the progress and design proposals. In late May of 1998 the Bucherer design team submitted to the international Executive by fax a number of completed design proposal drawings. Design ‘C’ was accepted by the Executive as the best of the proposed new designs. In design ‘C’ the style of the keys is what locksmiths call a ‘warded key’ with a cylindrical shaft and collar, headed by an open trefoil key ‘bow’. The Les Clefs d’Or Bucherer proposed crossed keys design featured for the first time two primary symbols which represent the dual history of the Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels «Les Clefs d’Or». For this reason the Swiss Cross is cut into the key ‘bit’ recognising L'Union Européene des Portiers des Grands Hôtels «Les Clefs d’Or» founding President Ferdinand Gillet’s Swiss heritage and his contribution in broadening the reach of Les Clefs d’Or throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Also, the open trefoil key ’bow’ (ie. the key’s handle) pays tribute to the Gothic design style which originated in France during the 12th Century; thereby representing the truly French origin of Les Clefs d’Or as founded by Pierre Quentin in 1929. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps fortuitously the trefoil key design style was very often used in French hotels and was even the style of hotel room keys that were used at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes during the 1950’s while Ferdinand Gillet was President of Les Clefs d’Or . The Carlton Hotel was also the location of the official formation of L'Union Européene des Portiers des Grands Hôtels «Les Clefs d’Or» in 1952 (the keys are visible in a number of scenes in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film ‘To Catch A Thief’ which is set at the Carlton Hotel and stars Grace Kelly and Cary Grant). At the Executive Committee Meeting held in Geneva, Switzerland on Saturday, 30th May 1998, Mr Ritschel from Bucherer was in attendance to finally unveil the completed design proposal for the universal Les Clefs d’Or Bucherer crossed keys. The design was wholeheartedly received by the entire Executive and voted to be accepted as the official emblem and badge of Les Clefs d’Or internationally.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

HISTORY OF THE GOLDEN KEYS

The Les Clefs d’Or Bucherer crossed keys design was officially adopted by the entire worldwide membership of Les Clefs d’Or at the International Congress General Assembly held in Prague in February 1999. A memorandum of understanding was penned between Bucherer and Les Clefs d’Or at the same meeting. Mr Ritschel attended to represent Bucherer, with International President Marjorie Silverman and Aldo Giacomello (then First International Vice President) representing Les Clefs d’Or. A copy of the convention now resides in the archives at the Paris office. The first sets of actual golden keys in the form of a limited edition pin were unveiled by Mr. Gérard Müller, Director of Bucherer Bijouterie-horlogerie at the Les Clefs d’Or international Board of Directors meeting held in Guangzhou China in January 2000. A simple order process was devised and by May of the same year, close to two thousand sets of crossed keys had been distributed to members throughout the world at a purchase price of 16 Swiss francs a pair. The adopted design of the Les Clefs d’Or Bucherer crossed keys has aged incredibly well. Remaining unchanged even today since the original design ‘C’ was sketched over sixteen years ago. At the recent Executive Committee meeting held in Budapest at the end of 2013, Aldo Giacomello (now a member of the Comité des Sages) displayed an updated version of the crossed keys design. Importantly the now classic crossed keys insignia will remain largely unchanged, but now for the first time this design features two fastening prongs which attach through the uniform collar to prevent the so-called ‘windmill’ effect. The new keys will also contain an increased gold content as well as new enamelling behind the words: Clefs d’Or, to increase the text’s visibility. This updated key design was displayed to the broad membership at the Malaysia International Congress held in January of 2014. Cécile Gameiro, current Relations Manager at Bucherer is now the point of contact in Bucherer’s relationship with Les Clefs d’Or. Prior to joining Bucherer in Geneva in 1997, Ms Gameiro actually worked as a Concierge and is well placed to administer the rollout of the new model keys in collaboration with International President Emmanuel Vrettos and the Executive Committee. Ms Gameiro, who is also an honorary member of Les Clefs d’Or has indicated that the new keys will soon be ready for distribution. Keys will be ordered from Treasurer Jean-Roland Boutillé through the Paris Office. The new keys will be packaged in sets of 10 pairs, which will significantly lower shipping costs. The improved quality keys will now be priced at 20 Euros per pair. When announcing the new keys at the Malaysia Congress, President Vrettos thanked Ms Gameiro for her efforts in administering the new keys project and also remarked to Ms Gameiro with a smile, “Your luxury brand makes Les Clefs d’Or shine.” When worn by a truly first rate hotel Concierge, the crossed golden keys of Les Clefs d’Or become a unique identifier in that they signify an advanced level of Concierge service far beyond the generic. Especially in that that the wearer of the keys may be specifically acknowledged as a ‘Concierge Clefs d’Or’. A title and a position that is layered with well deserved significance and a compelling history and identity. An undeniable and impressive achievement for a simple pair of crossed keys. Jacob Detering has been a Hotel Concierge for 7 years, he holds a bachelor degree from Australia’s Deakin University Rusden in Media and Communication. He is the current UICH Les Clefs d’Or co-Webmaster and also the PR and Media representative for Les Clefs d’Or Australia. Many thanks to Aldo Giacomello for his contribution of personal correspondence and research material for this article.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THE GRAND HOTEL BUDAPEST FILM LES CLEFS D’Or ChECKS InTO ThE GranD BUDapEST hOTEL text by Jacob Detering Director Wes Anderson’s current release film is at first glance a simple story about the rise and fall of a luxury hotel set in the invented European country of The Republic of Zubrowka. It is also a wickedly charming portrayal of the Concierge profession. From the moment the production opened in cinemas, many of the Concierge members of Les Clefs d’Or jumped at the opportunity to see their profession grandly depicted on the big screen. Premieres were attended, private screenings were arranged and multiple viewings followed. As the film’s popularity grew among those in the global Concierge community, quotable lines of dialogue have been continuously recited aloud in hotel lobbies around the world. In Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel the central character of the hotel Concierge is the impeccably groomed Monsieur Gustave H. as portrayed by British actor Ralph Fiennes. M. Gustave makes for a complicated hero, he is at once a contradictory creation; in equal measures disarmingly polite, while often prone to bursts of vulgarity. A compulsive and often controlling individual who is also fiercely loyal to his hotel staff and his Concierge colleagues. At the same time subtle and discreet, yet also habitually overperfumed. It’s hard not to be captivated by Monsieur Gustave. As The Grand Budapest Hotel continues its distribution journey through home entertainment and the vast array of digital platforms, surely the film will be required viewing for the coming generation of lobby-boys and girls, bell staff, porters and aspiring hotel Concierges. Perhaps Ralph Fiennes and his characterisation of Gustave H. will come to mean a great deal to the rising generation of hotel Concierges. Perhaps this new production will even attain as much affection as Barry Sonnenfeld’s 1993 film: For Love or Money (aka The Concierge). A lovable screwball comedy starring Michael J. Fox as New York City Concierge, Douglas Ireland. Throughout the history of cinema, many professional occupations have been captured on film in the same way as presented in The Grand Budapest Hotel. An enigmatic central figure works a job with an all-consuming passion – so much so that it blurs the line between both their professional and personal worlds. There are thousands of films in this vein whose main characters boast notably prominent occupations, such as those of lawyers, doctors, soldiers and police officers to list just a few. That the members of Les Clefs d’Or share a vocation with the film’s protagonist is not of itself unique. What is unique is that from the time of The Grand Budapest Hotel’s Premiere screening onward, Concierges throughout the world have gathered to attend screenings of the film en-masse – many of these Concierges attired in the uniforms of their profession. Images posted on social media show Les Clefs d’Or Germany President Thomas Munko in his morning coat and crossed keys along with his Concierge colleagues walking the red carpet of the film’s invitation-only Berlin Premiere. Other Les Clefs d’Or chapters throughout the world have also taken to social media to share pictures of their attendance at the film’s various international openings. It is possibly a first in the history of cinema that working professionals of a particular field have so universally embraced a specific film and made it part of their existing folklore. Living memory offers no example of Doctors attending a film premiere attired in coats and stethoscopes simply because the film’s central character was a Doctor. Wes Anderson is no stranger to hotels and no stranger to regular interaction with hotel Concierges. Scenes from Anderson’s 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums were shot at New York’s famous Waldorf Astoria. While Anderson’s 2007 short film Hotel Chevalier was shot entirely in a single suite of the Hôtel Raphaël in Paris (Hôtel Raphaël’s Chef Concierge is former French President Lionel Lorans, who is thanked in the film’s credits). Subsequently The Grand Budapest Hotel represents the natural continuation and thematic development of the presence of hotels in Wes Anderson’s films. Before production commenced on The Grand Budapest Hotel, Anderson reached out to The Society of the Golden Keys of the Czech Republic in order to learn even more about the Concierge profession. American Ambassador to the Czech Republic Norman L. Eisen arranged for a meeting between Anderson and The Society of the Golden Keys. The President of Les Clefs d’Or Czech Republic Petr Zezula along with a number of his Concierge colleagues attended the Ambassador’s residence in Prague to discuss and outline the Concierge profession for Anderson and also actor Jeff Goldblum. In the final film this consultation is evident in that Anderson manages to capture on screen an insightful and authentic view of the hotel Concierge profession (albeit in a distinctly stylised and theatrical way). In interviews following the film’s release Anderson is quoted as saying that for the film he made up a ‘secret society’ comprised of professional hotel Concierges, calling it: The Society of the Crossed Keys. Of course despite Anderson’s evident discretion on behalf of Concierges throughout the world – for those who wear the crossed keys on a daily basis it can easily be deduced that Anderson’s ‘made up’ society

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bears more than a passing resemblance to the international Society of the Golden Keys, an association more commonly called: Les Clefs d’Or. A promotional video for the film gives the full Latin name of Anderson’s transformed Society as: ‘Occulta Claves Decussatae Societatis’ (which does translate as ‘Secret Crossed Keys Society’, with the possibly coincidental acronym of O.C.D. Society as well). It is not just Ralph Fiennes who dons the Concierge crossed keys in the film. Bill Murray takes a turn as Excelsior Palace Hotel’s Head Concierge M. Ivan, leader of Anderson’s ‘Society of the Crossed Keys’ (thereby fulfilling a childhood dream that every Concierge didn’t know they had, to witness a Ghostbuster wearing the golden keys). Bob Balaban also makes an appearance as Concierge M. Martin, with Fisher Stevens as M. Robin, Wally Wolodarsky as M. Georges and Waris Ahluwalia as M. Dino. Together they comprise the membership of Anderson’s Society. These characters all make their first appearance in a wonderful sequence where M. Gustave having escaped from prison, calls on the assistance of the Concierge members of the ‘Society of the Crossed Keys’ (also highlighting the age old Concierge problem of securing “a corner table at Chez Dominique on a Thursday.”) The film covers a selection of different time periods, but focuses primarily on the years between the two world wars and the film ultimately becomes a metaphoric exploration of the social and political ending of eras. The central themes are expressed through the film’s secondary narrator Zero Moustafa, who says of the film’s lead Monsieur Gustave: “To be frank, I think his world had vanished long before he ever entered it – but, I will say: he certainly sustained the illusion with a marvellous grace!” We experience the entire journey of the film through the eyes of the mature Zero Moustafa, a former lobby-boy under the tutelage of M. Gustave.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THE GRAND HOTEL BUDAPEST FILM

Anderson and the film’s co-writer Hugo Guiness have asserted that a mutual friend of theirs provided the inspiration for the character of M. Gustave. In interviews and in written articles Anderson and Guiness never quite confirm who the individual is (however, the film’s ‘technical consultant’ appearing in a brief cameo at the opening of the film makes for a subtle wink in relation to the model for M. Gustave). Anderson also credits the stories and works of Austrian writer Stefan Zweig as a primary source of inspiration for the film and in particular Zweig's novel ‘Beware of Pity’ provided the initial spark. Anderson in collaboration with the London based Pushkin Press have published a volume of selected stories from the writings of Zweig; appropriately titled: The Society of the Crossed Keys (the volume is available from the Pushkin Press website). On the 6th of February 2014 director Wes Anderson premiered his film at the Berlin International Film festival. In the period since its release, The Grand Budapest Hotel has been very well received critically and also commercially. The film began with a limited release, but that soon widened as the film became more successful (at the time of writing the film has grossed US$150 million worldwide at the box office). Clearly the public has an appetite for the fictional portrayal of the hotel Concierge profession. The representation of the Concierge profession throughout the film (fictional as it may be) is not always entirely flattering. The character of Monsieur Gustave is most certainly a scoundrel, but there is definitely enough of a relatable element of truth to both the Concierge character, as well as to the storyline for there to be a positive flow-on public relations impact for Les Clefs d’Or. Perhaps there are even some applicable concepts that Les Clefs d’Or could take away from the film’s portrayal of the hotel Concierge. The filmmakers involved with The Grand Budapest Hotel as well as the publicity team at Twentieth Century Fox (the film’s distributor) can be commended for recognising the power of the consistent use of the crossed keys image to create a poignant and memorable link to the film and consequently highlighting the hotel Concierge society of Les Clefs d’Or. (Even the invitations to the Premiere were made with a miniature pair of crossed keys fastened to the front.) Anderson’s film also has a wonderful sense of costume – particularly in the characters of the hotel Concierges who are depicted in a variety of colourful formal tails and bow ties. While these costumes are in large part an impressionistic version of the Concierge role in a hotel. The somewhat theatrical portrayal contradicts a contemporary trend evident particularly among larger hotel chains to gradually move away from the more traditional styles of Concierge uniforms, toward clothing their Concierge teams in unexceptional business suits that fail to create the once valued element of theatricality or any discernable sense of occasion. The Grand Budapest Hotel harks back to a time of luxuriant world travel that has long since disappeared. However contemporary travellers do share one prevailing common desire with travellers of that long forgotten time – they too want to experience a journey in a way that is felt rather than dryly observed. To move beyond the sometimes transactional nature of their hotel stay and to truly feel connected to the location in which they are travelling. As depicted in Anderson’s film the hotel Concierge is so often at the forefront of that emotive experience for hotel guests; and always will be. It seems reasonable to suggest that members of Les Clefs d’Or will reflect on the release of The Grand Budapest Hotel as a unique moment when audiences the world over were able to collectively glance behind the curtain into the Concierge operations at a grand hotel. Credit can surely be given to Anderson that through his film he has presented the Concierge profession in a way that ensures the work and life of a hotel Concierge appears entertaining for viewing audiences and also aspirational for lobby boys and girls the world over.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THE GRAND HOTEL BUDAPEST FILM holly Stiel Thank You Very Much, Inc. If you are not in the thank you business you are probably not in business Making Gustav Proud May 13, 2014 | By: HollyStiel Wes Anderson’s most recent film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is a delightful work of art that pays homage to the nobility of hospitality and the power of service to others. While the luxurious hotel, characters and plot are fictional, the spirit that underlies the story is stunningly real. The hero in the movie is the Grand Budapest’s concierge, Gustave H., impeccably portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. As a world-class concierge, Gustave sets the tone for the hotel, embodying and exemplifying the splendor of his property and the spirit of service. In fact, many guests return again and again for the express purpose of seeing him. He is the heartbeat of the hotel, and he inspires the entire staff to emulate his thoughtfulness and elegance—down to the smallest detail. The story is set just before the onset of World War II. One reviewer wistfully observed that the movie harkens back to “a long-lost past—a more glorious era for hotels, when staying at a prestigious property was not just about the amenities in one’s room. but about being a part of something much bigger and grander.” Indeed, the movie ends with the tragic decline of the Grand Budapest, which quickly deteriorates after Gustave’s untimely death. As stated in the movie, the hotel becomes “unprofitable and doomed, the last connection to a banished world.” The narrator even takes it a step further, saying: “Perhaps it was a world that never really existed in the first place, but an illusion sustained by Gustave with marvelous grace.” Such a sad statement! Long-lost past? Banished world? An illusion? I would write a much happier ending, because I believe this “banished world” is alive and well in the hospitality industry today. It is created, day in and day out, by hotel concierges who are dedicated to representing their properties with grace, while creating magical experiences for their guests. Gustave’s legacy might have died with him, but the legacy of true hospitality and service lives on in the lives of present-day concierges. Here are just a few examples. Tom Wolfe, Chief Concierge, The Fairmont hotel in San Francisco Taking the best from the past to create an even better present and future. After working with “old world” concierges in London and Paris, Tom introduced the concept to the U.S., opening the first American concierge desk at The Fairmont in San Francisco. He has been described as the ultimate icon of the concierge profession. Tom holds a reverence for the past, while embracing the latest technology to serve his guests and maintain relationships with his many colleagues. You might find him posting a personalized YouTube video for a guest one minute, and see him typing a confirmation card on an old-fashioned typewriter or handwriting a thank-you note the next. To ensure that the legacy will live on, he happily shares his wealth of information. He has been and continues to be a gracious mentor to every professional concierge, new or experienced, who has had the good fortune to meet and learn from him. Michael romei, Chief Concierge, The Towers, Waldorf astoria, new York Making Miracles Happen Michael has seen and done it all: from arranging live music performances for heads-of-state to teaching a Japanese guest how to whistle down a taxi. But in Michael’s own words, “It is the challenge of truly unique requests that I relish the most.” One of the most memorable of these requests came from a family from Central Africa on a six-week stay to buy equipment for a new bakery in Ethiopia. To ensure they got everything they needed at a reasonable price, Michael went on a crash course in commercial baking, soliciting advice from Waldorf Astoria master pastry chefs. Then, he hit the streets to scout different vendors. Mission accomplished.

aldo Giacomello, Former Chief Concierge at the hotel Beau rivage, Geneva, Switzerland Creating Legacy through Devotion At the Beau Rivage, the professionalism of their staff and their utter devotion to their guests’ well being at every hour of the day or night ensures a magical stay for their guests. Retired concierge Aldo Giacomello may no longer be an official staff member at the Beau Rivage, but he will always be an honorary one. Not only does his devotion live on through the existing staff he has mentored, he is personally still very much a part of the team. His role was and remains so valuable that management has maintained an office for him in his retirement. I could name many other modern-day concierges, who are living legacies, as they create the magic hotel guests are experiencing today and will enjoy many years to come. They are most certainly a part of something “bigger and grander,” and I know in my heart that Gustave would be proud.

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holly Stiel Thank You Very Much, Inc. If you are not in the thank you business you are probably not in business Six Lessons from The Grand Budapest Hotel May 2, 2014 | By: HollyStiel I don’t usually write movie reviews, but I’m so enthusiastic about The Grand Budapest Hotel, I would be remiss in not recommending it. It’s a beautiful, delightfully entertaining caper—often zany and hilarious and sometimes utterly ridiculous. But beyond the fun, the colorful scenes, engaging characters and intrigue, the movie also tips its hat to the real-life nobility of luxury hotels at their very best, their concierges and service to others in general. The Grand Budapest Hotel and its protagonist, concierge Gustave H., illustrate powerful lessons—not only for staff members who serve guests in hotels, but also for anyone who serves customers or clients in any endeavor. As a former concierge and now customer-service consultant, I was thrilled to discover these lessons as the plot unfolded. Here are six of the gems I saw in the film. Make it personal: Gustave, always the ultimate concierge, knows all his guests’ names and remembers them for decades after their visits. He makes it his responsibility to know what they want and when they want it, often before the guests even know themselves. It’s little wonder that repeat guests keep coming back to the property for the express purpose of seeing Gustave.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THE GRAND HOTEL BUDAPEST FILM

Take pride in representing your organization and embody its values. For many guests, Gustave is the hotel, and for him, working there is a dream come true—a noble ambition and something to be proud of and cherished. He embodies the spirit of the hotel to the extent that he demonstrates the same caring, diligence and graciousness when off-duty and outside of the hotel, as he does performing his duties within it. Who he is at least partly a function of what he does and vice-versa. Even when facing personal difficulties, unable to get to the hotel, he continues to concern himself with the hotel and its guests. relationships are our power and our responsibility. Instead of conducting transactions, Gustave forges relationships. In his role of concierge, he was kind to a child, whom, as an adult, later saves his life. Wrongly imprisoned, he is able to turn a conflicted relationship into a friendship that ultimately results in his freedom. In fact, the relationships he creates—with his colleagues and all the people he meets along the way—are at the heart of the movie. In fact, without them there would be no story. Upholding honor and trust. Gustave promises to light a candle at the local sacristy for a deceased guest. The request couldn’t have come at a worse time, and no one would’ve been the wiser if he “forgot” to fulfill his commitment. But, he kept his promise, delegated the task to a trusted colleague and followed up to ensure it was accomplished. Foster resourcefulness and creativity: One of the funniest scenes involves Gustave the inmate solving the problem of finding digging tools for an escape effort. Using eating utensils he has accessed from his meal-serving detail, he and his fellow prisoners, patiently chink away to create the passageway to freedom. (This is also a lesson in the power of teamwork, accomplishing the seemingly impossible with help from others.) Exhibit grace under fire when coping with difficult people and situations in any context. Much of the fun of the movie is watching Gustave navigate difficult situations and contend with difficult people, while maintaining the style and unremitting grace that reflects his hotel. In prison, he continues to serve others by giving his fellow prisoners their meals. “May I offer a plate of mush, and would you care for salt?” he asks, as if it were offering heads of state fine caviar. As for dealing with difficult people, he gives his staff this most excellent insight: “Rudeness is an expression of fear, which only needs to be loved.” Like real, live human beings, Gustave wasn’t perfect. However, he did do his best to practice honorable principles and pass along his knowledge, passion and commitment to those whose lives he touched. He created a legacy, and regardless of the fate of the Grand Budapest, the spirit of its concierge will live forever.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

FRANCE

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

At the end of autumn the Clefs d’Or France met for their annual congress in the town of Lyon. Under a blazing sun, 130 persons were able to visit the region and discover the regional gastronomy of which the chef Paul Bocuse is its best ambassador: in fact it is in his institution that we organized our gala diner which ended our congress beautifully. Workwise all the concierge took part in a work session whose main theme was based around security in hotels. 2013 ended in style as we organized in conjunction with Galeries Lafayette an exceptional dinner at the Musée d’Orsay on the 6th of December. There were more than 150 guests who had the pleasure to visit privately and in small groups the museum and its famous impressionist’s gallery, at night with a glass of champagne in hand and away from all the usual chaos. Before the dinner the Clefs d’Or France met at the Hyatt Regency Etoile to part take in the ceremony of the remittance of the Gold Keys to its new members in 2013 and we also honored and celebrated five of our members that have been with our fraternity for 25 years. 2014 started off with a bang with our international congress in Kuala Lumpur whereby 20 or so concierges made the trip to this far off destination which shows us the French sections motivation. At the end of march we had General Assembly for the Clefs d’Or France: 80 members took part in this meeting and were able to see how dynamic the association is through the different reports done by the members of the executive committee, as well as the regional presidents. The Gala that followed was organized in the prestigious ‘Pavillon Gabriel’ and the theme of the evening was ‘Les Clefs d’Or ont du Talent’. The evening was inspired by the popular talent shows that we all know so well and the aim was to showcase the hidden artistic talents of its members through: song, mime and acting. Everyone was applauded for their efforts and in particular by a VIP panel of judges that came especially for the occasion. They were flabbergasted by the show put on!!! The next coming months will be very intense : at the beginning of June will be the graduation ceremony for students of this year’s students of the FPE ‘Concierge D’Hôtel’ and then all of our energy will be focused on Monaco and the ‘Côte D’Azur’ where our next annual congress will take place between the 14th and 16th of November 2014. There will be some excellent moments to look forward to!

Dominique Guidetti and Roger Bastoni laughing together at the Gala Dinner of the Clefs d’Or France (21st March at Pavillon Gabriel).

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October 2013 On Monday 7th October 2013 Morris Visitor Publications held the annual concierge awards at the Park Plaza Westminster hotel. Guests from London’s hospitality, retail and tourism industries, the hotel concierge community and hotel general managers were entertained with a reception of drinks and delicious canapés, courtesy of the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

GREAT BRITAIN

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

COnCIErGE OF ThE YEar LOnDOn MEMBEr aWarD

Richard Williams, Royal Horseguards Hotel, London ThE SOCIETY OF ThE GOLDEn KEYS ‘SErVICE ThrOUGh FrIEnDShIp’ aWarD

Ronnie McDowell, Royal National Hotel, London

COnCIErGE OF ThE YEar rEGIOnaL MEMBEr aWarD

Colin Parkes, Careys Manor & SenSpa, New Forest

ThE SOCIETY OF ThE GOLDEn KEYS ‘LIFETIME aChIEVEMEnT’ aWarD

Photograph of the concierge winners 2013

Michael De Cozar, The Ritz, London

november 2013 Donation to the Philippine Red Cross for the Tacloban Typhoon appeal. The Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth have donated £1000 to the Philippine Red Cross as recommended by Mr Leo Hidalgo, President of Les Clefs d’Or Philippines. Our thoughts are with the people of the Philippines and we wish them a speedy recovery.

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Luxury In room Spa Services

Viva Therapies provides massage, beauty and ﬁtness services to all the ﬁve star hotels across London. Viva Therapies was founded by Raquel Vaccioli, who has developed an exceptional team of therapists and specialists in the health and beauty industry who can treat your guests in their hotel room.

“Viva Therapies is now one of London’s best known mobile massage and beauty fitness services. Since Viva started in business in 2005 they have taken their industry to a different level, setting standards which have left other companies way behind. All of the therapists are professionally qualified, uniformed, smart, friendly, and proud of the services that they provide. The range of therapies that they offer is extensive, they arrive punctually and fully equipped. Raquel and her team work together with many members of the GB section of Les Clefs d’Or providing a service which further enhances guests’ experiences at our hotels.” Paul Still, Senior Concierge, London Hilton on Park Lane

If you’d like more information on our services, please contact us on 0207138277 or email raquel@vivatherapies.com Our opening hours are Monday to Sunday 8.30am to midnight.

Massage Services/ Beauty Services/ Hairdressing/ Make up Services/ Personal Training

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December 2013 Merry Christmas from the committee of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth

January 2014 A busy month for the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth with the 61st UICH annual International Congress taking place in Malaysia. Over twenty members of the Society and the committee registered for the 61st. James Elliott Andre Damonte sponsored place represented Great Britain and the Commonwealth for the Andy Pongco competition.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

GREAT BRITAIN

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY

The committee of Les Clefs d’Or test each candidate on a number of items to be able to assess each candidate capabilities as a Les Clefs d’Or concierge and decide on the winner of the Andy Pongco award. The winner receives an all expenses paid trip (registration and airfare) to the next International Congress. Each year the Andy Pongco award is sponsored by a partner. Mr James Elliott was announced the winner of the 7th annual Andy Pongco award. He is the second Les Clefs d’Or concierge from the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth to win this coveted award. The first member was Mr Ben Malpass currently Head Concierge Kensington Close Hotel, London, Great Britain who won this award back in 2010. Great Britain and the Commonwealth section are fortunate to have two previous Andy Pongco winners who work in hotels in Great Britain. They both transferred their memberships of their previous country to join the society. They are Mr Christophe Caron Assistant Head Concierge, currently at Rosewood Hotel, London who won the award in 2009 under Les Clefs d’Or France and Ms Anabella Peling Head Concierge, currently at Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire Great Britain who won the award in 2011 under Les Clefs d’Or Argentina

James Elliott Winner of the 7th Andy Pongco Award 2014

February 2014 February saw changes in the committee of the Society of the Golden keys Great Britain and the Commonwealth. Each year the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and Commonwealth host a by invitation only Ladies night at an exclusive hotel in London. On Saturday 8th February 2014, Ladies night was hosted at the prestigious five star Royal Gardens Hotel located in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Keith Upsdell and Stelios Stylianou both accountants from Gorrie Whitson received honoury life membership. The money raised from the raffle will then be donated to the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain and Commonwealth chosen charity. This is confirmed as Hospitality Action and will be presented by the President of the Society on the Anniversary cocktail party in April 2014. The amount raised is £2860 and the society will match this figure.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

DENMARK

ATTENDED 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS CANNES 1952

EXCO meeting and 30th anniversary Les Clefs d'Or hungary With 3 delegates the Danish section visited and participated in the festivities of the 30th anniversary of our friends in the Hungarian Section from November 7 to 10. Scandinavian Zone Director and Danish President Anders Ruggiero also attended a most constructive EXCO during the celebration weekend in Budapest. Thank you Tamas and team for a most successful event and for showing us the best of your beautiful and historical capital. Les Clefs d'Or Denmark attended the 61st International UICh Congress in KL From January 10 to January 15 Denmark attended with a total of 8 delegates the 61st International Congress in Kuala Lumpur. We all really Anniversary and host Present to the Hungarian Section enjoyed the networking, wonderful events, the educational with the speech from Mr. Jean-Claude Biver from Hublot as the clearest memory from the day. We were also very proud of our Andy Pongco nominee Mr. Pierre Houdet who did an excellent job and presented our country with pride and usual Danish charm! Thank you again President Ragu and team for a most wonderful and memorable time in beautiful KL! Les Clefs d'Or Denmark hosts annual new Years reception. On March 10 the annual New Years Reception of Les Clefs d’Or Denmark was held at Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center. The hotel managers of Copenhagen and selected partners were invited to an exciting afternoon of networking and features from Jakob Ellermann - hotel manager Group photo from the congress of the Scandinavian Zone of Tivoli Hotel & Congress Center, Leon Birdi – Service Booster, Simon Thomas - 2nd International Vice President Les Clefs d'Or and our own President of Les Clefs d’Or Denmark Anders Ruggiero. Les Clefs d'Or Denmark aGM The Danish section held its Annual General Assembly on Wednesday March 26. The location was the beautiful Hotel Plaza, right in the heart of Copenhagen. Besides the board there were 30 members of the society that attended. Johan Widing was the host and director of the assembly. On topic was: Our President Anders Ruggiero welcomed and went through the past year which have been full of events, meetings and congresses around the world. The financial status was presented by Uffe Sorensen. The society has a very healthy balance and there were no objections from the members. The yearly fee of being a member was discussed and set to increase from 2015. Our President Anders Ruggiero was reelected as President for the next two years. We are all very happy with the hard work and dedication he shows for the society. This year two new faces were up for election. Our former President Mr Arshad Khokar is no longer in the board since the two year span is gone. He was instead honored for his dedication to the society and his hard work over the past almost 30 years, voted as Honorary President. He is the third honorary president of the Danish society. Tue Mollerup from Hotel D’angletterre decided not to run for the position on the board. Therefore there were two new places available and Jacob Brøchmann and Elisabeth Roland Christensen was on election. They were both elected by all the attendees and the board itself. Finally Uffe Sørensen was reelected as accountant for the society. And of course our hard working Secretary Mrs. Nete Villaume who we can't live without, was also re-elected. The board is now able to look forward to another great year with many events, meetings and congresses. The society had invited a special guest from the Danish jewelry company Pandora. He held a very interesting presentation of the company. Very insightful and interesting information for us to share with our valuable guests visiting Copenhagen. Pandora also sponsored some gift bags and the event itself. The night finished with an amazing dinner on behalf of Plaza Honorary President Hotels Grill restaurant and the General Mr. Arshad Khokhar Manager of the hotel.

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Danish and Canadian delegates networking

2nd International Vice President and guest speaker of the event, Mr. Simon Thomas, we were so honored to have you with us and to share your valuable knowledge of our association and profession.

Official welcome by President Anders Ruggiero

SH AMBALLA J EWE L S - I CONI C D A NI SH D E SI GN From Copenhagen comes the most iconic jewelry brand of recent times - Shamballa Jewels. Unique in their mission to encourage compassion, Shamballa Jewels strikes a balance between the spiritual and material. This exceptional mix has won the founding brothers Mads and Mikkel Kornerup loyal patronage amongst royalty, couturiers, sportspersons, and stars the world over. Hailed as a modern master, 0DGV .RUQHUXS Âż UVW GHVLJQHG the Shamballa Bracelet as a custom piece for music impresario Jay Z. Inspired by Buddhist prayer beads; he created a bracelet of gold beads held together by the ancient, Chinese macramĂŠ technique. The beads bore the logo of Jay Zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company, his initials and his star sign. And thus the Shamballa Bracelet was born. Australian born Crown Princess Mary of Denmark and her Shamballa bracelet tell us

a similar story of personal customization. When she gave her Âż UVW LQWHUYLHZ DV &URZQ 3ULQFHVV RI 'HQPDUN VKH ZRUH DQ $U gyle Pink diamond Shamballa Bracelet. The argyle diamonds were from Australia - a subtle combination of her two worlds. For designs so personalised, the delivery times are swift. Most custom orders take a week or less to be completed. 2UGHUV FDQ EH SODFHG DW 6KDPEDOOD -HZHOV Ă&#x20AC; DJVKLS VWRUH LQ Copenhagen or at their prestigious international retail partners such as Harrods in London, Colette and Montaigne market in Paris, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, Wempe and London Jewelers in the USA, Boutique dos RelĂłgios in Lisbon and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong amongst others. Shamballa Jewelsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; repertoire includes bracelets, necklaces, cufĂ&#x20AC; LQNV HDUULQJV DQG ULQJV PDGH ZLWK high quality diamonvds, precious stones and rare gems set on 18K gold. All their jewelry is set, braided and polished by hand in Copenhagen, Denmark.

WE WELCOME OUR BRAND NEW 2014 LES CLEFS Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;OR KEYS

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SWITZERLAND

ORIGINAL SIX-MEMBER SECTION COUNTRY Dear Friends,

The Swiss Committee and I are very pleased to inform you of the recent activities we had in Switzerland. At the end of January, during the General Assembly of the Graubünden section was elected a new President : Mr Oliver Assandri, (Suvretta House Hotel in St Moritz)

Just before that, our Bern and Berner Oberland section had also elected a new section president: Mr Patrick Ritschard (Bellevue Palace in Bern)

Then in Basel, Cristina Bally has been elected Concierge of the year 2013 by the Magazine Bilanz. She is published also in the Swiss Deluxe Magazine named Ambiance with some beautiful comments.

In Geneva, The concierge of the Dolder Grand Resort, Darius Karasiewicz had the chance to start with the new exchange program in Switzerland visiting myself at Beau Rivage.

Also at Beau Rivage, we had the pleasure to host a small American Express team from Russia, who experienced a beautiful and gastronomic stay before a test drive in the Swiss countryside with Elite Rent A Car.

In Zurich, Mr Kramer of the Kramer Gastronomie invited the Zurich Concierges for the running dinner to experience his various restaurants and locations, like here in a trolley bus.

LALIQUE opened its flagship store in Zurich and invited the local concierges.

Finally, we are still working hard on our website, and on our Facebook page to update all documents in 4 languages. The next major events this year will be a General Assembly for the Zurich section in April, and at the end of the year for the Tessin, Geneva, and Valais sections. Our “Journée des Clefs d’Or” will be held this year in September in Crans-Montana thanks to the assistance of our retired but still very active friend Freddy Wiederseiner. Looking forward to seeing you all during the next congresses, we wish you all our best and warm regards. Amicalement Marc Pierrain, Président Les Clefs d’Or Suisse

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UICH LES CLEFS D’OR EDUCATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES 2014 STUDENTS DISCOVERING UAE, QATAR & BAHRAIN

Dear Friends, allow me to share with you this amazing team work, connecting the tourism schools around the world and through the diversity of characteristics, philosophy and knowledge the final result will motivate and encourage young generation. Showing the path of experience and networking, invite them to become communicants of our association. With the mentoring and efforts of Virginia we are now in a position to convey the message to every tourism school and trust for their positive answer. We will go forward and do our best to support all activities on that level. I would like to thank all and every one for your commitment. In friendship, Emmanuel Vrettos Head Concierge President U.I.C.H "Les Clefs d' Or" For a third year, four students of the International Project Studies will realize a mandate for Les Clefs d’Or. In 2012 and 2013, the destinations were India and South Africa. Edwin Saldanha, President of Les Clefs d'Or India & Zone Director of Asia, and Ronnie Govendor, President of the Concierge Association in South Africa were the two wonderful hosts and left an experience of a lifetime to these students. This year, Jérémie, Laurence, Frédérique and Anthony are in the United Arab Emirates, in Qatar and in Bahrain. Through observations and interviews, they will analyze each concierge association and will produce a report. They worked extensively since last October with Virginia to prepare their departure and they have completed this wonderful journey. The International Project Studies exists since 15 years. In this end of degree project, the students are in charge of searching a concrete mandate to realize abroad. This year, the destination is the Arabian Peninsula. It represents a great opportunity for them to apply the theoretical notions they have learned throughout their bachelor and develop new competencies such as working in a different cultural framework. After these wonderful experiences, they have our association in the hearts and forever will promote our good name. They are the future and we should continue to nurture all our relationships with the different institutes around the world. Very special thanks and immense gratitude goes to Charles Ferrer, President of Les Clefs d'Or UAE, Randy Santos, President of Les Clefs d'Or Qatar and Khalil Al Yaman, President of the Concierge Society of Bahrain. Bravo Charles, Randy & Khalil, you have created four new AMBASSADORS of Clefs d'Or, no matter where their career will lead them!

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UICH LES CLEFS D’OR EDUCATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES 2014 AMERICAN EXPRESS

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

UICH LES CLEFS D’OR EDUCATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVES 2014 THE CONCIERGE SOCIETY OF INDONESIA

The original Concierge Society of Indonesia which was later renamed as such was actually founded in 1990 by Mr. Hasnal Bakri. Mr. Bakri is the Conseil des Sages and Founder and first President of the Concierge Society of Indonesia and became the first Les Clefs d’Or member from Indonesia in 1992. Mr. Bakri worked very closely with Les Clefs d’Or Singapore and attended several UICH International Congresses therefore connecting Indonesia to our worldwide network of professional hotel concierge UICH. The Concierge Society of Indonesia currently has 15 Les Clefs d’Or members and is in application to UICH to become its own independent Les Clefs d’Or Section. They are most active with training and development and have organized and hosted several educational workshops-seminars throughout their country as well as together with Les Clefs d’Or Singapore. Most recently in January 2014, post our Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Congress: The Concierge Society of Indonesia organized an educational seminar workshop for more than 120 concierges from all over Indonesia. I was fortunate enough to have been invited to present and conduct an educational component as part of this Indonesia Congress. My experience was most rewarding and very productive as I was able to see first hand the very organized network of professional concierges, their keen interest and eagerness to grow and develop their junior members, the outstanding customer service standards in their various hotels and their tremendous strength of community: Not only do they give back by organizing several community outreach programs but they are very well supported by key local vendors and even a multinational company such as The Blue Bird Group.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR 61ST UICH INTERNATIONAL

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prESS rELEaSE For immediate Release Malaysia hosts the 61st UICh International Congress 2014 Recently, the Malaysian chapter of the prestigious Les Clefs d'Or, the Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia, hosted the 61st International Les Clefs d'Or Congress in Kuala Lumpur from 10th to the 15th January 2014. Held for the first time in Malaysia, the annual Congress witnessed a gathering of nearly 500 Les Clefs d'Or Concierges and Industry Partners from all over the world including the Americas, Oceania, Scandinavia, Asia, Middle East and Central Europe. The UICH (Union International des Concierges d'Hotels) that is based in Paris, France represents nearly 4000 hotel concierges from all over the world, all recognizable through the famed crossed golden keys or les clefs d'or that are worn proudly by members on their uniform lapels. The 5-day congress was organized and hosted by the Malaysian chapter of UICH, the Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia, led by its president, Mr Ragu Kumarasamy, Chef Concierge of the Prince Hotel 7 Residence Kuala Lumpur, with the support from mainly the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Conference and Exhibition Bureau (MyCeb) and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). Both International and Local Industry partners such as American Express, Sofitel, Shangri-La, Leading Hotels of the World, International New York Times, Mayflower Tours and a host of other companies and organizations also contributed in terms of sponsors and assistance to make the event a success. Officiated by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato' Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, the Congress began with a colourful parade of the Section Member country flags by students of KDU University, accompanied by the sound of cultural drums from the Malaysian Traditional Drum troupe. This was followed by an opening Cocktail Gala aptly themed “The Colors of The World”.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

CONGRESS IN KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Highlights of the Congress include 2 main meetings, the Board of Directors Meeting and the General Assembly; a Les Clefs d'Or Gives Back Activity – where a group of residents from an orphanage run by Badan Amal Kasih Sayang Malaysia (BAKASA) were treated to a day of 'Fun in the Sun' at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park by volunteering delegates attending the Congress; day tours to experience Kuala Lumpur City and also Malacca; 'Hawker-styled' Dinner at Dataran Merdeka hosted by the Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, YB Datuk Seri Haji Ahmad Phesal Bin Haji Talib; and also a full-day Education Symposium with a host of speakers representing higher management of several major Hotel chain brands including an inspiring address by Hublot Watches Chairman of the Board, Mr Jean Claude Biver. During the General Assembly, 2 new section members were inducted into UICH, namely Qatar as the 44th Section Member, and Macau as the 45th Member. The Congress was also honored to have the presence of Mrs Imelda Pongco, the wife of the late Andy Pongco who later revealed the winner of the 2014 Andy Pongco Award, Mr James Elliott of the Society of the Golden Keys Great Britain. The Andy Pongco Award is a highly regarded and sought after award that was established in 2008 in memory of Andy Pongco, a former International Honorary President and is designed to recognise outstanding young Concierges and encourage them to become active participants in the UICH global network. The Congress ended on a high note with a grand closing Gala held at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur Ballroom. The Royale Gala Night witnessed all delegates dressed in their tux and dresses, entertained by the traditional performers from Tourism Malaysia – and also a live band that kept the dance floor going till late in the night. All in all it was a successful Congress where the delegates had a platform to network to exchange views, ideas and discuss matters relating to their profession, all in line with UICH's motto – In Service Through Friendship. The world is now looking forward to meet again in Mendoza, Argentina for the next International UICH Congress in 2015. For more information, please contact: SHAREZAL ABDUL WAHID Head of Public Relations – Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia Director of Concierge, The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur, 5 Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, 5000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: +603 2785 8000 •Email: sharezal@gmail.com About The Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia The Society of the Golden Keys Malaysia is a society affiliated to the Union International des Concierges d'Hotels Les Clefs d'Or (UICH). It represents an association of hotel concierges, recognizable by the golden crossed keys on the their uniform lapels, sharing a common interest and goals. It is a non-political, non-religious and a non-trade union association of Concierges based on friendship to assist international tourists and travelers. Formed in the mid '90s under Les Clefs d'Or Singapore and later accepted as an Independent section by UICH in the 1997. Ever since, the membership has grown in numbers and the Society has matured with a number of major events organized to promote awareness of the Concierge profession. This includes a series of Junior Concierge Training Programs, a Southeast Asian Congress held in 2009 and various career talks hosted by a number of well established higher learning institutions. For more information please visit our website at www.clefsdormalaysia.my or visit www.facebook.com/clefsdormalaysia

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ARGENTINA

APRIL 10TH- 15TH 2015

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AUSTRIA

Registration is open NOW³ for further information check www.clef sdor.at

Vienna waits for you!!! A

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

AUSTRALIA Under the stewardship of Les Clefs d’Or Australia’s Executive, our national society has endeavoured in recent times to further build not only the customer service reputation of Les Clefs d’Or in the travel and tourism industries, but also to play a continuing philanthropic role in the community. In 2013 our members raised a combined total of over twenty four thousand dollars that went to three of our principal charities. These charities are: Bailey House (a centre that provides support programs and services for adults with an intellectual disability), St. Anthony’s Family Care (a family support centre for children with developmental disabilities) and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation (a charitable organisation that buys essential and often life-saving medical equipment for children’s hospitals and health service centres across Australia). There was also time in 2013 to celebrate and reward our tourism and hospitality partners. In Sydney a glamorous Awards Night was hosted in collaboration with Where Magazine that saw the presentation of a number of awards to standout companies, venues and individuals within the hospitality and tourism industries. Similarly in the southern city of Melbourne a number of awards were presented as part of Melbourne’s annual Les Clefs d’Or Concierge Hospitality Ball. The gleaming trophies presented in Sydney and Melbourne which bear the crossed keys of Les Clefs d’Or now stand proudly on a number of the desks and counters at the recipient’s restaurants and retails stores as well as those of our tourism and industry partners. These events were made possible thanks in large part to the support of our industry sponsors and we certainly thank them for their ongoing commitment and enthusiasm. Since last year we have welcomed a number of new members into Les Clefs d’Or Australia. We were pleased to present keys to Scott Hulme at the Hilton Parmelia Perth, Josh Blake from the Hyatt Regency Perth and David Luff at the Four Seasons Sydney. These vibrant and youthful new members have already proven themselves willing to be involved in the society and to represent the hotel Concierge profession with distinction. The addition of Scott and Josh to Perth’s membership actually triples the number of Clefs d’Or Concierges in Western Australia. Andre Burford at the Pan Pacific Perth had previously been the only member in the far outreaches of this side of Australia for a number of years. During the recent Board of Directors meeting held in Kuala Lumpur, the Australian membership were all incredibly proud to witness local member James Ridenour receive a formal appointment as Les Clefs d’Or International Assistant General Secretary. James is the Chef Concierge at InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto and previously served as Victorian State Delegate as well as National Secretary. In recent weeks the schedule for the Australian Annual General Meeting weekend has been announced. The meetings will take place at the Sofitel Melbourne from the 27th to the 29th of July. We look forward to sharing educational and successful meetings 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. text by Jacob Detering

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President Guilherme S. Borges and the Les Clefs d’Or Brazil Board of Directors organized the 5th annual AGM in spectacular Rio de Janeiro. Their event was two days long and took place on December 2nd and 3rd, 2013. In the AGM we had lectures and nice encounters for our group of Les Clef d’Or Concierges. To finish our amazing AGM 2013 we had the Concierge Foundation Brazil party at Bar da Boa in Lapa, where we celebrated our success as an association and also collected some food and donations for the homes of children that we assist.

During the year some events were also done. Every two months we have the encounter of sponsors and concierges to discuss the new products and services we are going to have. We had one at Fogo de Chão Steak House, another one in Sugar Loaf Mountain, another one in Cais Restaurant and the last one in Casa Momus Restaurant. The new products that are for our special guests.

Our President represented Les Clefs d’Or with a lecture about Concierge Services in an event in Minas Gerais!

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

BRAZIL

Les Clefs d’Or Brésil had the first Foundation Party out of Rio that took place in São Paulo and we could realize how important was that for the region. Expanding the wishes of helping people all over!

And we have our delegation in Los Cabos PanAmerican Congress!!! And we are having the preparative for hosting the World Cup and Les Clefs d’Or Brésil will embrace it and be ready to receive all the tourists. Soon we will celebrate the Concierge’s Day in Brazil! Vive Les Clefs d’Or! Luís César Rodrigues Concierge Copacabana Palace Hotel General Secretary Brazil

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CHINA hIGhLIGhTS OF LES CLEFS D’Or ChIna 18Th annUaL COnGrESS

Highlights of Annual Congress

New Member Award Ceremony

The 18th Annual Congress of Les Clefs d’Or China was successfully held in Tianjian, China from 4th -7th December 2013.The theme of this year is “A World in Love”. Les Clefs d’Or China Member Delegation attend 61st Worldwide Congress

UICH Les Clefs d’Or 61st International Congress took place in spectacular Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10th -15th Jan-2014. Approximately 500 delegates (Les Clefs d’Or Concierge) around the world traveled to Kuala Lumpur to attend business meetings. China section has 11person in a group participated this great event.

Les Clefs d’Or China Member Delegation Member activities

A workshop has been held in Shandong- Confucius‘s hometown. With the leadership of President John SUN and input of members, the workshop went very smoothly.

Member Business Exchange. Members of Beijing city and Shijiazhuang city gathering in Beijing convene a Business Exchange Meeting.

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From 2013 to 2014, Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei has been growing and strengthened by several activities and recruitment of new members. To collaborate and to share, the society follows the motto “Service through friendship”, providing a platform to exchange resources and knowledge to each of our members. From arranging national conference, publishing the authorized map, and recruitment of fellow colleagues, it is surely that every member of Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei has a necessary existence of being an outstanding concierge for the Hotel. activities publishing authorized map of Taipei City Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei has cooperated with one of famous publisher to publish the authorized map of Taipei City. Within gorgeous design, fine printing, latest information and metro routes, the clear and handy size map becomes the most effective tool not only for concierges while introducing but the best tool for guests to explore Taipei. The map will be published quarterly, and the first issue was launched on 15th April 2014. annual General Meet 2013 and 2014 For communicate with each of Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei members, the society hold the General meetings located in different cities though the whole island. In 2013, we had the conference in Millennium Hotel in Taichung, Kagaya Hotel in Taipei, Grand Hi-Lei Hotel in Kaoshung, and the EndYear Dinner in Madison Taipei. 2014, the meetings were hold in Silks Place Yilan in March and another hold in Silks Place Tainan in May. We believe that through the service and environment from various five star hotels enrich the view and experiences of our members.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

CHINESE TAIPEI

Beside, not only national participation but five of our members attended the international congress of Les Clefs d'Or in Kuala Lumpur in January 2014, in which the knowledge and cultural were exchanged between the worldwide participants. It is sincere to see the progress of society in recent years. Developing via gathering and sharing, growing through providing and giving, we are truly looking forward to build not only local associates but also global alliances in the future. Les Clefs d'Or Chinese Taipei aims to parallel the concierge service to the international high quality, and welcomes the guests from all over the world.

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CANADA Dear Friends and Colleagues, It is an honour to say that Canada is strong and we had a great close to 2013! Thanks to Director Don Mooney and the Alberta Region in mid-November we were welcomed to a perfectly executed National Board meeting in beautiful Banff. What finer backdrop could you ask for than the Canadian Rocky Mountains! We shared two very productive days of meetings which culminated with the celebration of 22 new Members! Our membership has never been so strong! We are now 148 Members and 27 Honourary Members. Our gold keys can be found in 20 cities across Canada, proudly in the lobbies of 84 of the finest hotels in Canada. Just after Banff, Vice-President Carolina Avaria and I joined Director Roger Poirier and the members of the Atlantic Region in Halifax, where we hosted a General Managers reception that addressed a group of hoteliers interested in our association. As our newest developing Region in Canada, our focus had been to promote our association in that area and to help establish membership growth. I would like to thank my Executive Team, the members of the Montreal Region, and the Members of the Quebec Region for all of their hard work in assisting our Atlantic colleagues! The Maritime Provinces are one of Canada’s most beautiful places to visit and we are so proud of the hard working members that represent our Atlantic coast! We started 2014 in style as Canada was 22 Members strong at the 61st International UICH Congress which took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Jan 10 – 15th! There were so many highlights including the Educational Day put together by the educational committee, of which our own Sheron Empey of British Columbia is part of. Moreover, none of us will ever forget the absolutely passionate and enduring key note speech made by the Chairman of Hublot Swedish watches, Mr. Jean Claude Biver. He honestly engaged all of us as he powerfully talked about our roles in our hotels being the LOVE of the hotel. His message stayed with us all, “All we need is Love”. Overall the congress was a resounding success, with every detail well executed,allowing us a strong overview of the city, the country and their culture. My sincere congratulations to President Ragu and the congress organizing team! Finally, we look forward to the much anticipated 18th Pan-American Congress taking place in Los Cabos Mexico this May! Canada will have a very strong representation at the congress with over 50 members registered! 38 Years ago we proudly joined the UICH and through the hard work of past and present Boards, we continue to get better every year. I look forward to being with all of you in Los Cabos and continuing this marvelous journey. Vive Les Clefs d’Or Canada!

CZECH REPUBLIC In Service Through Friendship, From Your Friends in Canada, Hugo LeGrand President, Les Clefs d’Or Canada

Dear colleagues, dear friends, The members of the Czech Clefs d’Or association send their warmest greetings to all of our colleagues. When summarizing the past few months from the travel industry perspective, the overall situation has been considerably better than in past years. In spite of all challenges we have been successful in our work in a number of respects and we would like to share these achievements with you: • The most successful zone meeting in Prague in August 2013 was attended by the International President E. Vrettos, Member of the Executive Committee. • With our Hungarian colleagues and other members and friends of Clefs d’Or, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary in Budapest 2013. • Our community was joined by new members – one from the Kempinski Hotel Prague, one from the Hilton Prague Hotel, one from the Boscolo Prague, one from Prague Marriott Hotel, one from Art Deco Imperial Hotel, one from the Hotel Leonardo Prague and one from the Radisson Blu Alcron Hotel Prague. The meeting was held in February 2014 at the Prague Marriott Hotel. Our community has now 34 members from Prague and Karlovy Vary. • Upon our return from Kuala Lumpur where the Czech Republic was represented by 6 members we presented our participation at the UICH Les Clefs d’Or Congress to our colleagues. This meeting was attended by the majority of members and new colleagues who desire to become members of our worldwide family. • Our election will take place in April 2014. • We will also participate at the European congress in Vienna in July this year. With the best regards from beautiful Prague, Stanislav Malek Vice-President, Les Clefs d’Or Czech Republic

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HOLLAND

The Dutch section still going strong. The number of members is 45. More and more younger concierges want to be a member of this special guild We have 4 prospects waiting to wear to Bucherer Keys. Unfortunately we had to disqualify one of our members because unfair behaviour. The number of donators is growing tremendously, it seems that the Golden Key’s network is a very good way to keep in touch with everybody in the Dutch tourism industry. Not only companies, also big institutes like van Gogh Museum and the famous Rijksmuseum, participating as a donator. By the way, President of the USA , Mr. Obama visit the Rijksmuseum during his visit of the Netherlands. Standing in front of the Nachtwacht (Nightwatch), this picture was in almost every newspaper all over the world. Every month the Dutch section organise a ‘Get together’ meeting with the donators that gives them and us the possibility of sharing knowledge and friendship. More than 125 donors makes it possible that the cost of participation of a Golden Key’s world congress is reachable for each Dutch member. That is possible the reason that the Dutch delegation at the congress is growing every year. This year in Kuala Lumpur there were 14 Dutch delegates with thanks to the donators. What more can a member of the Dutch Golden Key’s do to share the knowledge of hospitality and competent specialist? For almost 3 years we give hospitality workshops at several Hotel schools. Look through the eyes of the concierge and make sure that the profession of a hotel concierge is better known. We are curators, guides and catalysts, qualities which are important to make the difference in hospitality. Our chairman Brian Mackenzie and secretary Eef Sparla travel trough the country to give these educationals. Hotel management get more and more involved in the good work of the Golden Key society and we are developing a strong relationship between all parties.

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FINLAND 04.11.2013 Traditional Friendly Poker Tournament, was all about skills not about luck at Casino Helsinki Poker Winner: Jukka Tuomola See: www.casinohelsinki.fi

2.12.2013 SeaLife Helsinki invites The golden keys of Finland for a private family Christmas event. All members and collaborators with their children were invited to discover the fascinating life underwater. Along the path gifts, candies and treats were waiting for the small ones and taller ones. See: www.visitsealife.com/helsinki/en/

07.11.2013 During his visit in Berlin President of Les Clefs d'Or Finland Pascal Gaudio meets with President of Les Clefs d'Or Germany Thomas Munko at The Ritz-Carlton. Around beautiful cups of cappuccino, in the true spirit of Les Clefs d’Or, the two friends were able to discuss and learn about each other section, events and practices.

12.12.2013 Joulu Sauna Traditional Christmas Sauna event and dinner. This year this event was organised in Långvik congress wellness Hotel for a tour, relax time with friends using sauna and Jacuzzi ending with a welldeserved meal. Sauna is a Finnish word and of a substantial part of Finnish culture, consequently this event is one of the most popular. Transportation was organised by Helsinki Limo. See www.langvik.fi & www.helsinkilimo.fi

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FINLAND 2014 10-15.1. 2014 International Congress UICH Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 500 delegates from all over the world organised by an absolutely fantastic and friendly team. Les Clefs d'Or Finland President Pascal Gaudio, Virpi Vidal, Late Kovanen from Finland and Olow Frank from Sweden attended the congress and came back home full of precious memories. Special thanks to transportation Helsinki Limo and Luxury action Exclusive tour operator for sponsoring Virpi. See: www.helsinkilimo.com & www.luxuryaction.com

15.2.2014 Kontiki Finland tour Specialist invites the members to experience nature winter activities in the immediate surroundings of Helsinki with snowmobile rides, hikes to view point and grilling. see: www.kontikifinland.com

25.2.2014 Traditional Bowling tournament Winner: Late Kovanen

11.3.2014 Transport Kovanen invites The Golden keys of Finland at the Helsinki Ice Hall in their skybox for Hockey game, food and drinks. See: www.kovanen.com

29.3.2014 The Golden keys of Finland General meeting, Pascal Gaudio from Hotel Haven Helsinki was re-elected as President of the association with Kalle Valjento from Radisson Blu Plaza Helsinki as Vice president. The elected board members are Sami Joutsenvuo, Janne Ant-Wuorinen, Markus Peura, Virpi Vidal and as interim Petra Rissanen, Jad Lian. The treasurer is Petri Uronen and Secretary is Kiira Jokela. The meeting took place in Best Western Plus Hotel Haaga. In the spirit of Ellen DeGeneres' Oscar selfie, our friend and guest Anders Ruggiero from Denmark, President of Danish Section as well as Scandinavian section takes a shoot at the New 2014 Finnish executive board.

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HUNGARY The last winter was a busy period for The Hungarian Section of Les Clefs d’Or. We celebrated our 30th Anniversary this year. The founders were Mr. András Gunst, Chief Concierge of the Forum Budapest Hotel, Dr. József Kappanyos, Chief Concierge of the Hotel Duna Intercontinental, Mr. György Kalmár, Chief Concierge of the Grand Hotel Royal, Mr. László Lajos, Chief Concierge of the Hotel Palace, Mr. Imre Csordás, Front Desk Manager of the Hotel Atrium Hyatt and Mr. László Varga, Front Desk Manager of the Thermal Hotel Hévíz. During these past 30 years a lot has changed. The only thing that remained intact is the spirit, the motto of Les Clefs d’Or: "In Service through Friendship". Under the leadership of Mr. Tamás Ungár, president of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary, also Central European Zone Director, the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Section and also a few active and helpful members of LCD Hungary formed an Organizing Committee. This committee was responsible for planning and carrying out all the events related to the celebration of the 30th Anniversary. It was not meant to be only a birthday celebration, but in addition the event also hosted the annual UICH (Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hotels) Executive Committee Meeting. The UICH Executive Committee, Sages and Zone Directors travelled from various worldwide destinations to gather for their annual Meeting in Budapest. The host hotel was Novotel Budapest City where all the delegates were accommodated and all the meetings took place. It took months of hard work for the Organizing Committee to prepare all details, to carefully select the sights and venues of Budapest and its surroundings, which could be fitted in the tight agenda of the events. The organizers also wanted to give an example of the famous Hungarian hospitality: they took care of the greeting and transportation of all the participants personally. On Thursday, 7th November, the first official evening the UICH EXCO and the Organizing Committee went on a river cruise and had dinner on the Legenda boat to get a picture of Budapest’s spectacular night-time view from the river Danube. After the delightful dinner the jolly company visited the ZIZI Bar and had a chance to give the night a relaxed end. The smooth transportation was provided by the comfortable buses of the Eurama Travel Agency. The next day was a busy one for the UICH EXCO with meetings from the early morning until the late afternoon. There was an available optional spouse program including a visit to the Royal Diamonds jewelry. In the meantime the delegates also arrived. After the long but fruitful meetings the company visited the Fisherman’s Bastion where they had a chance to have some mulled wine and enjoy the breathtaking panorama from the terrace of the Halászbástya Restaurant. From here the company took a walk to the newly renovated Matthias Church and had the pleasure to listen to a nice classical concert before visiting the Hilton Budapest Hotel. In the hotel the UICH-members were greeted by Mr. Gergely Horváth, Deputy CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Board and Mr. Zoltán Árvai, General Manager of the Hilton Budapest Hotel. Mr. Gergely Horváth held a speech where he introduced the new image campaign of Hungary and asked all the present UICH members to spread their good impressions of Hungary after leaving the country. Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos, President of UICH promised in his reflective speech that all, approximately 4000 members of UICH will be ambassadors of Hungary. After the program the IKON Bar was our host for the rest of the night. On Saturday, 9th November in the morning a sightseeing tour was available with live guiding by Giraffe Hop On Hop Off followed by a delicious menu at the ÉS Bistro in the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest. After the lunch everyone had time to prepare for the highlight of the events. The main event was the Gala Dinner held in the beautiful Ballroom of the Corinthia Budapest Hotel with quality entertainment throughout the whole night, welcome drinks and cocktail-show, music and dancing. There was charity tombola with valuable prizes and most important, good mood, occasional pleasant surprises and the inevitable birthday cake. It was a pleasure to welcome Ms. Viktória Horváth, Deputy State Secretary for Tourism at the Ministry of National Economy and Mr. Ákos Niklai, Vice President of the Hungarian Association of Hotels and Restaurants. There were more than two hundred guests, mainly professionals from abroad, from more than twenty countries and from Hungary of course, general managers of hotels, members of the Hungarian Section and also representatives of partner companies. With the support of Funzine Magazine there was a special publication and the 2008 Royal Cuvée by Bock Winery was labelled especially for this occasion. Mr. Szabolcs Szabó, Manager of the Corinthia Budapest Hotel greeted the guests, and then Mr. Ákos Niklai, who was the patron of the event held a speech. Of course Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos and Mr. Tamás Ungár also spoke. Mr. Zoltán Árvai, General Manager of the Hilton Budapest Hotel received the UICH Les Clefs d'Or International Honorary Membership Diploma at the Gala Dinner. It was a touching moment during the night when the total income of the charity tombola was offered to the Bethesda Children’s Hospital of the Hungarian Reformed Church. It was a more than pleasant way to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary.

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HUNGARY In the morning of Sunday, 10th November Cityrama Travel Agency invited the guests to Gödöllő. This trip was the closing act of the 30th Anniversary Celebration events. At the end it seemed it did worth the efforts, the participants were all enchanted by the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage, travelling home with good memories and nice experiences. For more photos of the events please check our Facebook-page: www.facebook.com/lesclefsdorhungary In December 2013 we visited the Royal Diamonds Jewelry House. It is a nice jewelry house located next to the State Opera House in Budapest. The unique jewel collections are made in Italy with the latest achievements of technology, but with respect for the traditional methods. Their unique outfits, decorated with their jewels were presented during an exclusive fashion show. As a surprise, the performance of the pianist Károly Nyári and his two daughters, Aliz and Edit made the evening even more memorable. Our annual New Year's Celebration was held in the Aszú Restaurant, enjoying the hospitality of Mr. Tamás Kovacsik. Mr. Gergely Horváth, deputy CEO of the Hungarian Tourism Board Plc. and Mr. András Katona, project coordinator of the Hungarian Tourism Board Plc. were also among our guests. The new year brought a change for our association: our Second Secretary, Mrs. Fruzsina Kocsa is facing maternal pleasures, her position will be taken by Mr. Balázs Andrónyi, Chief Concierge of Hilton Budapest in March 2014. Les Clefs d’Or Hungary also represented itself at the 61st Congress of UICH Les Clefs d’Or in Kuala Lumpur with a delegation of five. The delegation has met many new friends during the congress’ events. A few weeks later the annual General Assembly of Les Clefs d’Or Hungary was hosted by Eurama’s Dock 8A ship. During his presidential report, Mr. Tamás Ungár recalled the domestic and international events of the past year and presented the new plans for the forthcoming year. Our seven probationary members were elected full members. Our new full members are: Zsuzsa Bánhidi - Corinthia Hotel Budapest Judit Kelényi Sofitel Budapest Lóránt Molnár- Fritsch -Boscolo Budapest Balázs Nagy Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Klára Németh - Hilton Budapest Csaba Papp Zenit Budapest Palace Hotel Zsuzsanna Petrányi -Novotel Budapest Centrum Our association elected seven new probationary members: Gábor Vecsei– Leonardo Hotel Henrietta Tóth– Boscolo Residence Gergely Muskovics– Hotel Benczúr Fruzsina Fekete– Boutique Hotel Zara Budapest Tamás Gebei– Boscolo Budapest Péter Borbély– Boscolo Budapest Attila Bartha– Opera Garden Hotel In February 2014 we went to see Kiosk Budapest. It is a cosmopolitan meeting point in the city where both gastronomy and culture are present. Besides Kiosk the building houses an art gallery, the re-opened Babel Restaurant and could also host events for several hundreds of people. In March 2014 Les Clefs d’Or Hungary visited the renewed Music Academy. It was a pleasure to see the reconditioned building, that still has kept its original values. Now its mock-up made of 20000 LEGO-pieces is also there to see inside the building to attract the children as well. For the rest of the night Mr. Ádám Fásy has been our host. He kindly invited Les Clefs d’Or Hungary to the Astoria Bar. We enjoyed a quality program, accompanied by tasty food and refreshing drinks during the evening.

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HELLAS In November 19, 2013 our annual assembly was held in Athens at the "NEW HOTEL" and elected new national President and Excom. Many of you know already, the new Greek president is Dimitrios Liapis, Concierge of the Athenaeum InterContinental in Athens. The Hellenic association is trying to recover due to the economic situation. After a long time 2 hotels reopened, the "King George" a luxury collection hotel and the "Palace Athena" in the center of Athens. Brand name hotels are also interested in investing in Greece and especially at the islands of Santorini and Crete. Some members had to leave our association, but there are also new concierges who would like to be involved. In January 2014 participated at the 61st UICH International Congress in Kuala Lumpur which was a wonderful memory and an amazing experience for all. During the Congress Mr. Dimitrios Liapis was elected as the Mediterranean Zone Director. In February 2014 we had our annual Pitta Cutting at the King George hotel a lot of members participated and many partners and people from the tourist business where invited. During the event Mr. Makis Tsoukalas, General Manager of the "Passepartout Tours-Cruises" was awarded with the Les Clefs d'Or Diploma of honor.

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Year of Admission: 1982 Barcelona, Spain Founding Members: Mr. Louis Baleros, Mr. Herbert Croft, Mr. Louis Baleros Jr. Mr. Giovanni Valenti, Mr. Egon Letchka, and Mr. Johnson Chan Supporting Section: Great Britain Current Number of Members: Full Member: 97 Full Members and Adherent Members. Hong Kong is healthy and growing with new hotel members in last year and we are delighted for Macau’s achievement of becoming the 45th independent section in U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or! This year the Hong Kong section held six bimonthly General Meetings to update our members status, invite business partners to introduce their new products and enhance services for our members to be able to deliver to our hotel guests. We also had some cross Hong Kong & Macau section activities including a Familiarization tour.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

HONG KONG

This summer (September 2014) our society has a joint venture with the Vocational Training Centre “VTC” to conduct a Concierge Education workshop for existing young Concierges so they may learn how to be the best Concierges in Hong Kong. The course would possibly be combination of 3+1, 3 x 8 Hours 1 day lecture plus a final 6 hours presentation from Mr. Michael Romei. There will also be a long term program for all students who wish to study a Front Office Certificate.

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INDIA Year 2013-14, was the most enterprising and engaging for Les Clefs d’Or India fraternity, Entire country; in our two different zones were actively involved in their goals delegated to them which indeed was a delight to see the purpose of the concierge fraternity ‘Service through friendship’ in real-time action. From arranging training seminars, volunteer for a charity, serve and assist fellow colleagues, and of course be there and have an Omni presence of being a star concierge for the Hotel. activities Learning and development The Theme set out for this year for our comprehensive Training Programme; ‘Yearn to Learn’ which is a part of the ongoing Concierge development program was a phenomenal success. Concierges participated and conducted series of workshop and seminars in Hospitality schools and colleges across the country, some of them being of very prestigious repute. Apart form sharing knowledge, Concierges also arranged some best out bound excursion for themselves in their respective region under able guidance of their Presidents which was also included in the curriculum of Learn to achieve more ! International Congress This year India had twin opportunities to attended International congress, under the able guidance of Mr Edwin Saldhana, who ensured maximum attendance for the congress, which according to him gives an immense value for a concierge to share, learn and interact with like minded concierges around the world and also had partial sponsorship arranged for the delegates Malaysia Fourteen Concierges delegates of Les Clefs d’Or India attended the 61st UICH Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia amongst Twelve nominees for Andy Pongco award Noel our Star Concierge from India participated and represented India for the prestigious Award. Thailand A staggering contingent for Twenty three Concierges from Les Clefs d’Or India attended the 08th Asian Congress in Bangkok 8th UICH Les Clefs d’Or Asian Congress took place in beautiful Bangkok, Thailand under the leadership of Edwin Saldanha President Les Clefs d’Or India and Zone Director Asia – UICH Les Clefs d’Or. Approximately 265 Concierge members from 20 countries all over Asia including 23 members from India attended the Asian Congress. Les Clefs d’Or India now plans to host the 10th Asian Congress in 2017 which brings all the Asian countries together for growth of tourism and hospitality in these regions. It is the best time to showcase India and its tourism to the participating countries of the world. annual General Meet 2013 - The 7th Annual General Meeting of Les Clefs d’Or India, brought all the Indian 5 Star hotel Concierges to the pink city of Jaipur. This was very graciously hosted by General Manager Mr. Atul Lal at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel under the able leadership of the Head Concierge Ms. Gungun Girish. This was a two day event starting 20th September 2013 and ended with a day of tour and a sumptuous lunch at the Haveli of Sky Waltz Hot Air Balloon. Les Clefs d’Or India also had the new executive committee members to herald the way forward. The newly elected executive committee members were as follows; Honorary President Mr. Edwin Saldanha Honorary 1st Vice President Mr. Rajesh Yadav Honorary 2nd Vice President Ms. Delna Karbhari Honorary 3rd Vice President Mr. Srikishen JK Honorary General Secretary Mr. Albert John Honorary Treasurer Mr. Arun Baidya Honorary Public Relations Officer Mr. Shaunak Vengurlekar Honorary Digital Media Director Mr. Satish Gaikwad and Honorary Executive members Mr. Subramanya Ramanjulu and Mr. David Aaron. ‘Our past President Mr. Stephen Fernandes was honored with a Life Member to Les Clefs d’Or India Award while Mr. Albert Amanna was honored as an International Member of Les Clefs d’Or India and would be responsible to develop the African region. Its truly heart rendering to see such a wonderful synergy of giving and learning amongst the concierge society in India; which comprises of mainly young and stalwart concierges and poised to take the lead in newer and challenging roles in future .

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new Committee Elected Les Clefs d’Or Ireland has elected a new committee at the A.G.M., held at the historic Royal Marine Hotel in Dublin in February last. Robbie Devine of the Four Seasons Hotel Dublin is the newly elected President, heading up a new and youthful executive committee. Sincere thanks to our colleagues and friends from England and Scotland who attended our very successful Gala Evening. The Irish section would also like to thank most sincerely outgoing president Mr. Martin Mulholland for an extremely successful four year term in which the Irish section went from strength to strength. The "Godfather" Also, it was the end of an era, with the “Godfather” of Les clefs d’Or Ireland Mr. Denis O’ Brien stepping aside from the Irish committee for the first time in 20 years – don’t worry Denis , we will look after the “Baby”! Denis will of course act as an advisor to the committee in all things Les Clefs d’Or. The Concierge of the Year : Jimmy Connor award The Annual Irish Section "Jimmy Connor - Concierge of the year" was awarded to Krishna Kumar of the Croke Park Hotel, Dublin. Well Done Krishna - a fantastic ambassador for Les Clefs d'Or and in particular, the Irish section.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

IRELAND

The New Irish Committee - Martin, Paul, Robbie S, Robbie D, Marie Claire, Gerard.

Denis, Martin, Krishna.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

JAPAN 16th anniversary Dinner In November, 20 members including the international members and associative companies celebrated the 16th Anniversary of Les Clefs d’Or Japan in Tokyo. At this event, we reconfirmed our passion to come together as one towards the success of the congress in 2015. “Asian Congress Organizing Committee meeting” is held every month, and the program schedule for upcoming Asian Congress are discussed as well as discovering additional sponsors for Congress.

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, 11 adherent members and 11 associative companies.

Ms. Kay Abe, the past president of Les Clefs d'Or Japan, became a new UICH Honorary Member at the International Congress held recently in Malaysia. All members congratulated her at monthly meeting.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

KOREA SEOUL BranCh 2013, March 20 – Icheon Boiled rice Jungsik (Korean restaurant) • Management of Membership: Members & Les Clefs d’Or Korea business partners • Evaluation of Les Clefs d’Or: Knowledge test, travel essay (Half day or Full day tour), a written consent of full member • Profit Management in the Business: map, service manual, service training • Announced the Board of Directors of the Year 2013 - 2014 • Les Clefs d’Or Workshop: 2013, May 14, Jeju Island • U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or International Congress & Asia Congress: U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or International Congress 2013, New Zealand U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or Asia Congress 2013, Thailand 2013, april 17 – Music Show Wedding (Musical performance) • Travel Essay & An episode - Full Member: Travel essay(Full day), Adherent Member: An episode • U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or Asia Congress 2013: August 21- 24 Bangkok, Thailand 2013, May 14, 15– Workshop • 1st Les Clefs d’Or Korea Workshop: Havichi Hotel & Resort (Jeju Island) • Part 1: Introduction of Les Clefs d’Or Korea, Part 2: Lecture: ‘Your Passion is Your Dream’ 2013, May 22 – Dongbosung (Chinese restaurant) • 1st Les Clefs d’Or Korea Workshop Review – 50 participants • Announced the Evaluation of Full members of Les Clefs d’Or: Episode: May 31, Travel essay: August 1 • Members Enrollment through the New Website 2013, June 19 – Slowcoach & Tree • Notified of the Date of Travel Essay(Full Member): Due date- August 1 • Selection of Les Clefs d’Or 2013 (Full/Adherent Members) • U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or International Congress 2014: January 10- 15Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia • Volunteer work 2013: July 17(Eden I Vill) 2013, July 17 – Eden I Vill • Volunteer Work at Eden I Vill 2013, September 25 – Walking on the Cloud (63City) • Presentation on the U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or Asia Congress 2013, Thailand • 2014 U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or International Congress: 2014, January 10- 15 • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Enrollment Due: 2013, October 30 • The 11th Korea General Meeting ‘2013: Go with Concierge’ Finalize on the General Assembly of Les Clefs d’Or Korea 2013 • Travel Essay: Make a travel essay for each hotel’s theme Applying Scholarship: Due Date - 2013, October 30 • Member of the Year Registration • Benefit: Full support on the U.I.C.H Les Clefs d’Or International Congress 2014, • Kuala Lumpur (excluding airfare) 2013 11th Korea annual General Meeting • Date: 2013, November 20 (Wed) / Place: Lotte Hotel, Sogong • Workshop: Go with Concierge BUSan & JEJU BranCh 30th January 2013:pro GanjangGejang • Announcement : Management meeting schedule • Introducing management plans & new website • Request to collect and send media materials • Discuss Operational Planning of Busan Branch 27th February 2013:CocoShabu • Introducing issues discussed at Les Clefs d’Or Korea management meeting • Introducing new regulations of Les Clefs d’Or Korea • Words from President Lee 27st March 2013:haemulCheonji • Presentation on Press Reader System by Mr. Jang, Jaepil • Announcement :Voluntary service schedule / Jeju meetingschedule • Sharing experience of handling guest complains 16th april 2013:haeundae Soup Kitchen • Voluntary Service 14-15th May2013:haevichihotel&resort in Jeju Island • Introduction of Les Clefs d’Or Korea • Special lecture “Link your passion into your dream” by JW Marriott HR Director Lee, Dong ju • Appreciation words from Mr. Danny Bang 26th June2013:Masil • Announcement : Asia Congress & International Congress schedule • Discussion about vitalizing Les Clefs d’Or Korea Website • Introducing deadline and procedure of Adherent/Full member application 24th September2013:LeejaeBossam • Schedule of the Les Clefs d’Or Korea General Assembly • Applicants for 2013 Les Clefs d’Or Full/Adherent Member • Sharing episode during Summer Peak Season

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

LUXEMBOURG 25 YEarS OF LES CLEFS D'Or FrIEnDShIp Les Clefs d'Or Luxembourg began in 1985 when Claude Bauer, Head Concierge at Le Royal Hotel in Luxembourg along with Toni Buffone from the Grand Hotel Cravat were approach by concierges from Luxembourg's neighbouring countries. They joined Jos Joostens from Brussels, Albert Ostertag from Switzerland and Pierre Porte from France to become some of the first members of Les Clefs d'Or from Luxembourg. These members quickly joined the Belgian chapter and in only four years they had eight additional members from other hotels. In 1985 Luxembourg became an independent section of Les Clefs d'Or. In January 1989, a gala evening was organised and many of the comité directors of that time travelled to Luxembourg to officiate one of the most important moments in the life of the hospitality industry in our small country. Elected as our first president was Claude Bauer whom many of you may remember for his beautiful smile and his great friendliness. Toni Buffone was elected as Vice President and Simon Delcomminette was elected as the Secretary and Treasurer. Both, Claude and Simon travelled the world to represent the smallest country and member section of UICH Les Clefs d'Or at many meetings and international congresses. Luxembourg even hosted a post international congress and zone meeting in the new century after the Brussels congress in 2000. Since that time, six Luxembourg hotels have joined our association and there are now thirteen members. Simon Delcomminette became President in 1997 after Mr Bauer left his position at his hotel. Luxembourg now also holds the position of Western Zone Director since 2011. Many press articles have been written about our association and we are very well known throughout our country. In 2013 we published the first edition of our own revue "Concierge". Five thousand copies were printed for our guests and were placed in taxis, limousines and various reception areas around our country. We anticipate that the second edition will be printed by the end of this year. For the 25th anniversary of our section, we have already organised two splendid events. The first was in February when Mr Olivier Coustet, Store Manager at Louis Vuitton hosted us for an evening out in Luxembourg's Louis Vuitton boutique. There we dined and received some training on "The Art of Packing" from the experts themselves. On March 22nd, we spent a day with Laurent Perez, owner of Le Temps des Vendanges where we participated in a wine tasting with fourteen Languedoc-Roussillon wines. It was a hard day as you can imagine! Our official gala diner will take place on April 11th at White Exclusive Lounge and Restaurant. We are all very much looking forward to our jubilee evening. We wish to thank the Belgian section for their support in the eighties. Their friendship helped to build our section and for this we are grateful. Thank you to each and every one of the Belgian members and in particular to Mr Joostens. We are all so very pleased to be part of the big Les Clefs d'Or family. The WHITE HOUSE EXCLUSIVE CLUB AND RESTAURANT hosted on Friday11th the 25th Anniversary of LES CLEFS D'OR LUXEMBOURG. Most members attended that splendid event. Luxembourg was part of the Belgian section till the end of 1987. January 1988, a big celebration officialized Luxembourg as the 24th country member of the Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels. Since then two Presidents (Claude BAUER founding President & Simon DELCOMMINETTE) represented the small Gand Duchy in about 40 countries around the globe. Everybody received GUERLAIN perfumes and other gifts as a souvenir of that night. Sam and Patrick from the WHITE HOUSE did their real best to host us perfectly and it was all PERFECT ! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LES CLEFS D’OR LUXEMBOURG.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

MEXICO 18th pan american Congress Los Cabos Mexico april 30th – May 4th 2014

Congratulations to Les Clefs d’Or Mexico and our 18th Pan American Los Cabos Organizing Team!! A full story and photograph display will be included in our next UICH Autumn 2014 REVUE

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

PORTUGAL new Year, new headquarters, ambitious projects After 41 years at the same address, we started the year moving to a new address with new and renewed headquarters that includes a reception / waiting room, secretary & treasury, executive meeting room, Events and Communication Department, Library and Museum. With a new data basis program and an increasingly number of national and international companies becoming new sponsors the association is ready to move to another level of presence in the tourism and hotel industries. Soon Les Clefs d’Or Portugal will enter the training certification market with its own training program certified by the Portuguese Education Ministry.

MOROCCO The association of Les Clefs d'Or Morocco organized on Sunday, 23rd February 2014 a visit to the SOS Children's Village ait Ourir. This was a great initiative which has been widely appreciated, especially by the kids who had the pleaser to sing and play with us and our children. This was also an opportunity to visit the SOS Children's Village and learn more about their lifestyle, and how they run the place as a family. There are houses, and in each live about 7 children of differing ages who live with a house mother. We were invited to see their workshops, as well their large playing fields. We enjoyed the warm atmosphere of this site as well as the beautiful landscape overlooking the Atlas Mountains, surrounded by fruit trees, plants, and colorful flowers. On behalf of the Association Les Clefs d'Or Morocco, the members who participated at the event made donations food and basic need products. At the end of our visit, our president Mr. EL Mostafa Taoufik immortalized this visit by signing the Guestbook of the SOS Children Village.

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Clefs d’Or M a

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

n cie

MACAU

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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 16 Les Clefs d’Or Macau has been very active since the establishment after the 61st UICH International Congress as the 45th Section. The Society was firstly introduced to local hospitality industry, Macau Hotel Association, which has more than 20 members from Senior Management in various hotels and local government official from Tourism Department in March 2014. The presentation was about the Mission of Les Clefs d’Or Macau and How can we contribute back to the local industry. It was a successful presentation and draw positive feedback to the team. Moving forward, the aim of Macau section is to work with local community to promote the value of Les Clefs d’Or as well as fostering the young generation in the industry. “In Service Through Friendship”

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

NEW ZEALAND Dear Friends, Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. To acknowledge our 20th anniversary, 3 days of networking, reigniting old friendships and festivities are planned for our upcoming Annual General Meeting. Our 20th Annual General Meeting will be held from the 30th of May to the 1st of June 2014. The Stamford Plaza Hotel Auckland will be hosting the AGM weekend. We are very lucky to have the support of the General Manager of the Stamford Plaza Hotel Auckland, Mr Paul Evans, who is also an International Honourary Member of Les Clefs d'Or. The AGM will be held over 3 days and will include; Opening Cocktails, a hotel concierge trade show, Educational Symposium, General Assembly, and will be concluded in grand fashion with a Black Tie Ball. We are also very fortunate to have our founding President Mr Derek Fenn attending our anniversary celebrations. Derek is currently the Chief Concierge of the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, and is now a Member of Les Clefs d'Or Australia. We will also be hosting the Executive Committee of Les Clefs d'Or Australia, along with UICH 1st Vice President Mr Colin Toomey, UICH Assistant General Secretary Mr James Ridenour, and UICH Oceania Zone Director Mr Michael Anderson. Having a large contingent of Australians at our AGM is not only poignant for the fact that Australia sponsored New Zealand to become a section of the UICH back in 1994, but also for the fact that keeping company with Australians is always more enjoyable when the conversation topic switches to rugby (which is something that we Kiwis really enjoy and have far more success at than the Aussies). To further develop and enhance our regional network, an invitation to attend our 20th AGM has also been extended to the Concierge of Tahiti, something which has not yet been done before. I do hope that Teiva and his colleagues from Tahiti will be able to attend as I can see many benefits for everyone involved. I look forward to sharing photos and news from our 20th anniversary with you later in the year. To all the Concierge I had the pleasure of meeting at the 61st Congress in Kuala Lumpur, I do hope to see you again in Mendoza next year. On behalf of all the Members of the Hotel Concierge Society Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand, all the best wishes and please do not hesitate to contact myself or any of our members should you require any assistance in New Zealand. In service through friendship, Shaun Ryan President - Les Clefs d'Or New Zealand Chief Concierge - SKYCITY Hotel

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

QATAR

Meeting and Interview with the Inter-Continental Hotel Doha Area General Manager Mr. Andreas Pfister.

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

ROMANIA At the end of last year Cheile de Aur Romania gathered around with their loved ones for a Christmas dinner held at the Stirbei Palace in Buftea. It was a perfect setting to thank our family and friends for all their support and understanding. At the beginning of the year our President - Catalin and Vice President – Vlad , had the honor and pleasure to travel halfway around the world to participate at the UICH Congress in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. This is the 6-th consecutive international Congress in which at least one member of our small section was present at this very important event. After returning home we had our annual Board Meeting in which elections took place. We would like to congratulate our Board of directors who were all elected unanimously: Catalin Malureanu – President Vlad Rostotchi – Vice –President Daniel Neagu – Secretary/Treasurer In the last months we tried to increase our awareness on the market by participating to different events, openings and meetings. The most important ones that we want to mention are: - the grand premier of Grand Budapest Hotel which was held in the opening day of the DaKino International Film Festival and we were the honor guests. - the American Hotelier Academy open days in which our President – Catalin was asked to give a lecture about hospitality and the Concierge profession in Romania.

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Dear colleagues and friends all around the world, 2013 year was full of grandiose and enjoyable events in the Russian section. One of the first major events is a victory of Andy Pongco award. Due to the distance and some other circumstances on the anniversary congress in Queenstown Russia were presented only by two members. Never the less our dear Anna Endrikhovskaya got the Andy Pongco award and was presented with the “Flame of the Future” statuette. All Russian members are very honored to have such a great colleague among us, who shows her best dedication towards our beloved profession. Also we are proud to let you know that in October 2013 Les Les Clefs d'Or Russia launched series of lectures and seminars by the Les Clefs d'Or concierges of Moscow for the best hospitality college of Russia – “Tsaritsino”. The first lection was presented by our President Pavel Nikolaev and Andy Pongco award winner 2013 – Anna Endrikhovskaya. It was a historical and a very emotional moment when over 200 students got to know the history, the routes and the values of UICH as well as the current situation in Russian chapter and got the understanding about the concierge profession. The most amazing part was after the lecture, then after a 1,5 hour lecture, Pavel and Anna were questioned by students about who is a concierge and how to be a concierge and different aspects of our beloved job and they would question even more unless they had to go for next lessons.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

RUSSIA

In the end of November our annual meeting the first time ever took a place in the beautiful city - Kiev. Our Ukrainian colleagues prepared a great meeting and created unforgettable memories for all participants. During the meeting 6 new members were accepted from such cities as Sochi, St. Petersburg, Kharkov and Kyiv. Furthermore we had marvelous training “Protocol and etiquette” by our friend and partner Maarten Bogarts, founder of Bogarts butlers company. On the congress in Kuala Lumpur our chapter was presented by 9 concierges along with the new Andy Pongco nominee. In February 2014 Moscow Clefs d’Or concierges organized a 14th birthday celebration of Russian society in the restaurant “Projector” where we invited not only members but a lot of our colleagues from different hotels and departments. It was a great Rock’n Roll party. And of course the main hit of this year is the premier of the film “Grand Hotel Budapest” which took a place in Moscow in the famous cinema hall “35mm”. This was a wonderful evening! How proud we are to organize this event! Not only 60 friends, colleagues and family members of "Les Clefs d'Or Russia" but nearly 500 hundred of guests which came for the premiere of "The Grand Budapest Hotel "enjoyed and applauded to the Concierge - Mr. Gustave X, member of the Golden Keys, made by the master - Wes Anderson! Vive Les Clefs d'Or! The Concierge is going to the mass! Vive Les Clefs d’Or and In Service Through Friendship!

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LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

SINGAPORE 2013 haS BEEn ThE MOST FrUITFUL anD EnrIChInG YEar FOr LES CLEFS D’Or SInGapOrE. On the 24th May 2013, we held our 25th AGM & 27th Anniversary celebrations in Jakarta, Indonesia. This would not have been possible without the unwavering support from our Indonesian counterparts, led by the President of Concierge Society of Indonesia, Mr Hasan Ashari and his team, Mr Ibnu Rohman & Mr Rival Firmansyah. President Sam Osman of Les Clefs d’Or Singapore (extreme right) with President Hasan Ashari of Concierge Society of Indonesia.

rUn FOr hOpE 2013 As members of Les Clefs d’Or, we believe very firmly in giving back to the community we lived in. Les Clefs d'Or Singapore took part in the annual “Run For Hope” event, a fund raising event to support Cancer Research in Singapore since 1993. This year, the Society saw biggest turnout with more than 100 members & friends joining the Run!! EDU / FUn CharITY EVEnT…….. We have also embarked on a brand new charity event named, “Edu/Fun“ under our ‘Concierge Give Back’ program. This inaugural event included children aged 12 to 18 from selected ‘Children Homes’ who were invited to visit hotels to see how front desk and back of the house hotel operations were being managed. This was is to encourage and create interest amongst the children about our hospitality industry. The children were also given a tour of hotel rooms and several local places of interest which are frequently visited by our guest and tourist. EDU/FUN Committee, Members and Children from various children homes coming together for a good cause.

COnCIErGE OF ThE YEar aWarD This year also saw the return of the Concierge Of The Year Award competition. The event is proudly sponsored by TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd This year’s winner was Concierge Md. Fasle from the Conrad Centennial and the 2 runners up were Concierge Haryani Haris of Swissotel The Stamford and Concierge Lydia Tang of The Fullerton Hotel Singapore Sponsors and Associate Member, Mr. Darren Ng and Ms Joanna Soh of TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd e Ltd (third from right and extreme right) with the winner and the two finalists.

OUr 2013 YEar-EnD anD ChrISTMaS GaThErInG aT pan paCIFIC OrCharD SInGapOrE!

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Les Clefs d’Or Thailand It’s been another successful year for Les Clefs d'Or Thailand from 2013 to early 2014. Even we have to face the political situation in Bangkok up to the present time; we still able achieved our year planned all through the year. We gained more members from some other part of Thailand to strengthen the organization and also many young generations to join us for the brighter future. activities 61st UICH World Congress 2014 Surachai Thong-on, President and Committee attended 61st UICH World Congress 2014 in Kuala Lumpur during January 10-15, 2014. It was such a great experience for all the team members to learn more about Malaysian culture and information exchanged.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

THAILAND

9th Thai Concierge anniversary Event Team invited President and all Les Clefs d'Or Thailand members to join 9th Thai Concierge Anniversary on January 26, 2014 at Baan Khanitha at Fifty Three, on behalf Les Clefs d'Or Thailand we would like to say a big thank you to Baan Khanitha and all members for our good support to us.

The 9 Sacred Temples Trip Become increasingly more popular for people to try and visit nine sacred temples in Bangkok in order to bring themselves good luck for the whole year. See Town Section, Les Clefs d'Or Thailand with great supporting from Baan Khannitha organized this wonderful trip on February 1, 2014. It was a very successful trip; we have totally 140 members joined with us. The trip was full of joy and knowledge from the very professional guides.

annual General Meeting Surachai Thong-on President invited all members to attend Annual General Meeting 2014 on February 20-22, 2014 at The Imperial Mae Ping, Chiang Mai. We have total 130 members attended. President, committee and all sections reports the past achievement from year 2013 and also informed members for the following year plan. Members also enjoy the excursion trip around Chiang Mai which is one of the most popular destinations among the tourist. Les Clefs d'Or Thailand plans to celebrate our 10th Year Anniversary in January 2015 which will be another big project for us to promote the Les Clefs d'Or Thailand to public.

Monthly Meeting January 22, 2014 at Anantara Bangkok Sathorn February 20-22, 2014 at the Imperial Mae Ping Chiang Mai March 21, 2014 at River City

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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

The USA section approves members quarterly. We continue to celebrate their success in meetings around the country. Les Clefs d’Or USA is offering our members on-line webinars to help them hone their computer skills. Classes in Excel and Microsoft Outlook have already been offered. Les Clefs d’Or USA is proud to announce the launch of our “Members only” mobile app. Twelve cities are currently represented, with more to be added in the future. The app features Clefs d’Or members’ personal recommendations for dining, entertainment, shopping, museums and favorite things to do. We’re very proud of the efforts of our Director of Development, Leigh Anne Dolecki, who spent countless hours working to create this fantastic tool for our members’ exclusive use. Eugenio Chinigo was one of Les Clefs d’Or USA’s longest active members and a mentor to dozens of concierges during his career. In his memory, we have created the Eugenio Chinigo award. The annual winner of this award will become the USA Andy Pongco nominee. To honor members who have maintained their membership for 20 or more years and retiring members, Les Clefs d’Or USA has created the Recognition and Retirement committee. The committee has identified long standing members and acknowledged them at the meeting in Los Cabos. Future retiring members will be acknowledged throughout the year. The next national meeting of Les Clefs d’Or USA will be held in July, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Join us in the “Big Easy” to “Unmask your Potential.”

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

USA

Les Clefs d’Or USA’s website has a new look. Visit us at www.lcdusa.org. All your friends in the USA look forward to seeing you in Mendoza, Argentina, next year! In friendship and service, Shujaat Khan President Les Clefs d’Or USA

New member, William Hinds (center) above with Maurice Dancer and Loida Diaz in New York City.

New member, Vanessa Torreullas, (center) is celebrated at a NYCAHC meeting in New York City.

New member, Peter Gil, (center) was pinned by Shujaat Khan and Lynn Jason in Washington DC.

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ACTIVITIES IN BAHRAIN

Khalil Ibrahem Al Yaman, Chef Concierge of the Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea and & Spa, is our one and only Les Clefs d’Or member in Bahrain. Khalil who is originally from Jordan has been working very hard to organize and create the very first local Bahrain Concierge Association. Khalil is a member of our Les Clefs d’Or UAE Section and most recently Charles Ferrer, President of Les Clefs d’Or UAE traveled to Bahrain to witness the formation of the Bahrain Hotel’s Concierge Group (BHCG) and confirm full membership to Khalil Ibrahem Al Yaman. According to Charles Ferrer; “It was really an honour to see how passionate the concierge of Bahrain are and how very much they are focused to become Les Clefs d’Or members. The Gala event was hosted at the Sofitel Bahrain and was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Khalid Bin Humoud Al Khalifa who is a member of the ruling family of Bahrain. The event was attended by more than 150 hotel associates; mostly hotel concierges as well as approximately 20 Hotel General Managers. Apparently it was most historic as it was the first time such an event had been held within their local Hotel industry. Bahrain has a most thriving and growing hotel and tourism industry and is one of the venues in the world where Formula One is held.

LES CLEFS D’OR ACTUALITÉ INTERNATIONALE

U.A.E.

Featured in the photo to the right: H.E. Sheikh Khalid Bin Humoud Al Khalifa (Center) receives an honorary associate membership from Les Clefs d’Or UAE President, Charles Ferrer (Right). On the Left is Khalil Ibrahem Al Yaman, our one and only Les Clefs d’Or member in Bahrain and Chef Concierge of the Sofitel Bahrain. President Ferrer also gave an honorary associate membership Les Clefs d’Or UAE to Mr. Sami Boukhaled, Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq Thalassa Sea & Spa, Area General Manager of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Les Clefs d'Or UAE award UICH Honorary Membership Diploma to Director General of DTCM Dubai His Excellency Helal Al Marri during a meeting at the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing Headquarters. Charles Ferrer, President, Les Clefs d'Or UAE presented the honorary diploma recently.

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