EHMA In their own way, EHMA’s other award winners were
just as impressive. The association’s hotel manager of the year, for instance, was Guilherme Costa. The general manager at the Four Seasons Hotel, The Ritz Lisbon, for over 15 years, Costa has been instrumental in transforming the hotel into one of Portugal’s most admired properties. That covers everything from investing in a spa to building a new restaurant with direct access from the street. The latter, for its part, promptly went on to win a Michelin star in its first year of operation. An energetic member of the hotel fraternity, Costa has also contributed to the professional development of many of Europe’s top hotel managers and chefs. No wonder Indiani described Costa as “highly regarded and respected” by his peers. Yet, even as EHMA raised a glass of the local red to
Above: Hotels are beginning to use organic produce to further sustainability goals.
Below: EHMA made ‘passion’ the theme at this year’s AGM.
congratulate individual high-achievers. Perhaps the most moving example here was the Best Practices Award gifted to Antonella Ferro. As the owner and general manager of the Courtyard
by Marriott Rome Central Park, she has lately been as busy as any of her peers. Yet Ferro also transformed her property into a quarantine centre at the height of Italy’s coronavirus crisis and helped organise emergency donations to needy Italians. But arguably Ferro’s most touching act was also her most personal, when she welcomed a baby girl suffering from spinal muscular atrophy into her hotel for free. Obviously, passion for EHMA’s members is about more than mere customer satisfaction.
“I often say from a crisis comes clarity. [Covid-19] has allowed the industry to really refl ect and take stock of how to move forward in such a drastically changed travel climate.”
Roland Fasel, COO at Aman Resorts
its champions, delegates always kept an eye on deeper trends. Nowhere was this truer than the association’s Sustainability Award, which was won this year by Greek hotelier Markos Tzamalis, COO at Phaea Resorts, whose work at the Cretan Malia Park Hotel in particular garnered special attention. Among Tzamalis’ efforts included encouraging staff to farm their own land and using organic ingredients in the hotel kitchen. Although Tzamalis ultimately came out on top, it is
equally clear that other European hoteliers are moving in the same direction. Properties in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands were all shortlisted for their environmental work this year – not bad given EHMA only started its sustainability prize around a decade ago.
City slicking This focus on the future – what could be more important to our grandchildren’s prosperity than sustainability? – also extended to other corners of this year’s conference. Not for nothing, the association put great stock in its ‘Young EHMA’ scheme, whereby deserving young hoteliers could participate in EHMA’s AGM. More to the point, there is plenty of evidence that these up-and-coming insiders are proving themselves just as dedicated and passionate as their older colleagues. This was personified by Fabrizio Ilara, who was lauded for his original and sophisticated business case. In the same vein, EHMA is also preparing for future
conferences. Next year’s event will be held at The Ritz in Lisbon, a thoroughly appropriate setting given Guilherme Costa’s recent triumph. In 2024, meanwhile, the association will be heading to Venice. As EHMA guests were told when the announcement was made: “Venice is more than just a city.” It is certainly true that something can be more than
the sum of its parts, and that is also true of EHMA. As its conference in Lugano handily proved, this is an organisation that appreciates both the past and the future, never seeming to neglect either. ●
14 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Carlotta Girola
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73
