Luxury Hotelier - June 2008 - (Page 4)

4| Editor’s Letter Style with substance 757 Third Ave., 5th floor, New York, NY 10017 USA trend in magazines is themed issues. The Hotels issue. The Green issue. The Music issue. If I had to pick a theme for this installment of LUXURY HOTELIER, I would call it the Style issue. On a recent trip to Dubai, I was overwhelmed by the grand stylings of Jumeirah’s gem, the waterfront Burj al Arab, where I met Accor chief executive officer Gilles Pélisson. How on earth do I define the interior of this hotel and its multihued atrium ledges, gold-patterned ornate sofas, and litany of colors rioting down from the throng of tourists outside snapping photos to the opulence of the private meeting parlors? It wasn’t tacky, I could tell that much. It certainly wasn’t understated. It was … perfect for what it was. To me, style means creativity with substance, especially at hotels. We’ve all stayed at properties claiming the luxury title that think all it takes is a bar full of beautiful people to make up for the lumpy mattress and snobbish front-desk staff. Those who read this magazine know that luxury is all in the execution. And that’s where style can play a significant role. Mr. Pélisson is bringing French style back with Accor Hotels’ repositioning of its Sofitel brand (see story on page 16). A When the company decided a year ago to commit to luxury over upper-upscale with this brand, Mr. Pélisson and his team brought in executives from luxury houses such as Hermès and Louis Vuitton to share their concepts and standards. Now the company is in the process of extending similar training to its general managers. Likewise, hotel companies are taking cues from couture ateliers. Read about how luxury hotels are forming relationships with fashion designers on page 36. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce a new member of the LUXURY HOTELIER team, editorial director Paul J. Heney. Mr. Heney will oversee editorial operations at the magazine, along with our companion titles HOTEL DESIGN, HOTEL & MOTEL MANAGEMENT and THE HOTEL TIMES. Drop him a note at pheney@questex.com. We’re always eager to hear your ideas, likes and dislikes. Enjoy the issue. Group Publisher/Show Director / John McMahon +1 212 895 8243 jmcmahon@questex.com editorial staff Editorial Director / Paul J. Heney pheney@questex.com +1 216 706 3728 sricca@questex.com Editor in Chief / Stephanie Ricca +1 216 706 3791 jfreed@questex.com Senior Editor / Jason Freed +1 216 706 3727 hgunter@questex.com Associate Editor / Heather Gunter +1 216 706 3792 ccrowell@questex.com Associate Editor / Chris Crowell +1 216 706 3783 psheehan@questex.com Editor in Chief, Hotel Design / Patty Sheehan +1 216 706 3753 rghosh@questex.com Art Director / Rob Ghosh +1 216 706 3788 Contributing Editors / Harvey Chipkin, Stacey Mieyal Higgins, Allie Johnson, Irene Middleman Thomas Editorial Offices: 600 Superior Ave. East / Suite 1100 / Cleveland, OH 44114 USA advertising and sales staff Publisher / Matt Waddell +1 773 880 2240 Northeast/International / Mary Malloy +1 216 706 3790 FAX +1 216 706 3711 Southeast / Brian Levine +1 212 895 8285 FAX +1 212 895 8210 West / Jason Wallace +1 801 499 9999 FAX +1 801 315 4137 mwaddell@questex.com mmalloy@questex.com blevine@questex.com jwallace@questex.com business development Business Development Director / Stacy Silver +1 954 306 0747 FAX +1 954 697 6265 Assoc. Business Development Director / J. Richard Casson +1 212 895 8426 FAX +1 212 895 8210 ssilver@questex.com rcasson@questex.com circulation, production Production Manager / Änna Abbott +1 218 279 8840 FAX +1 218 279 8815 aabbott@questex.com Assistant Audience Development Manager / Deborah M. Brady dbrady@questex.com +1 216 706 3795 lists, reprints, directories STEPHANIE RICCA Editor in chief Directories / Doug Kereszturi +1 216 706 3794 FAX +1 216 706 3711 Reprints +1 800 290 5460, ext. 100 Permissions Subscriptions, Customer Service +1 216-706-3705 FAX +1 216-706-3714 Back issues, single current copies +1 216-706-3705 +1 216-706-3714 dkereszturi@questex.com luxuryhotelier@reprintbuyer.com questexpermissions@reprintbuyer.com hspangler@questex.com corporate President & C.E.O. / Kerry C. Gumas Executive V.P. & C.F.O. / Tom Caridi Executive V.P. / Robert S. Ingraham Executive V.P. / Tony D’Avino Executive V.P. / Jon Leibowitz V.P. & General Manager / Don Rosenberg V.P., Human Resources / Diane Evans V.P., Digital Media / Seth Nichols Luxury Hotelier | June 2008 | www.LuxuryHotelier.com http://www.LuxuryHotelier.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Hotelier - June 2008

Luxury Hotelier - June 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Inform Journal Network Personalities Insight: Smith Travel Research/The Bench Properties Insight: Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Inspire Deliver Protocols Insight: HotelWorld Innovate Development Indulge Advertisers Index Editorial Index Source Listing Dossier

Luxury Hotelier - June 2008

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