August 2009 - RHIC Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award Announced
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Ciaffone and Guretsky Chosen as Joint Winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award Presented at the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (RHIC)
Aug 8 2009 – St. Petersburg, Russia:
Henry (Hank) Ciaffone, President-International of Interstate Hotels and Resorts and Boris Guretsky, General Director of Mospromstroi were announced as the joint winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award, and will be presented with the esteemed award during the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (RHIC) held October 25-27, at the Corinthia Hotel, St. Petersburg, Russia. The RHIC Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual(s) who, over his or her lifetime, have made a significant difference in the hospitality industry by their actions, deeds and great accomplishments.
“Hank and Boris are wonderful examples of an owner and an operator working together in a constructive relationship. Together they were responsible for creating some of the first international brands in Moscow, which allowed the region to take its initial steps into becoming a player in the global market,” said Jon Leibowitz, EVP of Questex Media Group, owners and co-organisers of the RHIC. “They represent different cultures and languages but were able to forge past those obstacles and ultimately focus on the tasks at hand and succeed admirably.”
“We are thrilled to award Hank and Boris for their lifetime achievements in the hospitality industry,” stated Jonathan Worsley, co-organiser of the RHIC. “They are truly inspirational to us all and they have made outstanding contributions to the Russia and CIS region. They embody the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurialism that the RHIC was founded upon.”
Ciaffone, a 35-year industry veteran, has been the President of International Operations and Development of the Interstate Hotels Corporation since 2003, and oversees the seven hotels Interstate manages in Russia, as well as in other regions. He also plays a key role in the company’s continuing growth in Europe. He joined the company in 1989 and held a lead role in 1995 in the International Operations and Development department when Interstate’s first hotel in Moscow opened.
Guretsky, known as one of the first and most successful non-government investors, is the General Director of Mospromstroi, the largest contractor in Moscow with 35 branches and subsidiaries and employing more than 22,000 highly qualified personnel. Guretsky had a vision beginning in 1994 that the way for the hotel industry to grow in Russia was through international brands and international operators. Subsequently, Mospromstroi developed the three Marriott hotels, Hilton and two Holiday Inns that operate in Russia today.
The joint winners were selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award by the RHIC Advisory board, made up of key hotel industry leaders with experience from the region. The advisory board is instrumental in developing a well-rounded and balanced programme with topics and regional issues to be presented and discussed on panels at the RHIC 2009.
The Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference will be held October 25-27, 2009 at the Corinthia Hotel, St. Petersburg, and is jointly organised by Questex Media Group, Inc. and Bench Events.
Sponsors and supporters:
Platinum Sponsors confirmed to date include:
Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels (Founder Sponsor); Corinthia Hotels; Grand Hotel Europe; Horwath HTL Hungary & Russia; Orient-Express Hotels and The Rezidor Hotel Group.
Gold Sponsors:
Accor Hospitality; AZIMUT Hotels Company; CMS; DLA Piper; DTZ Hospitality Group; Hilton Hotels; InterContinental Hotels Group; Interstate Management Services; Jumeirah Group; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc; Venture Investments and Yield Management; Warimpex AG and WATG.
Media Sponsors:
Hotel Analyst; Hotel & Motel Management; Hotel Design; Hotel & Restaurant Business Magazine; Luxury Hotelier; ProOtel Magazine; Magazine "Delovaya Nedvizimost"; «Sovremenny biznes. Otel’»; Otelier Magazine; HOSPITALITY Magazine; The Hotel Times; The Moscow Times; St Petersburg Investment Guide; SNIP and TTG Russia.
Supporters:
Cornell University School of Hotel Administration; Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, International Hotel & Restaurant Association; International Tourism Partnership. Pulkovo Airport and World Travel & Tourism Council.
For more information please visit www.russia-cisconference.com or contact:
For more information please visit www.russia-cisconference.com or contact:
Jonathan.Worsley@benchevents.com +44 (0)1483 835794
Sally.Marwaha@benchevents.com +44 (0)1244 341956
Gillian.Powell@benchevents.com +44 (0)20 8297 2053
Inna.Cooper@benchevents.com +7 915 281-5925
For press inquiries, please contact Christina Harrison at +1 216 706 3770 .
About Questex Media Group, Inc.
Questex Media Group, Inc is a global, diversified business-to-business media organization serving multiple industries, including hotel and hospitality, travel, technology, beauty, spa and numerous other specialty industries, with its well-established, market-leading publications, events, interactive media, research, and other marketing and media-related services. The company's combined operations include more than 450 employees in offices throughout North America, South America, Asia and Europe. Strategically, Questex places a strong emphasis on serving the hotel and hospitality market and has created the Questex HotelWorld Network, which provides access and opportunity within all facets of the hotel and lodging industry across the globe. Questex's HotelWorld Network includes events such as the International Hotel Investment Forum Berlin (IHIF), the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference, The Distressed Hotel Summit, HotelWorld Food & Beverage, the HOTEC series of three-day forums and introducing IHIF Asia Pacific, a newly launched hotel investment conference in the Asia-Pacific region. The HotelWorld Network also encompasses publications such as Hotel & Motel Management magazine, Hotel Design magazine, Luxury Hotelier and The Hotel Times.
Bench Events - A Portal for the Hotel Industry
As organisers of top conferences for the hotel and investment industry, Bench Events is a growing entity that currently hosts leading hotel investment conferences in Berlin (IHIF), Dubai (AHIC) and Moscow (RHIC). Bench Event’s sister company, JW Bench, is a benchmarking company that has successfully launched the Conference Bench and the Productivity Bench. An industry first, the Conference Bench, measures performance data for conference and banqueting space in hotels in Stockholm, Oslo, London, Brussels with other capital cities contributing shortly. For details go to www.jwbench.com.