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End of an era for Bangkok's Oriental hotel | Kurt Wachtveitl Retires | herald tribune

Kurt Wachtveitl, the general manager at Bangkok's famed Oriental hotel for more than four decades, announced his retirement at a dinner he was hosting for the wine critic Robert Parker. The 72-year-old Wachtveitl, credited with transforming the riverside hotel that was built in 1876 from a charming but aging Bangkok landmark into one of Asia's leading hotels, said he would step down in May. "I decided tonight to retire," he told diners at the hotel's Le Normandie restaurant Tuesday evening. "I better take care of my grandchildren." Wachtveitl joined the hotel in 1967 at the height of the Vietnam War when the Thai capital was a preferred destination for American soldiers seeking R&R. Formerly The Oriental Bangkok, the hotel was rebranded in 2008 and changed its name to The Mandarin Oriental.

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At Atlanta hotels, more general managers are women | ajc.com

The number of women becoming general managers of Atlanta hotels is growing rapidly, those among its ranks say, and the metro area may be a leader in gender diversity in the industry. More than 25 of the metro area’s top lodges are run by women — from Tracy Johnson at the Holiday Inn Gwinnett to Erica Qualls at the Marriott Marquis, Atlanta’s largest hotel at more than 1,600 rooms. And more are coming. Danni Williams, who started her career with Marriott Corp. in 1981, was named general manager earlier this week at the Renaissance Hotel downtown. Valerie Ferguson, a former general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, is coming back to the city to become head of the Loews Hotel in Midtown, which is slated to open in spring 2010. That’s a contrast to years past when the position was almost exclusively filled by men, industry leaders said. The long hours — general managers usually work 15 hour days and often on weekends — were not considered “family friendly” for women.

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Ottawa: Please disturb: Hotel labour shortage working overtime | ottawabusinessjournal.com

The waitress at the Four Points Sheraton in Gatineau carefully pours the coffee into Pierre Vary's cup, easily switching between English and French as she interacts with various patrons surrounding him at the table. But as he settles back into his high-backed wooden chair backing into the quiet restaurant – empty save for a party of six chattering in the corner – Mr. Vary's face turns serious. He's talking about his staff. The Sheraton's director-general says he's happy with the people already on his payroll. The problem is, he doesn't have enough – Mr. Vary says he has vacancies for close to a third of his housekeeping staff, and can't find nearly enough qualified workers to fill his payroll.

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Shangri-La's Vancouver staff sent across Pacific to learn 'Asian hospitality'Employees | vancouversun

Big-name North American hotel chains are pressing further afield into Asia, and many are clamouring for a certain kind of hospitality training so that staff in these developing markets can get up to speed on Western-style service. But a small program in Vancouver has been going the opposite way, sending B.C. employees for extended stints at the Shangri-La's extensive network of hotels and resorts in Asia. The hope is that, through full immersion, some 20 of them will soak up a feel for Asian-style hospitality and bring it back when the company, Asia's largest luxury hotel group, opens its first North American location in Vancouver early next year.

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Patrick Imbardelli | You can't keep a good hotelier Down Under for long | timesonline.co.uk

Patrick Imbardelli will doubtless remember 2007 with mixed emotions. It was the year he was appointed to the main board of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the FTSE 100 hotel operator. It was also the year he was named Hotelier of the Year at the Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference. Alas, it was also the year he was forced to resign as chief executive of the group's Asia Pacific region after he was found to have claimed not one but three fictitious degrees on his CV.

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