Paris -- Ejnar Söder has been elected to the presidency of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA) for 2001. An independent hotelier from Sweden and one of the longest-serving members of the IH&RA board (1990-99), Söder will take over next year from Dr. Osmane Aïdi, chairman of the Royal Monceau Group, who has held office since January 1999.

Söder was elected with effect from January 1st 2001 by the IH&RA General Assembly when it met last week during the association's 38th Congress held in London.

His appointment coincides with a high point in a forty-year career in Sweden's hospitality and travel industry: the opening of the 542-room Nordic Hotel in a prime location in Stockholm city centre. As majority (60%) owner, Söder has been responsible for the planning, development and operation of what will be Sweden's largest hotel. From March 2001, he will become chairman of the board.

Söder made his reputation as a independent hotelier with his own company - The Star Hotels - which operated ten properties nationwide when it was sold in 1998. He has vast experience of association involvement having served on the board of the Swedish Hotel & Restaurant Association, including six as chairman of the Stockholm chapter, and as president of the Nordic Hotel & Restaurant Association. He is also a trustee of the IH&RA's charitable Foundation for the Future, the body that oversees the funding of scholarships for promising young hospitality professionals.

Addressing over 350 peers attending the gala banquet at the close of the congress in London, Söder said his priority as president would be education and training. "In my opinion, the hotel industry will survive only by having the best staffing in the world. I believe in 'management-by-walking-around' and showing a genuine interest in people - not just customers but employees. People leave management, not companies."

Söder's fellow officers for 2001 include:

  • Vice President: Niels Nygaard, President Danish Hotel Association and HOTREC
  • Treasurer: Joseph Spinnato, President and CEO, Hotel Association of New York City
  • Secretary: Abraham Rosental, Director General, Israel Hotel Association
  • Regional VP European Affairs: Reto Wittwer, CEO, Kempinski Hotels
  • Regional VP Caribbean Affairs: Edward Malone, President, Caribbean Hotel Association
  • Regional VP Latin American Affairs:. Oscar Alberto Ghezzi, President FEHGRA
  • Regional VP Asia Pacific Affairs: Ichigo Umehara, President, Pan-Pacific Hotels & Resorts
  • Regional VP Middle-East Affairs: Fakhri Twal, GM, Jordan Hotel Association
  • Regional VP North American Affairs: Alfredo Tinajero, Mexico
Board representatives of...National Hotel Associations:

Tony Pollard President, Hotel Association of Canada
John Bell, Executive VP, Caribbean Hotel Association

National Restaurant Assns:

Florian Hew, Director, GastroSuisse

International Hotel Chains:

Stan Bruns, Senior Vice President, Mariott Hotels Worldwide
Alan Parker, Whitbread Hotel Company

Intl. Restaurant Chains:

Jill R. Davies, Marriott International

Independent Hoteliers:

Fred England, Roger Smith Hotels Corporation
Naceur Malouche, Owner, La Kasbah 1 Ras El Aïn - Hotels

Independent Restaurateurs:

Hugo von Reinprecht, President, KLBV

Allied members:

Geoff Percy, Senior Vice President, DiverseyLever
Erik Olsen, Vice President Marketing, VingCard - Elsafe

The board will be responsible for setting the IH&RA strategic priorities in collaboration with the new chief executive officer of the association, Alain-Philippe Feutré, who was appointed to head up the Paris-based secretariat from 20 November 2000.

Hazel Hamelin
Dir Comm
33 1 44 89 94 16
IH&RA