On Monday night in New York City, ‘M’ was the letter of the day for HOTELS 2018 Hotelier of the World award winners Philippe Leboeuf of the Mandarin Oriental, Paris, and Jay Shah of Hersha Hospitality Trust, Philadelphia.
During the 38th annual award presentation, both gentlemen talked about the influence their mothers had on their lives and careers, and both accepted their awards with great modesty, preferring to credit their teams, mentors and family for manyof their successes that led to this evening.
Independent Hotelier of the World award winner Leboeuf dedicated his award to his late mother, Maud – the one, he said, who wanted a better life for her son and decided to send him from their small hometown in the Alsace region of France to the city of Strasbourg for university and hospitality training. “That was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.
Leboeuf went on thank many of his mentors over his years in London, New York and Paris, and he credited his current team in Paris from the past eight years, stating how instrumental they were in the hotel earning the coveted Palace designation after just two years in operation.
For Corporate Hotelier of the World Shah, his mother Hersha was also among the first words to come from his lips on this night of celebration, also taking much of his time on stage to recognize his father Hasu, who started the family hotel business in 1978 and his brother, Neil, who he works along side today.
Shah also spoke eloquently about how hotels provide a powerful platform to foster inclusiveness and community. “It spans cultures, nationalities, religion and points of view,” he said. “The hotel industry celebrates this every day.”
