European Hotel Managers Association elects new president
Almasalla Travel News – Hans Koch was elected as the new President of the European Hotel Managers Association (EHMA) and will run the office for the next 3 years from 2103 to 2105. Mr. Koch was elected during the 40th General Meeting of EHMA at the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan, at the conclusion of a series of seminars and celebrations for EHAM’s 40th anniversary.
The new Executive Committee, presided over by Hans Koch, is composed of Kurt Dohnal (First Vice President), Manuel Otero Alvarado (Second Vice President), and Johanna Fragano (EHMA Treasurer).
Hans Koch, 62 years of age and Swiss from Lucerne, is presently a National Delegate for EHMA’s Swiss Chapter, and CEO of the Culture and Congress Centre KKL in Lucerne, after a thirty-year experience alternating his own country and Asian destinations, where he has managed prestigious and complex properties of large dimensions.
After terminating his studies in hotel management, Hans Koch started his career in Switzerland, but he soon moved to Asia to work at the Hilton and then at the Peninsula in Hong Kong. In 1983, he moved to Tokyo for the opening of the Hilton Hotel in the position of Food & Beverage Manager, and quickly was promoted to Executive Assistant Manager at the Hilton Tokyo Bay, which opened in 1988 next to Tokyo Disneyland. After a brief intermission in 1991 as General Manager ad interim of the Zurich Hilton, Koch went back to Asia as General Manager of the Hilton di Shanghai, a luxury property of 775 rooms with 6 restaurants, 2 bars, vast banqueting and meeting areas, and winner of the Hilton International Award “Hotel of the Year 1993.” From 1995 to 1998, Koch became General Manager of the Osaka Hilton, where he successfully carried out important innovations. In 1999, his career continued to rise in India with the position of Vice President & General Manager of the Sheraton Mumbai of the Group ITC Hotels/Welcomgroup, India.
In 2001, Koch returned to Switzerland in order to manage the Grand Hotels Bad Ragaz – Health, Spa & Golf Resort, the only resort in Switzerland that offers the unique combination of 2 luxury hotels, its own thermal water, an 18-hole golf course, a medical health center, and vast public and private wellness facilities. From 2004 to 2007, Koch was in Mauritius as General Manager of Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, winner of numerous international awards.
In 2007, Koch went back to Switzerland as General Manager of Lucerne‘s Palace, a prestigious 5-star boutique hotel with a spa and 3 restaurants, one of which has a Michelin star.
For the last 2 years Koch has been CEO of the KKL Luzern Management AG (Culture and Congress Centre), a magnificent contemporary property designed by Jean Nouvel that is comprised of concert halls, bars, restaurants, and congress areas.
The European Hotel Managers Association was founded in Rome in 1974 with the aim of safeguarding the ethical principles of the profession, and developing tourism with top-quality standards. The membership currently includes 426 hotel executives who manage 4- and 5-star prestigious international hotels in 27 European countries for a total of 350 hotels, 92,000 rooms, and 72,000 employees with an estimated overall turnover of about 6 billion euros.
Source : e turbo news
