HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Giving the Hospitality industry its much deserved recognition and acknowledging the contribution of hospitality stalwarts and every person associated with the industry, the International Hospitality Council (IHC) and IIHM got together once again to celebrate International Hospitality Day 2024 on 24th April 2024. As Chairman of the International Hospitality Council (IHC), Prof David Foskett said in his special address on the occasion of International Hospitality Day, “Hospitality brings light and hope to so many people. We take this opportunity to honour and celebrate those people who work hard to bring pleasure and comfort to others across the world. These professionals are an inspiration to the next generation of hoteliers. To be human is to be hospitable. By celebrating the lives of these industry legends, IIHM and IHC aim to bring hope and inspiration to future generations.”
The key highlights of the celebrations on this special occasion included, the third FIIHM Convocation, conferring of the Lifetime Achievement Award and a Global Conference. The International Hospitality Day global celebration opened with a grand and inspiring speech by Dr Suborno Bose, CEO and Convenor, International Hospitality Council and Chairman, IIHM. He said, “International Hospitality Day is celebrated in over 100 countries, in hotels, cafes and restaurants. This is something that we aspired 10 years back and we have achieved that feat. Talent is a scarcity and we want to inspire youngsters to join this wonderful industry. I remember how we requested Ratan Tata, the Emeritus Chairman of Tata Group to be inducted in the Hall of Fame right in his office in Mumbai. We celebrate everyone involved in the hospitality industry and we will continue to celebrate the contribution of each and everyone in the future as well.”
Legendary hotelier, Nakul Anand, who helmed the YCO Global Advisory Council in 2024 and who had received the Lifetime Achievement Award previously, sent his best wishes and inspirational words on this special day, “I wish the very best to the Global Hospitality Summit taking place today. My compliments go to Dr Suborno Bose and IIHM for the work they are doing in developing future future talent for this industry. I would like to reiterate that the future has never looked brighter for this industry with our eyes set on making Indian tourism a trillion dollar economy with 50 million international tourists and 15 billion domestic tourists by 2047. The manpower required to manage this influx is unimaginable and I compliment team IIHM for their contribution.”
One of the most iconic moments of the International Hospitality Day celebrations is presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Awards 2024. This year IIHM Global Director, Neil Rippington, was present to do the honours on the virtual platform. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to some iconic hospitality personalities who have contributed immensely to the hospitality and culinary industry. The award this year went to:
• Danny Pecorelli, Managing Director of the Exclusive Collection Group of hotels and country homes
• Chef Anton Mossiman OBE DL, renowned Swiss Chef and Restauranteur. He was Maitre Chef de Cuisines at the Dorchester Hotel for 13 years.
• Chef Jeff Galvin, the young brother of Chef Chris Galvin and co-founder of a number of prestigious restaurants in London.
• Patu Keswani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Lemon Tree Group of Hotels
On receiving this great honour, celebrity chef and restaurateur, Anton Mosimann, OBE DL, said, “It is a great honour to be recognized by the International Hospitality Council and IIHM. I have 50 gold medals but this honour will take a special place in my heart.”
The third FIIHM Convocation Ceremony was held on this day as well. The President of the IIHM International College of Distinguished Fellows, Diwan Gautam Anand, said in his address, “IHC and IIHM’s contribution to the transformation of education, development and growth and an eye on the future is an exemplar to the Indian, Asian and European entrepreneurs. Your stewardship is a beacon of international togetherness coupled with your community of global greats. You are making the hoteliers of the future.”
The exhaustive list of FIIHM Awardees at the IHD 2024 ceremony included:
• David Russell, CEO, Russell Partnership
• Jayen Mehta, MD, Amul
• Harshwardhan Mehta, Chairman, Ambuja Neotia Group
• Viraj Bahl, Founder and MD, Veeba
• KB Kachru, Chairman Emeritus and Principal Advisor, South Asia, Radisson Hotel Group
• Vikas Khanna, Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur
• Sarah Hartnett, executive pastry chef, Smart Group
• Stefan Breg, Managing Partner, Keane Consulting
• Steven Munkley, Consultant Chef
• Rashmi Uday Singh, TV Personality and Author
• Sidharth Gupta, Co Founder and CEO, Treebo Hotels
• SP Jain, Chairman and MD Pride Hotels
• Dato’ Abdul Wahab Zamzani, Malaysian Celebrity Chef
On receiving the honour, David Russell said, “I feel proud and honoured and treasured to be a part of the IIHM International College of Distinguished Fellows. To be able to support the next generation of hospitality professionals is a passion that I would love to share with IIHM.” Jayen Mehta expressed his gratitude for the support to the dairy community, “On behalf of 3.6 million farmers who are a part of the Amul Dairy Co-operative I would like to thank Dr Bose and IIHM for recognizing the efforts of Amul.”
The International Hospitality Day 2024 celebrations were marked by special panel discussions by eminent hospitality personalities. Panel Discussion 1 was Views from the Top: the Future of Hospitality. The discussion was moderated by Neil Rippington with Prof David Foskett OBE and Mr Rajiv Kaul.
The second Panel discussion was on Considerations in AI Adoption in Hospitality. The session was moderated by Harish Chandra, Managing Director, Technology, HotelKey. The panelists included Dr Sophal Ear, renowned academic and Associate Professor Thunderbird School of Global Management, Nayana Arya, Co-President, Artificial Intelligence Club, Thunderbird School of Global Management. The third discussion was fire-side chat on the topic of Experiential Learning and Industry Partnerships: Enhancing Hospitality Education for Real-World Success by Dr Swaroop Sinha, Head of ITC Hospitality Management Institute and Paul Jervis, Head of School, Westminster Kingsway College, London.
