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eason’s

Greetings!

As we

prepare to

ring in the New

Year, we reflect

on what the

current year has

taught us. We wish each other good health,

happiness and prosperity. We make resolutions

and do our best to stick by them. I’m happy to

say the 2014 Board resolutions have been

fulfilled. We’ve accomplished a great deal in a

short period of time. Please take the time to

read the Board’s reports.

In Los Cabos, the Recognition and Retirement

Fund was established. Thank you to those who

contributed to the fund. Donations are always

appreciated. The recipients of mementos have

been most grateful for the acknowledgement. If

you learn that a member is soon to retire, please

inform home office.

This summer, all full members were given the

opportunity to receive a new set of non-spinning

keys. Many cities had celebrations to mark the

occasion. It was a wonderful way to celebrate

the “year of giving back.”

You should all have received your new

Directories in September.

In late November, the Board of Directors

gathered in Las Vegas for their face-to-face

meeting. It was great to meet with members

and prospective members during a Clefs d’Or

Mixer at Hakkasan. During the reception, the

first annual Eugenio Chinigo award was

presented to Sarah Dandashy. New York

selection committee members and Eugenio’s

son, Diego, flew in for the inaugural celebration.

Attendees also selected the three lucky winners

of the Mendoza raffle. Congratulations again to

Claudia Abma, Ryan Lettier and Fredo Vita.

While in Las Vegas, the Board also met with

Timothy Lam and Dr. Bayot of The International

School of Hospitality. Les Clefs d’Or USA is

working with TISOH and the American Hotel and

Lodging Educational Institute, to create a

concierge certification class. The chapter

authors are all current members of Les Clefs

d’Or USA. Holly Stiel’s book, Ultimate Service,

will also be used in the class.

Les Clefs d’Or USA continues to partner with the

Lincoln Motor Company. We look forward to

another year of collaboration in the development

of Phase II and Phase III of Lincoln Academy.

In February, we’ll be doing a site inspection of

New Orleans. The committee is working

diligently to bring you a great experience. We

have fantastic speakers lined up and hope to

inspire you with the educational program. The

congress registration site is open to full and

provisional members until February 15th. On

February 16th, it’s open for general registration.

In April, it will be great to see many of you in

Mendoza.

All members should do their best to attend

congresses, both national and international.

Meeting your colleagues face-to-face offers a

level of networking that can’t be duplicated.

Enormous fundraising is done for national

meetings to bring an affordable price to our

members. The actual retail value of most

national congresses is many times more than

the registration rate. If you’ve never been to a

congress, or haven’t been to one lately, please

join us in Mendoza, in April, or New Orleans, in

July.

Wishing you all the best in 2015!

Shujaat Khan

President

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

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Board of Directors Face-to-Face Meeting Las Vegas

November 2014

Our thanks to our host,

Adam Clough, The MGM Grand

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Dr.

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The First Eugenio Chinigo Award

Presented to Sarah Dandashy, The London West Hollywood, during the

Face to Face meeting in Las Vegas. Miss Dandashy will represent the USA at

the Andy Pongco competition to be held at the 2015 UICH congress in

Argentina.

Diego Chinigo attend the special reception

and dinner in honor of his late father

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S 2014 comes

to a close, we,

as members

of Les Clefs

d’Or USA, have much to

be proud of. All across

our country, our

members continue to

demonstrate our

unique ability to solve

dilemmas, provide exceptional service and create

incredible memories for tens of thousands of guests.

I’m pleased to be a part of the Board of Directors’

efforts to acknowledge the members of Les Clefs d’Or

USA and to promote our unique brand.

In 2014, with the President’s guidance and the Board’s

support, we found ways to acknowledge and give back

to our members. From on-line webinars, to

complimentary, new, non-spinning keys, to raffles for

free registration to the Pan-American and

international congresses, to the creation of the

Recognition and Retirement fund, this year of giving

back to the members has been an enormous success.

While these efforts were directed towards 2014, the

Board continues to seek new ways, in 2015, to give

back to our members. New raffles, for complimentary

registrations to New Orleans, will be announced in

January. Stay tuned for more information.

As Secretary, my goal in 2014 has been to increase

and improve the communication between our

members and the organization. With email, regular

mail, eblasts, the newsletter and good old fashioned

phone calls, I’ve tried to ensure that members are well

informed and have the opportunity to easily interact

with the board. One of the best ways to ensure a

good two-way flow of communication is to make sure

we have the most updated information to contact

you. If you’ve changed positions, or any of your

contact information has changed, please make sure to

contact home office to update your record.

An important way to stay in touch with your world-

wide colleagues is to make sure that your correct

information is listed on the UICH website. If you have

not visited the UICH site lately, please visit it soon.

http://www.lesclefsdor.net

Part of our success has always been open

communication and our ability to call upon each other

for assistance and information. I hope you will

continue this tradition of communication and will

always feel comfortable contacting myself, or any

other member of the Board, should you ever need

assistance.

In January, the annual member recertification form

will be mailed to you. Please remember, in order for

your recertification to be accepted, your form must be

filled out completely and accurately, attach your

business card, have the title of concierge listed and

ensure that your affiliation with Les Clefs d’Or USA is

spelled correctly.

Thank you for making 2014 such a dynamic and

successful year. I wish each of you the best holiday

season and a healthy, happy and successful 2015!

Robert Marks,

VP/Secretary

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ear Members,

Hopefully, this finds you

warm and cozy from the

winter weather. Last

summer and fall went by

incredibly fast; it seems

like just yesterday, we

were in Los Cabos.

Now that I’ve settled into the role of Director of

Membership, my main objectives are to ensure the

application process is user friendly and the

membership process remains fair and consistent.

We’re resolving website glitches and updating

pages to help achieve these goals.

The application and sponsor forms were

reformatted to be streamlined and more user-

friendly. The examination now bears more weight

in the application process. It was revised to be

more relevant and more interesting for candidates.

Every question has a point value based on the

complexity of the question and/or the expected

thoroughness of the response. The final score is

included in each candidate’s evaluation.

As we work to continue to improve the application

process, I’d like to remind everyone about

sponsoring. Responsibilities of the sponsor include

actively assisting the candidate through the entire

process. Advising, mentoring and thoroughly

reviewing the application before it’s submitted, are

all part of a sponsor’s job description. Many

candidates submit applications that contain errors,

are incomplete, or both. Applications are delayed

and sometimes disqualified due to sponsor

oversight. Candidates clearly need assistance and

mentoring. If you’re unable to fulfill all the duties in

the sponsorship job description, please disqualify

yourself from sponsoring candidates.

Each year, good standing full members are given

the opportunity to sponsor up to two applicants.

Provisional members, or those in transition, may

not sponsor applicants. You should only sponsor

concierges you know and have a professional

relationship with. If you’re approached by a

concierge living in an area without Clefs d’Or

members, take time to observe them at work and

to establish a relationship with them, before

agreeing to sponsor them.

Sending you all my sincere wishes for a wonderful

holiday season, and all the best for the New Year!

Leigh Anne Dolecki

Director of Membership

reetings from

a very holiday-

filled New York City!

After returning from a

very successful Face-to-

Face meeting held in Las

Vegas (thank you SNHCA

for everything!), I returned to a city that was

gearing up for the holidays in full force. The crystal

star above 5th Avenue had been installed, the stores

were being decorated and the famous windows on

5th and Madison Avenues were being prepared to

dazzle the passers-by.

In the season of giving, let’s not forget the good

fortune that is our job; to serve. Whether it be to

the general public, our guests, or those less

fortunate than we, always remember that it’s better

to give than to receive, for it comes back to you

tenfold.

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As the Director of Development, I continue to

develop relationships with like-minded companies,

interested in partnering with Les Clefs d'Or USA.

Please remember your local and national sponsors

(shown on our website) and thank them for being a

part of what makes our job seem effortless.

If you come across a vendor or business partner

that you feel merits a larger audience, remind them

of our upcoming USA Congress in New Orleans, in

July. Congresses provide an exceptional

opportunity for vendors to showcase product or

service. We’ve already contacted the International

New York Times, Enterprise, Tourneau, Hugo Boss,

Porche Design, GoConcierge, BigBus, SuperShuttle,

XCom Global, Starwood, American Express, SIXT,

Guest Services Worldwide, Alliance Tickets, Texas

de Brazil and MyAssist, to name a few. Please send

your ideas for sponsorship to me at

development@lcdusa.org.

Texas de Brazil has already fulfilled their $25,000

commitment to New Orleans. Their sponsorship,

over the last few years, has assisted us in keeping

congress fees affordable. Please show your

appreciation by referring your clients to this great,

ever-expanding, restaurant group.

As we gear up for yet another fantastic holiday

season, I wish to thank all those colleagues who

came through New York City and stopped by to say

hello, dropped a note/gift, or called to say hello. I

am thankful to all of you and look forward to seeing

you in either Mendoza or New Orleans. Wishing you

all the best during the holidays!

In Service to YOU!

Harald Mootz

Director of Development

ear Friends;

I hope your holidays are

delightful and your new

year will be amazing!

As the cold weather of

winter is here for most

of the USA, cabin fever

may give you the urge to travel. Hopefully, your

travels will include attending congresses in 2015.

The 62nd UICH Congress will be held in Mendoza,

Argentina, April 10–15, 2015. Registration remains

open until April 1st or until registration sells out.

http://www.uich2015mendoza.com.ar/ to register.

Before the congress, I’ll communicate with all USA

Mendoza registrants and provide information on

things to know before you go.

We’re getting closer to “Unmasking Our Potential,”

at the national congress, July 13–17, 2015, in my

hometown, New Orleans! Attendees will be lodged

at the newly renovated Le Meridien Hotel.

Conveniently located in the central business district,

Le Meridien is also close to the French Quarter.

Ten years have passed since the Big Easy hosted Les

Clefs d’Or USA (and right before Hurricane Katrina).

We have so much to show you. The city shines in

preparation for the bicentennial of the battle of

New Orleans. We continue to seek sponsorship and

finalize congress plans. Concierge members are

invited to register by visiting Les Clefs d’Or USA

National Congress Registration Site. Registration

will open to all members on February 16th.

The 2016 Pan-American congress will be hosted by

Canada. The dates and location will be shared with

you once confirmed. The 63rd UICH Congress will be

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held January 11-16, 2016, in Dubai. Show your

management the value of congress attendance to

garner their support of congress expenses. Being a

member of Les Clefs d’Or is so much more than

wearing keys.

Les Clefs d’Or USA continues to seek bids for our

national congress in 2017. If your city is interested

in hosting this congress, please contact me at

congressliaison@lcdusa.org. The development of a

successful congress is built on great support from

your local members and hospitality partners.

Artfully yours,

Danny Alford

Congress Liaison

ello everyone,

This is my favorite time of year

with Les Clefs d’Or. Not only

do I get to design the Board of

Directors’ greeting card to

send to the membership, but

also the fourth quarter holiday newsletter. I try to

include many photos of Les Clefs d’Or members, at

holiday events, around the country. You’re all

reminded and encouraged to send me coverage of

new member pinnings, awards, promotions or

participation in community events for future

newsletters.

Postings to Les Clefs d’Or USA Facebook page are

updated regularly based on appropriate

newsworthy events. If you’d like to post something

to our Facebook page, please send it to me at

media@lcdusa.org Twitter is more a conversational

exchange, postings are less frequent.

Facebook: Number of “likes, visits and

reaches” for Fourth Quarter = 28,600

Google Analytics for Website for Four

Quarter:

Sessions 8,019

Total number of Sessions within the date range. A session is the period time a user is actively engaged with your website, app, etc. All usage data (Screen Views, Events, Ecommerce, etc.) is associated with a session

New Sessions % 74.20

An estimate of the percentage of first time visits

Users 5,637

Users that have had at least one session within the selected date range. Includes both new and returning users.

Page Views 32,253

The total number of pages viewed. Repeated views of a single page are counted.

In the meantime, more improvements to our

website are underway. Areas include revisions to

the membership application section to streamline

the process. Separate listings for Affiliate and

Honorary members are being reformatted to

ameliorate search capabilities.

Here’s to a happy and prosperous 2015!

Kathleen Fitzgerald

Director of Media

eason's Greetings!

It's been a busy

year in the "Warm

and Fuzzy" department of

Les Clefs d'Or USA! This

past October the annual

Leadership Summit took

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place in Dallas, TX. Andrew Bottomley, Kris Wood

and members from the Dallas Hotel Concierge

Association worked tirelessly to coordinate a

seamless and extremely successful meeting. This is

an annual gathering of Presidents and upcoming

leaders of local associations around the country to

discuss ideas on how to be effective and

inspirational for you, their members.

"What is your Leadership Style?" was how we

started the brainstorming session at the beautiful

Joule Hotel in Dallas. Adjectives that came to mind

when thinking of some of history's greatest leaders;

Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Nelson

Mandela, to name a few, were: inspiring, activist,

visionary, brave, authority, honest, selfless, and the

list goes on. To successfully lead an association

requires strength, patience, determination and the

desire to inspire. We were reminded, "A mark of a

great leader is knowing what you want to do and

finding the people to help make it happen."

Topics of discussion included membership,

participation, attendance at monthly meetings,

balance between business and social content,

proper decorum, and mentorship, and this only

scratched the surface. As members of local

associations, we all have a responsibility to make

membership beneficial, not to leave all the work to

those who generously give their time. If there is

education that is needed or a new idea to improve

efficiency, please let your local board know so they

can make the appropriate changes. For example,

LACA's theme for 2014 was the year of the

museum, so each monthly meeting was held at a

different museum. What a perfect way to combine

education, location and networking!

Among the many benefits of conducting a

Leadership Summit is the fact that associations

without LCD members can also understand the

value and meaning of "In Service through

Friendship". Nonmembers saw firsthand the

camaraderie and cooperation which took place as a

result of membership. We were able to complete

the Presidents' Manual, a tool for any future leaders

to use as a resource when they assume the role of

President. It was a collaborative effort; teams were

assigned various topics such as tax laws,

membership, by-laws, ethics, etc. A big thank you

to all who contributed to your legacy, which will be

passed on to the future generation of our

profession. This brainstorming session took place at

the beautiful Mansion on Turtle Creek after which

we ended our day with lunch and a tour of the

impressive Bush Library.

On the fun side, we were treated to an evening at

the Texas State Fair, where you can try almost

anything fried; ice cream, snickers, bourbon and

coke! That was definitely an experience! To

become official 'Texans' for the weekend we were

given the opportunity to select a cowboy hat that

best suited our personality, generously sponsored

by Wild Bill's Downtown. Many thanks to Andrew

and his team for a very successful brainstorming

session combined with fun and friendship, not to

mention great food! It was announced that the

2015 Leadership Summit will take place in Las

Vegas. Stay tuned for future dates!

Next on the 'field trip' list was the First Annual

California Concierge Symposium, orchestrated by

Justin Sondgeroth, President of the San Diego

Concierge Association, and all of his Board

members. Since many travelers coming to the West

Coast enjoy visiting both Northern and Southern

California, what better way to educate ourselves

than to share information from all of our respective

areas at one meeting. At the incredible venue of

San Diego's Sea World, presentations took place in

the Turtle Reef by the NCCA (Northern California),

OCCA (Orange County), LACA (Los Angeles), and

SDCA (San Diego). We covered highlights of each

area, various 'must do' activities, restaurants, side

trips, and much more. Now we can comfortably

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share information with our guests traveling up and

down the West Coast. We were fortunate to have a

keynote speaker, Mr. Jeff Campbell, Director of the

Master's program from San Diego State University's

School of Hospitality. He challenged us with the

task of how we must remain relevant in this current

age of technology i.e. Air BNB. We were honored

by the presence of Tom Wolfe, who shared the

history of Les Clefs d'Or and how it has grown to be

recognized worldwide as a symbol of professional

service. Robert Marks, VP and Secretary, stressed

the importance of knowing our value as LCD

concierges, and that constant education and

networking is vital to our profession. My message

to current and aspiring members is consistent,

"Always strive to be the best that you can be", and

the value of membership in Les Clefs d'Or is

priceless as it is the perfect combination of

friendship and professionalism. The California

Concierge Symposium was a perfectly organized

event by Justin and his hardworking team. We look

forward to this becoming an annual event.

This past year has been very productive in the

world of Concierge Relations. Thank you all for your

trust, confidence and hard work to make this past

year a success. 2015 promises to be just as positive

and productive. Wishing you all a very Happy,

Healthy Holiday Season!

In Friendship,

Charisse Farazzi

Director Concierge Relations

In thinking about what to share from the

Foundation Board this quarter, it actually feels like a

double-edged sword.

On the one hand, we are deeply thrilled to be able

to offer assistance and have been very busy doing

just that.

On the other, while helping people is our reason to

be, we wish we were less busy because our hearts

break every time we hear of a colleague in need.

Lately the grants have been plentiful.

Our colleagues in Mexico suffered financial

hardships when hurricane Odile ravished Cancun.

Thanks to our wonderful Mexican Board member,

Marco Milanez, we have been able to reach many

concierges and expedite grants to help them

through such a tough time. In addition to the

Mexican misfortune, we have also helped

colleagues suffering from medical situations that

have kept them from their desks.

It is only due to your generous donations that we

are able to be here and help when needed. On

behalf of all the recipients, we say a giant thank you

and wish you good health and joy.

This coming year marks the 25th anniversary of the

Foundation. We look forward to celebrating that

milestone together.

The Foundation Board of Directors

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Presidents’ Leadership Summit

Dallas – October 2014

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Awards, Pinnings & Celebrations

Chizuru Melendez, Sheraton

Universal, named Concierge of the

Year 2014 by LA Concierge Assoc.

LA Concierge Assoc.Holiday Gala

Kalindra Ashleigh & Jeanne Mills, Beverly Wilshire Hotel,

and Fredo Vita, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles

James Little, The Peninsula Beverly

Hills, awarded Chef Concierge of the

Year 2014 by LA Concierge Assoc.

Keilaine Ruiz, Fairmont Newport

Beach, awarded Concierge of the

Year 2014 by Orange County

Concierge Assoc.

Wendy McBeth, Lily Lyob & Jane

Marshall celebrate 10 years at

the Mayflower Park Hotel

Seattle

All five LCD members, Karen Tanaka, Lynn Wetter, Amanda Nemec,

San Wilhelm & Reiko Watanabe-George from Four Seasons Resort

Maui celebrate the newest members, Lynn & Amanda with their keys

Laura Cunningham, Hutton Hotel,

Nashville, TN, is the newest and

fifth LCD member in Tennessee

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The CCA's honor premier individuals and businesses in the New York City visitor/service industries. Chosen by the New York

City Association of Hotel Concierges, these annual awards are highly selective.

Daniel Perez, Ritz-Carlton & Kevin Howard, Plaza Athenee

Anya Orlanska, The Benjamin,

with Sergio Nieto

Claudia Iluc, Le Parker Meridien, & Michael Bordenick,

The Surrey

Regena Falling, Park Hyatt &

Maurice Dancer, The Pierre, A Taj Hotel

Michael Romei, Chef Concierge Waldorf Astoria, and UICH General Secretary

James Lamboglia, The Plaza, & Regena Falling, Chef Concierge Park Hyatt

David Moreno, Lowes Regency, Aisha Thomas, Gramercy Park & Hope Coarasa, Alvear Palace, Buenos Aires

Group of New York’s Finest Keoni Boyer, The Lowell, & Stephen Faitos

Maria Wittorp De Jonge St Regis, Michael Salvatore Sinatra, Melody Williamson, The Plaza

Frederick Bigler, Chef

Concierge The Peninsula &

Mary Gaffney Murphy, Omni

Berkshire Place

Harald Mootz, St. Regis, &

friends

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By Alfredo Caliva, Chef Concierge|Doubletree Chicago Magnificent Mile

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014, sixteen volunteers from the Chicago Hotel Concierge Association donated their free time to answer phones for the annual WTTW European Christmas fundraising telethon. Our MC and host of the evening was none other than Travel Journalist, Rick Steves! Six out of the sixteen volunteer members were LCD members. All the others will be potential LCD members to be considered in the near future. Great fun was had by all. This was a great way for our members to get better acquainted with each other. WTTW relies on volunteers to help support many initiatives / events throughout the year – especially when they are doing their pledge drives! Certificates of Appreciation will be presented to each member who volunteered at our January 2015 meeting. Rick Steves is a very pleasant, easy going and personable gentleman. He walked around the studio and spoke with every volunteer. He gravitated to Sheryl Walerski, Concierge | Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel…a lot! At the end of the taping, he invited all the volunteers to take photos with him.

Robert Marks, our VP/Secretary, and

Elizabeth Wilson, our Administrator, met

in Dallas with Enzo Sleva, Dennis Caravale

and Andrew Ashman of Lincoln Motor

Company to review the next phase of our

training initiative with the Lincoln

Academy

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Les Clefs d’Or USA Diamond Sponsor