Christopher Nassetta, president and chief executive officer of Hilton Worldwide, and Elisabeth Gürtler, managing director of Sacher Hotels in Vienna, were honored Monday evening with HOTELS’ annual Hotelier of the World awards at a reception in New York City.
Each year the award winners are chosen by HOTELS’ global readership.
Corporate Hotelier of the World Nassetta, who has been at the helm of Hilton Worldwide since 2007 after spending 12 years with Host Hotels & Resorts in addition to gaining previous experience in private equity and real estate development, emphasized the joy he finds in his job every day as he accepted the award.
“I honestly think of myself as the luckiest guy in the world,” Nassetta said. “I love everything about what I do and the people I work with.
“It’s easy to get caught up in what we do in our business lives,” he added. “I’m fortunate enough to have people in my life who make sure my priorities in life are balanced. I wake up every morning and travel worldwide with a smile on my face. The passion of what we do is incredible. It is an honor to be a part of this.”
Independent Hotelier of the World Gürtler, who has overseen the 149-room Hotel Sacher Vienna and 113-room Hotel Sacher Salzburg since 1990, also spoke about the importance of the support of a good team in order to achieve success.
“You can only be successful when you have the right people working with you,” Gürtler said. “When you think of the great hotels of the world, you think of the bigger ones in the bigger cities. To be honored as a hotelier in Vienna is incredible.
“I love the hotel business,” Gürtler continued. “I love to be a hostess. I love to make my guests feel well. You have to have passion for this business to succeed.”