CHIP CONLEY, president and CEO, Joie de Vivre Hospitality, San Francisco

Joie de Vivre Hospitality is California’s largest independent hotel company and America’s second largest boutique hotelier. Starting out in 1987 at age 26 with his creation of San Francisco’s legendary rock 'n roll hotel, The Phoenix, Conley is inspired by the French expression for “joy of life.” He created Joie de Vivre with the intention of developing what USA Today has called “the most delightfully schizophrenic collection of hotels in America.”

Each of the company’s 40 hotels has an original theme, personality and unique collection of services and amenities. The company gleans inspiration for the original personality of each hotel from popular magazines. For example, the Hotel Rex in San Francisco resembles The New Yorker.

Conley has written a series of business books, including The Rebel Rules: Daring to be Yourself in Business and Marketing That Matters: 10 Practices to Profit Your Business and Change the World. In his recent bestselling new book, Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow, Conley shares a prescription for success based on legendary psychologist Abraham Maslow’s iconic Hierarchy of Needs. His new theory illustrates how employees, customers and investors are ultimately motivated by peak experiences that address their higher needs.

Conley has received numerous awards and is a committed philanthropist who founded San Francisco’s annual Celebrity Pool Toss, which has raised over US$3 million for inner city youth programs.

SIMON COOPER, president and COO, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Chevy Chase, Maryland

Cooper oversees operations, development and strategic positioning of the Ritz-Carlton brand and is responsible for the development of Bulgari Hotels. The portfolio currently includes 70 hotels in 30 countries.

Cooper joined the company in February 2001 and between 2007 and 2009, the firm will have opened 33 hotels, 24 residences, seven clubs, and three serviced apartments.

Cooper joined The Ritz-Carlton from Marriott International where he served for three years as president of Marriott Lodging Canada and senior vice president of Marriott Lodging International responsible for Canada and New England.

Born and educated in England, Cooper began his hospitality career when he immigrated to Canada in 1972 and worked for Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts.

GERALD LAWLESS, executive chairman, Jumeirah Group, Dubai

In 1997, Lawless joined Jumeirah in Dubai as managing director. His remit was to develop a hospitality portfolio that would deliver a completely different experience. Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Wild Wadi Water Park and Burj Al Arab quickly set the standard for the regional and international growth to follow.

In January 2007, Lawless was appointed executive chairman of Jumeirah Group and continues to lead its ambitious growth to become the most distinctive and innovative hospitality group in the world. This ambition is expressed by the brand as “Jumeirah—Stay Different.”

Lawless spent the first 23 years of his career with Forte Hotels managing properties in the UK, South Africa, Ireland and the Caribbean. In 1991 he established Forte’s Middle East office in Dubai and oversaw growth in the region from three to 20 hotels in six years.

Lawless is a graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland and was awarded the honorary degree of doctor of business administration in hospitality management by Johnson & Wales University. He is a member of the executive committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council and a fellow member of the Institute of Hospitality.

JEAN-GABRIEL PÉRÈS, president and CEO, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Zurich

In 1999, Pérès was named president and CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, an upscale hotel management company with more than 12,000 employees and approximately 96 properties existing or under construction in 25 countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Pérès brings more than 20 years’ experience from senior appointments in the hospitality and luxury consumer brands segments. During his tenure, Mövenpick has doubled in size with the addition of more than 40 new upscale hotels and resorts. The strategy is to further extend the company’s portfolio to 100 hotels by 2010.

For three years prior to joining Mövenpick, Pérès was managing director of a leading sales and distribution company for luxury goods. Earlier in his career, Pérès spent 11 years with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts based in Hong Kong, initially as vice president of development for Africa and the Middle East. He was appointed managing director of Asia Pacific and a member of the hospitality group’s executive committee at the age of 32. During his tenure, Asia Pacific ranked as one of Le Méridien’s most profitable regions.

GORDON CAMPBELL GRAY, chairman, CampbellGray Hotels, London

Campbell Gray is the owner and creative force behind One Aldwych, London, and Carlisle Bay, Antigua, West Indies. He is an hotelier by profession and prior to opening One Aldwych has owned and operated various hotels, both in the UK and overseas.

During his 20s, he worked for the charity Save the Children, running projects in Bangladesh, Morocco and Nicaragua. He continues as an ambassador for Save the Children and is presently involved with, and travels to, projects relating to child exploitation in the workforce in West Bengal, India.

Campbell Gray cares greatly about the environment, politics and individuality. He has a deep dislike and distrust of most large corporations and institutions and believes passionately that it is the power of the individual which can—and will—make change for the better.

He is both fascinated and appalled at the idea of branding. He is passionate about looking after and inspiring the workforce and is often asked to lecture on the subjects of design, luxury, human resources and branding. He regrets that he has left it too late to be called “an angry young man,” and his message always ends with “love your staff.”

PETER LEDERER, chairman, Gleneagles Hotels Ltd., Auchterarder, Perthshire, Scotland

Lederer joined Gleneagles in 1984 as general manager, was appointed managing director in 1987 and became chairman in November 2007. Previously he held multiple management positions in Canada for 10 years with Four Seasons and Plaza Hotels in Toronto. He was also a partner for two years in a hospitality design, construction and consulting firm.

Lederer is committed to improving quality, educational standards and training opportunities within the hospitality and tourism industries. He is president of the Institute of Hospitality, a patron of Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland, a trustee of Springboard Educational Trust and a board member of People 1st.

Lederer is chairman of VisitScotland and a board member of The Leading Hotels of the World. In her 1994 Birthday Honours List, Her Majesty The Queen appointed him an officer of the Order of the British Empire for his services to the industry. This was followed in 2005 by the honor of Commander of the British Empire.

HARRIS ROSEN, president and COO, Rosen Hotels & Resorts, Orlando, Florida

Rosen began his career at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York City as a convention salesman and then in various management positions in some of the larger Hilton hotels. He then joined Post Co. of Dallas as director of hotel operations and while there was involved in the development and management of one of the finest resort properties in Acapulco. He then joined the Disney Co. in California as director of hotel planning. He was intimately involved in the design and development of the Contemporary Resort Hotel and the Polynesian Village Hotel which opened at Walt Disney World in Orlando in October 1971.

Rosen left Disney in 1974 to purchase the 256-room Quality Inn on International Drive in Orlando. Today, with 728 rooms, it is the second largest Quality Inn in the chain. Along the way, Rosen acquired the Rodeway Inn International with 315 rooms and subsequently built the Quality Inn Plaza that, at 1,020 rooms, is the largest Quality Inn in the nation.

On May 15, 1987, Rosen completed the first phase of his 640-room Comfort Inn at Lake Buena Vista. This property achieved such extraordinary success that an additional 320 rooms were completed one year ahead of schedule. On September 13, 1991, the 810-room Rosen Plaza opened its doors as the first convention hotel within the Rosen Hotels & Resorts family. In October 1995, he opened the 1,334-room Rosen Centre Hotel and subsequently developed the 1,500-room Shingle Creek Resort, which opened in September 2006.

Rosen donated a 20-acre (8-ha) site to the University of Central Florida for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management. In addition, Rosen provided approximately US$15 million in additional funds to construct the college. Rosen is deeply involved in many other philanthropic endeavors.

KURT WACHTVEITL, general manager, The Oriental, Bangkok

Wachtveitl has been general manager of The Oriental for more than 40 years. He is a graduate of the Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland and also studied philosophy at the University of Madrid and history of art and literature at the Dante Alighieri School in Rome, an experience that has helped him appreciate the intricacies of the hotel business.

Prior to coming to Thailand in 1965, Wachtveitl worked at Hotel Beau Rivage in Lausanne, the Trois Couronnes in Vevey, the Suvretta in St. Moritz and the Hilton in London.

His first post in Thailand was as general manager of the Nipa Lodge in Pattaya. In October 1967, at age 30, he was appointed general manager of The Oriental, Bangkok.

As a custodian of Thai culture, he plays an active role locally through membership in various organizations. His desire to develop young Thai nationals in the hotel industry resulted in the launch of The Oriental Hotel Apprenticeship Programme in October 1990.

In July 2002, Wachtveitl launched The Oriental Professional Thai Chef Programme, a three-month course to create professional Oriental Thai cooks and future cooks to take on Thai chef positions overseas, and to ultimately become ambassadors of Thai cuisine to the world.