NEWH - April 2005 - (Page 3)

letter from the president Jeanne Varney Host Marriott Corporation I am thrilled to begin my second exciting year as the NEWH, Inc. President. However, before I have us look forward to 2005, I would like to reflect on some of our great NEWH successes in 2004. Our 20th anniversary year was one of traditional tributes and ground breaking initiatives. We ended 2004 with a precedent setting NEWH Woman of the Year ceremony in Los Angeles. Many thanks to the Los Angeles Founding Chapter and Woman of the Year committee for putting together such an elegant event. Lyndall De Marco was our first international recipient of the Woman of the Year Award. Her accomplishments and contributions to both the hospitality industry as well as the world community are inspiring. Many of you met Lyndall in January while participating in the NEWH Leadership Conference in Phoenix. We are thrilled to partner with Lyndall and look forward to working together on future initiatives, so stay tuned for details. There is a wonderful article on Lyndall in this issue of the magazine that I know you will enjoy. In November, 2004, we bestowed our first Icons of the Industry Scholarship Award to Anna Perryman of Harrington College of Design. The scholarship was fully endowed in the name of Thomas Durkan, II, by Patricia Durkan. We would again like to convey our sincerest gratitude to Patricia and the Durkan family for their heartfelt generosity and continued support of NEWH. Through this scholarship, the legacy of Thomas Durkan, II will continue. 2004 was also a year of continued expansion of our membership across the globe. In November, we chartered our first Canadian Chapter, Southern Ontario, in Toronto. We continue to work with Organizing Groups in exciting places such as San Francisco, Memphis and Eastern Pennsylvania. 2005 has started with a bang. We had our tremendously successful NEWH Leadership Conference in Phoenix in January. Over 100 NEWH members from across the USA, UK and Canada attended the conference which provided professional leadership and NEWH skills training, networking events and lots of fun! This event is held bi-annually and we are already making plans for 2007. Many thanks to the Leadership Conference Committee and Arizona Chapter for all of the hard work and hospitality that made the conference such a success! You will also notice that in 2005 we have a new NEWH Magazine Editor, Joanie Neumayer. Joanie comes to us with publishing experience and we are extremely excited to have Joanie directing our magazine efforts. NEWH would like to sincerely thank Lisa Haude for all of the tremendous dedication of time and energy she devoted to the magazine over the last four years. Job well done Lisa! As we move further into 2005, I encourage each of you to connect with the scholarship recipients whose lives you are positively impacting through your fundraising. Their gratitude will inspire you. Take the time to celebrate the successes of your Chapters. What you do truly makes a difference. And last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank each of you for your personal involvement and support of NEWH. Your effort, dedication and sacrifice is the engine that drives the success of NEWH and because of you, we look forward to another highly productive and enriching year. In the Spirit of Networking, Jeanne Varney 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - April 2005

NEWH - April 2005
Letter From the President
Upfront
Contents
Hospitality News
Lessons From Retail
Conrad’s First Ground-Up Hotel
2005 Leadership Conference
Remember Me? Using Video to Have Your Message Remembered
Woman of the Year
Design Showcase … Under the Tuscan Sun
Spa and Wellness Trends
Brand Perception
NEWH Icon Awards – Anna Perryman
First Canadian NEWH Chapter Chartered
Coming Events
HD at a Glance
HD Plantinum Circle Inductees
Contributors

NEWH - April 2005