IHIF to Present Isadore Sharp with Lifetime Achievement Award
At the 12th International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Germany
DECEMBER 3, 2008. Isadore (Issy) Sharp, founder of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, will be awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF), scheduled for 9-11 March 2009, at the InterContinental Berlin, Germany.
The IHIF Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who, over his or her lifetime, has made a significant difference in the hospitality industry by their actions, deeds, and great accomplishments.
Sharp holds the title of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and founded the company in 1960 with the opening of the first Four Seasons Hotel on Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto. After a decade of trial and refinement, Sharp created a single vision that today has made Four Seasons the leading luxury hotel operator exclusively focused on mid-size luxury hotels and resorts of exceptional quality. Four Seasons creates properties of enduring value using superior design and finishes, and supports them with a deeply instilled ethic of personal service.
Sharp graduated in architecture from Ryerson University in 1952. His educational background combined with his design and construction expertise, his single focus on satisfying the customer and his leadership skills have allowed him to attract the capital sources and a loyal employee base to create the largest luxury hotel management company in the world.
"We are delighted to present Sharp with this award for his outstanding contributions to the hotel industry. Sharp is an icon in the hotel industry. His acute attention to customer satisfaction and outstanding leadership skills should be an example followed by us all," said Jon Leibowitz, EVP of Questex Media Group, organizers of IHIF.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is selected by the IHIF Advisory Board which comprises leading executives from the European hotel investment industry that meet each year at Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne to discuss the programme for the following year.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award winners have included: Lord Forte, Forte Hotels, Gabriel Escarrer, Sol Melia, Paul Dubrule & Gerard Pellison, Accor, Georg Rafael, Rafael Hotels, Marilyn Carlson Nelson, Carlson, PRS Oberoi, Oberoi Hotels, Kurt Ritter, Rezidor, Jim Sherwood, Orient-Express, David Michels, Hilton International and Michael Hirst OBE, CB Richard Ellis Hotels.
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