Conrad N. Hilton College's Hall of Honor Inducts Best Western Founder
HOUSTON, TX, October 21, 2009 — Some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry were among the 250 guests who gathered at the Conrad N. Hilton College as the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor inducted four new members. Entering the Hall of Honor are the late M.K. Guertin, founder of Best Western, and Chris, Harris and the late Greg Pappas who turned a third-generation family business into one of the most successful dining enterprises in the country.
David Kong, president and CEO of Best Western International, accepted the honor on Guertin's behalf. Kong, whose company now operates some 4,000 hotels in 80 countries and territories, told the story of a young Texan who in 1946 redefined the lodging industry, turning “competitors into collaborators.
Chris and Harris Pappas, CEO and president of Pappas Restaurants, Inc., respectively, who accepted on behalf of their late brother, Greg, own and operate nearly 100 restaurants in seven states. Their eight unique brands include Pappas Seafood House, Pappasito's Cantina, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Pappas Bar-B-Q, Pappas Bros. Steakhouse, Pappas Grill Steakhouse, Pappas Burger, Yia Yia Mary's Pappas Greek Kitchen, plus the original Dot Coffee Shop opened by their father, Jim, and his three brothers, in 1967. Their grandfather, H.D. Pappas, came to the United States from Greece in 1897.
Chris and Harris also serve as CEO and president, respectively, of Luby's Inc., which operates more than 120 restaurants in five states, serving up southern cuisine in a cafeteria setting. The brothers became majority shareholders in the company in 2001.
By becoming members of the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor, Guertin and the Pappas Brothers join 49 previous inductees who include such industry icons as Conrad N. Hilton and his sons Eric and Barron, J.W. Marriott, Ray Kroc, Howard Johnson, Ernest & Julio Gallo and Walt Disney.
The Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor recognizes outstanding contributions to the domestic and global hospitality industry, and the inductees are chosen by an independent Board of Overseers made up of members from the industry's leading organizations, including the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the National Restaurant Association, the Travel Industry Association of America, the International Hotel and Restaurant Association and the American Gaming Association.
For more information on the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor and UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management, visit http://www.hrm.uh.edu/hhoh.
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