HOTELIER OF THE WORLD
Nathalie Seiler-Hayez DIRECTRICE GÉNÉRALE , GENERAL MANAGER , BEAU-RIVAGE PALACE , LAUSANNE , SWITZERLAND
INDEPENDENT NOMINEES
Edward Staros VICE PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOR , THE RITZ-CARLTON RESORTS OF NAPLES , FLORIDA
SINCE SEPTEMBER 2015 , Seiler-Hayez has been in charge of the 169-room luxury hotel that includes a Anne-Sophie Pic , a restaurant with two Michelin stars .
Previously , she was general manager of the luxury Connaught in London , where she redefined and implemented a new management structure , as well as developed a new brand identity and managed the rebranding process .
She also served as the opening GM of the first Regent hotel in France , The Regent Grand Hotel , Bordeaux , which opened in December 2007 , and also ran the Radisson SAS Hotel Champs Elysées , Paris . Earlier in her career , Seiler-Hayez was executive manager of the Hotel du Louvre , Paris , as well as a director of sales and marketing in New York City and Paris for Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and Concorde Hotels .
A graduate of the Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland , Seiler-Hayez ran the New York City marathon in 2017 .
STAROS WAS APPOINTED vice president and managing director of the Ritz-Carlton , Naples in October 1999 , and moved to Naples from The Ritz- Carlton headquarters . He joined the company in 1983 and held multiple positions at the company , becoming the brand ’ s vice president of worldwide operations in 1992 .
When The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co . was established in 1983 , Staros was one of the company ’ s six “ founding fathers ” and was instrumental in creating the now-legendary gold standards for The Ritz-Carlton , including its mission statement , credo and basics .
Staros , who was hired at Hyatt Corp . in 1972 , worked there until he joined The Ritz-Carlton .
Staros currently sits on two advisory boards at Florida Gulf Coast University : the Lutgert College of Business Advisory Board and the Resort & Hospitality Management Advisory Board . He is a founding sponsor of the Naples Winter Wine Festival .
April 2019 hotelsmag . com 15