TRENDING
Jennifer Mitchell Photography
Nakul Anand ( l .) toasts with fellow Hotelier of the World winner Edward Staross
Nakul Anand of ITC Ltd ., Kolkata , India , and Ed Staros of The Ritz-Carlton Resorts of Naples , Florida , were honored in front of family and peers at the Baccarat Hotel New York on November 11 . Both were voted by the readers of HOTELS as winners of the 2019 Hotelier of the World awards .
Staros , in his acceptance speech , reflected on his upbringing and the influence of his father , who ran concessions on the beaches of Long Island . “ He provided so much joy to so many people ,” he recalled , adding how impressed he became by the spirit of hospitality .
“ On the first day of fourth grade our teacher gave us homework about what you want to be when you grow up ,” he told the crowd . “ I wrote about wanting to run a 5-star hotel and becoming an international hotelier . I always knew what I wanted to do .”
Anand spoke about how honored he was to accept the award on behalf of his entire team in India , reflecting on his career choice and how he has mentored ITC ’ s young leaders .
When he introduces himself , he said , “ the first thing I always say is that I am a hotelier .”
HOTELS FETES ITC ' S NAKUL ANAND AND RITZ-CARLTON ’ S EDWARD STAROS .
Jeff Weinstein ( l .), editor in chief of HOTELS , introduces Anand and Staros at the Baccarat Hotel New York .
HOTE LIER WORLD
OF THE
AWARD
CELEBRATION
By JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
12 hotelsmag . com January / February 2020