Georg R Rafael will receive the 'International Hotelier Global Citizen' award at 2008 International Hotel Conference in Rome. 

Followed by the conference making a €5,000 grant to Medecins Sans Frontiers in Rafael's Name.

Georg R. Rafael, managing director of Rafael Group S.A.M., has been named the 2008 recipient of the "International Hotelier Global Citizen" award.  Rafael will be honored at the sixth annual International Hotel Conference, which will be held October 15-17 at the Cavaleri Hilton in Rome, Italy.  The award is presented to an hotelier who has made a major impact on both the hospitality industry and humanitarian causes.    

A grant of €5,000 will be donated to Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), one of a number of charities actively supported by Rafael.  MSF received the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of its members' continuous efforts to provide medical care in acute crises, as well as raising international awareness of potential humanitarian disasters.

The International Hotel Conference is the premier annual gathering of senior level hospitality executives, including owners, operators, brands, leading institutions, bankers, architects/designers, attorneys, brokers and other members of the hotel and related communities.

"Georg has created some of the most memorable hotels in the world in his career and through his charitable efforts has helped make the world a more hospitable place in which to live," said Mary Lou Koys and Morris E. Lasky, conference co-chairpersons.  "His vision to cross borders to build relationships and help people in need is exemplified by Medecins Sans Frontiers, which provides desperately needed medical care in more than 70 countries."

A native of Berlin, Germany, Rafael is a graduate of the Lausanne Hotel Management School.  His career includes senior management positions in Europe, the United States and Latin America. 

He is a former Executive Vice President of Regent International Hotels, rising to managing director and a major shareholder of the company. 

In 1986, he sold his interest in Regent and founded Rafael Hotels Limited, a collection of five-star luxury boutique hotels, which he subsequently sold to Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in 2000. 

In 2002, he established Monaco-based Rafael Group S.A.M. to act as a senior advisor to internationally renowned hotel companies in acquisitions, development and repositioning of deluxe hotels.   He also is owner of Rafael Vineyards in Napa Valley, California, which produces estate-bottled cabernet sauvignon.

Among other contributions to society, Rafael is actively involved in the Mougins School, the only English school outside of Paris.  He became involved in 1992 when the school was struggling with approximately 150 students.  Through his efforts, along with other key volunteers, the campus, located in the south of France, has been greatly expanded with an enrollment approaching nearly 500 students currently from more than 30 countries. 

"The Global Citizen award recognizes both savvy business practices and humanitarianism, which are the foundations of hospitality," Koys noted.  "We received a substantial number of nominations and votes from the universe of senior global hospitality executives, but Georg clearly has set the bar at a lofty height for others to follow".

Additional information about the event, registration, sponsorships and related activities can be found at the event's Web site, www.IHConference.com, or by contacting the conference organizer, Morris Lasky at mlasky@aol.com.