NEW YORK— The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd., the luxury marketing organization representing 400 hotels worldwide, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. The company was established in 1928 by a group of European hoteliers. With 38 initial members, among them Hotel Negresco in Nice and King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the organization was originally known as “The Luxury Hotels of Europe and Egypt”. Recognizing the importance of establishing direct contact with the traveling public and travel agencies in the North American market, the founders opened an office in New York, calling this satellite operation Hotel Representative Inc. (HRI). By the end of the 1960s, HRI had grown to represent 70 hotels, all of which were in Europe. Early in 1971, the board of directors and management of The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd. decided to expand the scope of the organization to include new members from around the globe, to meet the demands of the increased numbers of international luxury travelers. Hotel membership continued to grow through the next two decades, and with it, the need for the establishment of regional offices. By the end of the 1980s, there were 235 Leading Hotels of the World, serviced through offices in United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Capitalizing on the strength of the Leading brand, the company introduced its first brand extension – The Leading Small Hotels of the World – in 1999. It subsequently established six joint venture companies: Leading Group Sales, Leading Quality Assurance, Leading Financial Services, Leading Interactive Reservations, Leading Career Services and Leading Hotel Schools of the World. In 2000, the company also took the initiative to create the Luxury Alliance, a strategic marketing coalition comprised of a select collection of purveyors of the world’s finest travel products.
