The requirements for the young hoteliers attending this event, are, that they don’t work within a management position and that they are younger than 25. This year’s event counted 14 motivated ‘young hoteliers’ who all had to answer this year’s theme-question:

“How should a green hotel look like, and how to bring it alive?”

Presenting their point of view, in English, took place in Imperial hotel on the 26th of February.

Thomas Eder, Barbara Eckmann (Winner) and Martin Fuehrer

In the jury, who had a long day judging all the presentations, director of Wien Tourismus Norbert Kettner, Manpower-manager Katharina Münchmeyer, Johnson Diversey director Martin Führer, hotel owner Michaela Reiterer, Hilton Vienna Plaza director Michael Reinhardt, Christophe Bergen from Cornell University and consultant for the hotel project Hotel im Palais Schwarzenberg and chairperson Thomas Eder of the GMC were represented.
Johnson Diversey is the main sponsor of the event, who also realised the first price which is a summer-course at the Cornell University in Brussel or nearby New York. Not only was the course sponsored, but the flight and accommodation as well.

Manpower organised two days of training in presentation skills for the young hoteliers. These training days took place in November, where the young hoteliers were trained and prepared in giving presentations.

On the 26th of February the event took place in Imperial hotel and already started at 08:00 hours in the morning, with the first candidate. On the next day, the 27th of February, the winner of this event was announced and a small after-party was organised. This took place in the Imperial hotel as well. The young hotelier, who answered the theme question the best and convinced the jury of her presentation skills, was Barbara Eckmann of Le Meridien. She won the summer-course at the renowned Cornell University, including the flight and accommodation worth of around € 4.000.

Second best was Caroline Winter of InterContinental Wien, who won a course at the Chamber of Commerce, worth of € 500. A difficult decision for the jury was the third place, on which two Young Hotelier Award candidates ended. Thorben Thiemann of the Radisson SAS Palais Hotel and Angelique Piquer representing Grand Hotel Wien and The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel.

So what exactly is a green hotel?

Green travel is based on travelers who consider the environment whilst they are traveling, and try to waste or disturb the environment as less as possible. A green hotel considers the environment and community as well, as in taking responsibility for the impacts of the hotel’s activities. Taking this responsibility can be done in many ways, for example with energy efficient lighting, installing solar panels to win alternative energy, offering the guests a linen program, making use of biological and regional products in the kitchen, using chemical free cleaning solutions or only treating your guests with natural spa products. These are not the only solutions, but some general examples, as there are hunderds of solutions to implement when taking responsibility.

Why are hotels taking the responsibility?

The main advantage for companies to take the responsibility is creating a win-win situation. When implementing ‘green’ solutions, the environment will benefit, but the company as well. Some of the main advantage for these companies could be; improving their financial position by decreasing costs, improvement of brand image, increase of guest loyalty and more satisfied and motivated employees. Besides the win-win situation which is created, more and more companies are forced into taking the responsibility, due to the increase of costs of resources, the overall opinion about the climate change, and governmental institutions and other organisations developing new rules and regulations for companies and hotels to follow, in consideration for our environment.

February, 2009 New York, NY – Today, Steele Travel announces the details of their Life Ball 2009 travel experience. Steele Travel has been selected as the exclusive North American tour operator in providing access to the Life Ball, Europe’s, and quite possibly, the world’s most extravagant HIV and AIDS benefit held annually in Vienna, Austria. Celebrating the beauty of life and the diversity of world cultures, Life Ball reinvents the great Viennese Ball tradition with glamorous, outlandish performances and inspirational speeches. It attracts huge interest in the media and is broadcast live on Austrian National TV prime time, with delayed airing in Germany. To date the Life Ball has raised over € 10.5 million. It is the only AIDS charity event to take place in a government building. In 2008, the event raised € 1.4 million in one single night.

Steele Travelers will be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience when joining the Life Ball Experience. On May 14, 2009, passengers meet at JFK’s international airport to board their private VIP chartered Austrian Airlines jet bound for Vienna. This plane has been reconfigured to offer each passenger extra space along with business class cuisine and service for all on board. The Life Ball party plane is exclusively reserved for celebrities and members of the press. However, Steele Travel has received a limited number of seats on this plane available for sale to the public.

Once in Vienna, Steele Travelers are welcomed via red carpet service and are whisked off to The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel (www.theringhotel.com) for two nights, the official hotel partner of Steele Luxury Travel for the Life Ball 2009. Over the course of the weekend, Vienna’s city hall is transformed into a themed setting of water, Life Ball’s theme for 2009. In the previous years each Life Ball presented itself thematically very different. This year though the team surrounding Gery Keszler, the creator of The Life Ball, decided to develop a concept valid for the next four years – “The four Elements of Life Ball:” – starting with the 17th Life Ball on May 16th, 2009 and concluding with the 20th edition, the jubilee ball in 2012. In the centre of the artistic implementation are the elements water, earth, air and fire. Powerful archaic symbols but still enormously progressive in their value. The audience can expect a vast number of opulent surprises – a grand part of the opening ceremony production of the coming Life Ball will happen on, by and in water. This way the show in front of Vienna’s City Hall strongly emphasises the elemental force of water and its central value for life itself. The opening’s grand finale is a glittering fashion show – so far Donatella Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier, John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Roberto Cavalli, Gianfranco Ferré, Missoni, Moschino, Agent Provocateur among others have presented their creations at the Life Ball.

The rare and hard-to-obtain Life Ball tickets are included with each package purchase. On Sunday, May 17, passengers will once again board the luxury Austrian Airlines jetliner headed back to New York. Steele Travel is offering this package at an all-inclusive price of €1,999 per person. A pre-departure orientation dinner will be held at New York’s famous Paris Commune restaurant one week before departure for all Life Ball participants.

Dane Steele Green, President and CEO of Steele Luxury Travel, says “We are extremely honored to have been offered the opportunity to work exclusively with The Life Ball. Not only is this an event of a lifetime to attend; participants are simultaneously supporting a great cause. We are thrilled to be able to bring the Life Ball closer to our US customers. Proceeds from this trip will partially go to The Life Ball to support their cause and efforts.”

The Life Ball is organized by AIDS LIFE, an independent non-profit organization, created with the objective to raise money to support people in areas of the world most affected by HIV and AIDS. In 2008, a record result of 1.4 million US-Dollars was raised. In 2007 an additional 1 million US-Dollars was generated at the Dinner Gala with Bill Clinton the night before Life Ball 2007. Half of the raised funds go to national relief projects and half go to international organizations in support of HIV/AIDS treatment, research and prevention.

Steele Luxury Travel is a new travel concept designed to offer an alternative to traditional vacationing. Steele Travelers experience the ultimate in first-class lodging, excursions, and exclusive event access. Steele’s gay friendly travel packages for 2009 include a sailing through Sardinia and Corsica aboard an 18-passenger 125-foot mega sail yacht, a visit to Istanbul and Bodrum in Turkey, the Mykonos Island Villa Escape where a compound made of up 3 villas becomes home to 21 Steele Travelers. Other destinations include a November trip to Buenos Aires and Punta del Este as well as a trip through South Africa over New Year’s 2010. Steele Luxury Travel will pamper you with amenities and services beyond first class. Live Your Indulgence.

For more information on the Life Ball or to make your reservation, visit www.SteeleTravel.com/lifeball.html or call 646-688-2274.

From www.womensworldawards.com:

“Austria´s capital is hosting the awards event for the first time.

After three immensely successful events in Hamburg, Leipzig and New York the City of Vienna will be the host of the fourth WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS which will be held for the first time on March 5, 2009 in Austria. The state-of-the-art Stadthalle F in Vienna will be the venue for the glittering gala. The after-show event will be held at the monumental Vienna City Hall, seat of the mayor and the municipal administration.

The WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS will be presented in 12 different categories to extraordinary women from throughout the world whose achievements contribute to furthering self-determination, gender equality, freedom and the elimination of all forms of social and economic discrimination.

NEW TV PROGRAM FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY.

Commencing in 2009 the WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS which have annually reached more than 500 million people worldwide via television, print, radio and the Internet will, for the first time, be presented as the official television program for International Women’s Day on March 8, which has been globally celebrated since 1918.

According to WORLD AWARDS Chairman Georg Kindel, “the WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS have the unique chance of reaching more people than ever before in order to present them the visions, values and ideals of those extraordinary women whose work and messages inspire millions.”

WOMEN’S WORLD CONGRESS IN VIENNA.

A WOMEN’S WORLD CONGRESS will be held in conjunction with the WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS on March 4 and 5, 2009 at the City Hall of Vienna, presided by Vienna’s Deputy Mayor Renate Brauner.

The congress intends on raising the public awareness of the particular problems women in various cultures face as well as point out the various possibilities of improving their position in the economic system and society as a whole. The central theme of the WOMEN’S WORLD CONGRESS underscores the fact that gender equality has still not been attained, even though over the course of the past decades many important advances and improvements have been achieved.

The WOMEN’S WORLD CONGRESS wants to raise the awareness of the particular problems women face and understands itself as a constantly growing resource supporting organizations, companies, universities, schools, political parties and associations in promoting and implementing gender equality at all levels. By launching an exchange-network for social, economic, political and cultural bodies, gender issues can be addressed more adequately and specifically.

At the congress renowned speakers from business, politics, science, women’s rights organizations, the arts and the media will reflect the pressing issues regarding women as well as their integration into the economic system, society in general and the responsibilities this entails.”

These are the extraordinary women who have made a difference and been honored at the WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS:

The WOMEN´S WORLD AWARDS WINNERS 2006/07

World Tolerance Award: HM Queen Noor of Jordan
Lifetime Achievement Award: Susan Sarandon
World Entertainment Award: Whoopi Goldberg
World Hope Award: Stella Deetjen
World Style Award: Claudia Schiffer

The WOMEN´S WORLD AWARDS WINNERS 2005

World Tolerance Award: Benazir Bhutto
Lifetime Achievement Award: Catherine Deneuve
World Style Award: Linda Evangelista
World Fashion Award: Donatella Versace
World Actress Award: Teri Hatcher

The WOMEN´S WORLD AWARDS WINNERS 2004

Lifetime Achievement Award: Bianca Jagger
World Social Award: Waris Dirie
World Actress Award: Diane Kruger
World Entertainment Award: Oprah Winfrey
World Tolerance Award: Iris Berben

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mikhael S. Gorbachev, the initiator of Perestroika and the architect of the New World order has been the President of the WORLD AWARDS since 2000 and of the WOMEN’S WORLD AWARDS since their inception in 2004.

Download Flyer (PDF, 250 kb)

The Ring Hotel, Vienna´s Casual Luxury Hotel, and the Grand Hotel Wien are partner of the WOMEN´S WORLD AWARDS.