DUBAI — A new international organization for GMs dubbed The Honourable Order of International Hotel General Managers (HOIHGM) has officially launched from its regional headquarters in Dubai.
The organization is designed to raise the profile of hotel GMs, while providing a range of professional and personal membership benefits, such as portable healthcare and insurance options. Membership is open to all hotel GMs, former GMs, owner/operators, as well as retirees and aspiring young professionals on the career path to becoming a GM.
The organization was founded by Leon Larkin, an Australian national with more than 40 years of experience as a GM in some of the world’s leading hotels in Europe, Asia and Australia. “During my career I came to realize that there was something significant missing for GMs on a collective scale, in some ways similar to what the concierges have with Les Clefs d’Or,” explains Larkin. “Before now, GMs have had nowhere to go for independent assistance or support, both in general and particularly in times of need. HOIHGM will provide a thread of continuity and range of benefits, which reflect the challenges our colleagues face throughout their careers and beyond — the number-1 incentive being an elective portable healthcare insurance plan for themselves and their families.”
Following the launch, the first phase of applicants will be made founding members and granted special privileges including additional voting rights, fixed membership fees for three years as well as access to exclusive discounts and events. HOIHGM will also host its debut World Congress in Dubai this fall.
