HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY LEADERS LAUDED AT
UH HALL OF HONOR CEREMONY
Annual Induction Applauds Hilton Hotels, Gallo Winery and Outback
Steakhouses
HOUSTON, Sept. 15, 2006—Four giants of the hospitality industry
will be inducted into the Hospitality Hall of Honor at the University
of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
The annual event will take place at the Hilton-UH Hotel Grand Ballroom
on Wednesday, October 18, beginning at 6 p.m.
This year’s honorees are Eric Hilton of Hilton Hotels Corporation,
Ernest and Julio Gallo of the
E. & J. Gallo Winery and Chris T. Sullivan of Outback Steakhouse.
“The Board of Overseers is pleased to honor these industry
pioneers,” Thomas W. Lattin, professor and managing director
of the Hospitality Hall of Honor, said. “Their significant
contributions have truly shaped the scope of our industry.”
A reception will usher in the induction ceremony, which begins
promptly at 7 p.m. Dinner will be served at
7:45 p.m. The event is black tie optional. For ticket information
or to make accommodations for persons with disabilities, contact
Erin Oeser at 713.743.9482 or ekoeser@uh.edu.
The Hospitality Hall of Honor recognizes excellence in leadership
in the hospitality industry. The inductees’ achievements and
their business leadership are memorialized in permanent displays
in the college’s Hall of Honor, the Leaders Gallery and the
Hospitality Industry Archives. The college has been recognizing
industry leaders in this way since 1996.
This year, the Hall of Honor activities will focus on increasing
the interaction between the new inductees, other industry leaders
and students of the college. Hall of Honor Week will be marked by
two days of think tank sessions and receptions with Hall of Honor
members, the current inductees, students and faculty. In addition,
for the first time, a student board of directors will plan and manage
all Hall of Honor events.
“Our college is known for giving students a real world experience
of the hospitality industry,” Lattin said. “Assuming
full responsibility for Hall of Honor Week will certainly provide
them with a true taste of hospitality management.”
Eric Hilton was still in high school in El Paso when he embarked
on his career as a hotelier. His international strategic planning
and property development accomplishments are credited for the growth
and success of the Hilton
Hotels Corporation, where he served as senior vice president of
franchising, president of the Conrad Hotels and vice-chairman of
the Hilton Hotels Corporation. He retired from Hilton Hotels Corporation
in 1997 and now serves as a director of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The UH College of Hotel and Restaurant Management is named for Conrad
N. Hilton, Eric Hilton’s father.
The end of Prohibition marked the beginning of the era of Ernest
and Julio Gallo wine. The brothers borrowed $5,000, checked out
a library book on winemaking and opened a winery in an old railroad
shed. The result was one of the most successful and well-known names
in California wine. Julio Gallo passed away in 1993. If his health
permits, Ernest Gallo will be on hand to receive the honor.
Chris T. Sullivan is a founder of the Outback Steakhouse restaurant
companies. A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Sullivan began
his restaurant career in 1972. The first Outback Steakhouse opened
in 1988. Today, there are more than 800 Outback Steakhouses worldwide.
Outback also operates Carrabba’s Italian Grills, Fleming’s
Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Cheeseburger in Paradise and other
hospitality related businesses.
Previous Hall of Honor inductees have included Walt Disney, Barron
Hilton, Curtis Carlson, Sir Rocco Forte, Howard Johnson, J. W. Marriott,
and Colonel Harland Sanders.
For more information on the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel
and Restaurant Management or the Hall of Honor, visit www.hrm.uh.edu.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research
and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers
and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate,
civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university
in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and
service with more than 35,000 students.
For more information about UH visit the universitys Newsroom at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.
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