Atlanta, Georgia – June 29, 2017, The IHG Owners Association, which represents InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG) franchise hotel owners worldwide, recently awarded Mr. Bakulesh “Buggsi” Patel, President and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based BHG Hotels with its prestigious Kemmons Wilson Service Award. IHG Owners Association 2017 Chair Allen Fusco presented Buggsi with this esteemed honor during the IHG Americas Conference held in Las Vegas on June 19.
Created in honor of the late hospitality pioneer and Holiday Inn® founder, the Kemmons Wilson Award is bestowed upon an individual who has significantly contributed to the Association for the betterment of the entire IHG system. This honor is awarded to an Association member or an IHG executive who has exemplified Kemmons’ spirit and made a difference for IHG-brand owners. Buggsi is the 15th recipient of this esteemed award, preceded most recently by Gerhard Finster of ARCADIA Group Stuttgart who was honored at the IHG Europe Conference in March 2017.
“We are thrilled to recognize Buggsi with this prestigious accolade,” says Fusco. “Buggsi’s contributions and dedication to the Association aligns with the Kemmons Wilson Award criteria perfectly. Throughout Buggsi’s career he has operated hotels with high quality standards and displayed best practices in all areas of hotel operations – and his dedication to the Association is greatly appreciated.”
With a long and distinguished career in the hospitality industry, Buggsi served as 2014 Chair of the IHG Owners Association — the first Asian American to lead the Association. He continues to be actively involved and is currently the Chair of the Association’s Past Chairman’s Council. He has held leadership roles in other numerous lodging associations, most notably the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the Washington Lodging Association and the Oregon Lodging Association (OLA). He is CEO and President of Oregon-based BHG Hotels.
| The IHG Owners Association – originally established by Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson in 1955 – was the first association of its kind in the hotel industry. It currently represents the interests of 4,500 owners and operators of more than 3,400 InterContinental Hotels Group® (IHG) properties in the United States, Africa, the Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Mexico and the Middle East. Throughout the years, the Association has been a voice for its members and plays an integral role in communicating with IHG management on issues related to franchised hotel operations. The IHG family of brands includes InterContinental® Hotels & Resorts, Hualuxe™, Crowne Plaza® Hotels and Resorts, Hotel Indigo®, EVEN Hotels™, Holiday Inn® Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express®, Staybridge Suites® and Candlewood Suites®.For additional information, visit www.owners.org. |
