Michael B Peceri, former vice chairman of South Seas Resorts Company in Florida and president of IH&RA in 1997, was appointed Chevalier of the Confrérie des Amis de l�Hôtellerie et de la Restauration Internationales, a prestigious IH&RA order which recognises outstanding achievement in the hospitality industry and service to the association.  Antonio Gomez, president of Argentinian hotel company Charcas SA, and former president of FEHGRA, the Federation of the Hospitality Industry of Argentina, was appointed Officier.

During his tenure as vice-president then president of IH&RA, Peceri was the driving force behind the expansion of services to the restaurant sector, a move designed to enhance the status of the food service industry within the organisation.  He was also instrumental in the creation of the IH&RA�s Worldwide Partners, a programme which recognises industry suppliers for their support of the association.

Michael Peceri�s career in the hotel industry began in 1972, when he was manager of the Song of the Sea Resort Motel, Sanibel Island, Florida.  This was to set the scene for a distinguished career at the head of a number of luxury hotels and resorts in Florida.  Prior to this he was a Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State, where his various postings took him to Vienna, Moscow, Cairo, Buenos Aires, Santa Domingo and Washington DC.

Former Chairman of the Board of the American Hotel & Motel Association, Peceri was elected Florida Hotelier of the Year in 1986 and received the Meritorious Honor Award from the Department of State, Washington, DC.

An active member of IH&RA, Antonio Gomez is regarded as one of the leading figures in the Argentinian tourism industry and has received numerous awards for his work.  In a career which began as a receptionist in his parents� hotel in Mar Del Plata, Gomez led the construction of a large number of properties in Argentina and Uruguay, managed several renowned hotels, and is an honorary president of the Inter-American Hotel Association.  He has been a prime mover in gaining true prominence for FEHGRA, in particular by devising an extensive training programme for all hotels and restaurants throughout the country.

"Both Michael and Antonio have helped shape the development of the IH&RA and the industry through their dedication, time and talent," said IH&RA CEO Michael Nowlis. " They are true hospitality professionals, and are entirely worthy of the honour bestowed on them."

Former appointees of the Confrérie des Amis de l�Hôtellerie et de la Restauration Internationales include Bryan Langton, former president & CEO of Holiday Inn Worldwide, Michael Hurst, former CEO of Hilton International, Ken Hine, former chairman and CEO of the American Hotel & Motel Association and until this year, CEO of the IH&RA, and John Cahill, former senior vice-president, information technology for Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts (BASS Hotels).

The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is a global network representing over 750,000 hospitality operators, associations and suppliers in more than 150 countries.  Its mission is to protect, promote and inform the hospitality industry, which it estimates to comprise over 300,000 hotels and 8 million restaurants world-wide, employ 60 million people and contribute US$950 billion to the global economy.