Industry loses luxury hotelier icon in Georg Rafael

Luxury hotelier extraordinaire Georg Rafael passed away in Monaco on November 21 at the age of 86.

The Berlin-born hotelier played a key role in the international luxury hotel industry between 1972 and the early 2000s, having started Regent International Hotels in 1972 with Bob Burns. He initially became regional director of Regent in the Pacific region, and in 1976 as executive vice president based in New York City he was responsible for all Regent hotels in the U.S. and Europe. During this time, the Regent Hong Kong was repeatedly voted the best hotel in the world and properties like the Regent Beverly Wilshire gained fame as a film set for the classics like ‘Pretty Woman.'

At the end of 1986, Rafael, who was joint managing director and one of Regent’s main shareholders, sold his shares and founded his own hotel group, Rafael Hotels Ltd. It soon included well-known hotels as the Rafael Hotel in Munich, the Breidenbacher Hof in Dusseldorf and The Mark in New York City. The Rafael Group also owned and manged the Hotel du Rhone in Geneva, the Turnberry Isle Resort in Florida and Hotel Scholss Fuschl in Salzburg, Austria.

Rafael and his partners sold the group to Mandarin Oriental in April 2000, but he remained with the company in an advisory capacity until mid-2002. He then founded Rafael Group S.A.M. based in Monaco, a holding company for investments and to support development of luxury hotels. In 2002, Orient Express Hotels appointed Rafael to its supervisory board and in 2010 he was also appointed deputy chairman of the company's management board.

After graduating the famed Hotel Management School in Lausanne, Switzerland, Rafael first worked in management positions in hotels around Europe, the U.S. and Latin America. He later gained experience in development with InterContinental Hotels in Germany.

Rafael won numerous prestigious industry awards and was involved in various social and community activities.

Once at an industry conference, Rafael said the key to success for him was to never lose sight of the importance of service. “The GM must behave as if he were the owner,” he explained, always putting the well-being of his guest and employees at the center.