Les Clefs D'Or
Les Clefs D'Or
History
Founded in France both nationally in 1929 and internationally in 1952, Les Clefs d’Or is an international association of hotel concierges. It is a not-for-profit association based on two pillars:
Service and Friendship.
About Blue About Blue
Keys
1800s - 1930s
The Early Years
1800-1900s
The Caretaker
Caretaker

The commonly used title, especially in France, was portier, or porter in English. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the concierge was, and still is, a title used for the caretaker in a building.

The hall porter or doorman became the focal point of guest relations and customer service at many luxury hotels. It was during this time that the role of the concierge was created in the various grand hotels of Paris and Western Europe. This was the first time a role had been specifically created to assist guests with their requirements in unfamiliar cities. The concierge quickly became a popular and essential service in luxury hotels.

1920s
Origins of present day Les Clefs d’Or

During the mid-1920s, there was a group of concierges from various hotels in Paris (including one from Algeria) who were trying to organise themselves with the guidance of Mr. Pierre Quentin from the Hotel Ambassador (Paris), which opened in 1928 and played host to a ceremony in honour of Charles Lindbergh’s cross-Atlantic journey in 1927. The following year, Paris welcomed other of today’s landmark hotels, such as Hotel Lancaster, The Prince de Galles and the George V.

On 26 October 1929, Mr. Quentin sent an invitation to 20 prominent concierges throughout Paris to dine at Restaurant Noël Peters in the hopes of strengthening the bond among them. The restaurant was located across the street from his hotel, in the Passage des Princes. With 11 in attendance, this dinner marks the first instance of professional hotel concierges meeting as a group.

Concierge

Within four weeks, the new association was ratified at the first-ever General Assembly, with more than 75 delegates present. Mr. Pierre Quentin was elected the first President of Les Clefs d’Or on 27 November 1929, a post he held for three years.

1930s
Origins of present day Les Clefs d’Or

Pierre Quentin’s presidency of Les Clefs d’Or was followed by François Dechaume, who was elected in 1932 and remained until the war. Mr. Dechaume was among the 11 who created the association. Sadly, there was no activity during the war as all the hotels, especially in Paris, were occupied by the Germans.

1936
Headquarters

12 rue Cambon in Paris became the headquarters of Les Clefs d’Or.

Keys
1940s - 1970
The Evolution and Expansion: Part IUNION EUROPÉENNE DES PORTIERS DES GRANDS HÔTELS - UEPGH
1946
After World War II

After World War II, Mr. Ferdinand Gillet, originally from Switzerland and the former Vice President to Mr. Dechaume, succeeded him as the new president of the association. Mr. Gillet started his concierge career in Paris as a Night Concierge at Hotel du Rhin in 1920.

The origins of present day Les Clefs d’Or as an international association have traditionally been credited to him, as during his presidency, Ferdinand Gillet travelled extensively throughout Europe to seek and find other hotel concierges.

1952
The First International Congress

After much communication and several smaller meetings (including the initial multi-national meeting that took place in 1951 in Sierres, Switzerland), the gathering of the first six member sections took place on the historic date of April 25, 1952, at The Carlton Hotel in Cannes. This event gave birth to the Union Européenne des Portiers des Grands Hôtels “Les Clefs d'Or,” the international network as we know it today, and it was the very first multinational Congress.

Representatives from the French organisation were joined by prominent concierges from Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain and Ireland. Belgium and Denmark were observing countries, and Spain was an invited guest.

After the congress, each country represented was encouraged to go back and form a formal organisation in their respective regions based on the French model. The members in Morocco, being a French protectorate at the time, although outside of mainland Europe were regarded as French members.

1952
Mr. Ferdinand Gillet

Mr. Ferdinand Gillet (France) became the president of the association.

1952
Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland

Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland became the first member sections.

1955
Austria

Austria joined the organization as member section.

1956
Sweden

Sweden joined the organization as member section.

1960
Ireland and the Netherlands

Ireland (originally with Great Britain) and Netherlands joined the organization as member sections.

1962
Norway and Spain

Norway and Spain joined the organization as member sections.

1964
Morocco

Morocco joined the organization as a member section.

1965
Greece

Greece (Hellas) joined the organization as a member section.

1967
Expansion of UIPGH Les Clefs d'Or

In 1967 the 15th International Congress was held in Athens. At this time Les Clefs d'Or membership had expanded to 2000 members and the association had grown to 16 countries (member sections).

1968
Mr. Théodor Godde

Mr Théodor Godde (Germany) became the president of the association.

1969
Mr. Oskar Wirth

Mr. Oskar Wirth (Switzerland) became the interim president of the association after the passing of Mr. Godde.

Keys
1970 - 1998
The Evolution and Expansion: Part IIUNION INTERNATIONALE DES PORTIERS DES GRANDS HÔTELS - UIPGH
1970
Les Clefs d'Or Expands Outside of Europe

In 1970 in St. Moritz, with the addition of Israel, UEPGH Les Clefs d’Or (Union Européenne des Portiers des Grands Hôtels "Les Clefs d'Or") changed its name to UIPGH Les Clefs d’Or (Union Internationale des Portiers des Grands Hôtels "Les Clefs d'Or") to accommodate the organisation to reflect its growth and presence outside of Europe.

1970
Mr. Oskar Wirth

Mr. Oskar Wirth (Switzerland) became the president of the association.

1972
Mr. Robert Burdeyron

Mr. Robert Burdeyron (Great Britain) became the president of the association.

1972
Portugal

Portugal joined the organization as a member section.

1974
Mr. Alfredo Molero

Mr. Alfredo Molero (Spain) became the president of the association.

1976
Mr. Jean Gillet

Mr. Jean Gillet (France) became the president of the association.

1976
Canada

Canada joined the organization as a member section.

1976
Les Clefs d'Or Expands to the Americas

Canada's became the 18th member section and the first country to bring UIPGH Les Clefs d'Or to the Americas.

1978
Mr. Spartaco Giarola

Mr. Spartaco Giarola (Italy) became the president of the association.

1978
Ms. Holly Stiel

Ms. Holly Stiel from San Francisco was admitted as the first female member concierge.

1978
United States of America

The United States of America joined the organization as a member section.

1980
Finland

Finland joined the organization as a member section.

1981
Australia

Australia joined the organization as a member section.

1981
Les Clefs d'Or Begins Planning for an Expansion into Asia

Australia's acceptance heralded a new era paving the way for Asia to join the UIPGH Les Clefs d'Or family.

1982
Mr. Adolf Schneider

Mr. Adolph Schneider (Austria) became the president of the organisation.

1982
Hong Kong

Hong Kong joined the association as a member section.

1982
Les Clefs d'Or Expands into Asia

Hong Kong becomes the first member section from Asia to join UIPGH Les Clefs d'Or.

1985
Mr. Jose-Maria Bautista

Mr. Jose-Maria Bautista (Spain) became the president of the association.

1985
Hungary

Hungary was accepted as a member section, bringing the total number of sections to 23.

1986
Mr. Albert Ostertag

Mr. Albert Ostertag (Switzerland) became the president of the association.

1986
Singapore

Singapore was accepted as a member section.

1988
Mr. André Damonté

Mr. André Damonté (Great Britain) became the president of the association.

1988
Luxembourg

Luxembourg was accepted as a member section.

1988
The Paris Office

Under the leadership of French President Pierre Porte, 12 rue Cambon is purchased outright on July 17.

1990
Romania

Romania was accepted as a member section.

1991
Mr. Walter Freytag

Mr. Walter Freytag (Germany) became the president of the association.

1991
Czech Republic

Czech Republic was accepted as a member section.

1992
Brazil

Brazil became the first South American member country.

1993
Mr. Adolfo Lodigiani

Mr. Adolfo Lodigiani (Italy) became the president of the association.

1993
Philippines

Philippines was accepted as a member section.

1994
New Zealand

New Zealand was accepted as a member section.

1995
Mr. Tony Facciolo

Mr. Tony Facciolo OAM (Australia) became the president of the association.

1996
Mexico and China

Mexico and China were both accepted as a member sections bringing the total number of sections to 30.

1997
Mr. Andras Gunst

Mr. Andras Gunst from Hungary became the president of the association.

1997
Japan and Malaysia

Japan and Malaysia were both accepted as a member sections.

Keys
1998 - Present
The Evolution and Expansion: Part IIIUNION INTERNATIONALE DES CONCIERGES D'HÔTELS - UICH
1998
UICH

In 1998, the association officially became UICH (Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels "Les Clefs d'Or") to emphasise the word concierge and to further reinforce that Les Clefs d'Or is an association of hotel concierges.

1999
Mrs. Marjorie Silverman

A newly restructured UICH welcomed its first female president, Mrs. Marjorie Silverman from the USA section. Mrs. Silverman rewrote the statutes and gave birth to the famous Article IV.

2001
Mr. Aldo Giacomello

Mr. Aldo Giacomello (Switzerland) became the president of the association.

2001
Russia

The international expansion of the association continued with Russia.

2003
Mr. Jean-Claude Elgaire

Mr. Jean-Claude Elgaire (France) became the president of the association.

2003
Taiwan and Turkey

Turkey and Chinese Taipei joined as member sections.

2005
Mr. Denis T. C. O’Brien

Mr. Denis O’Brien (Ireland) became the president of the association.

2005
Thailand

Thailand joined as member section.

2006
South Korea

South Korea joined as member section.

2007
Mr. Roger Bastoni

Mr. Roger Bastoni (France) became the president of the association.

2008
Argentina

Argentina became the next member section from South America.

2008
Les Clefs d'Or Award Launches

The Les Clefs d’Or® Award was first established at the 55th Les Clefs d’Or International Congress in Denmark, 2008 and aims to recognise and encourage young members to become active participants in our global network.

It was named for a few years as the “Andy Pongco Award” to honour the memory Andy Pongco, and was then each year dedicated to iconic figures that have been great contributors in the history of our association; Ms Marjorie Silverman, Mr Andre Damonte, Mr Pierre Quentin and Mr Tony Facciolo.

The award is managed by the Les Clefs d'Or Award Committee which comprises five members including one member of the Executive Committee, one member of the Conseil des Sages and the winner of the previous year's competition. Two other committee members are also nominated to complete the committee.

2009
Mr. Robert Watson

Mr. Robert Watson (United States of America) became the president of the association.

2010
United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates joined as member section.

2011
Mrs. Virginia Casale

Mrs. Virginia Casale (Canada) became the second female president of the association.

2011
India

India joined as member section and becomes the 40th section of Les Clefs d'Or.

2012
Poland

Poland joined as member section.

2013
Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos

Mr. Emmanuel Vrettos (Hellas) became the president of the association.

2014
Qatar and Macau

Qatar and Macau joined as member sections.

2015
Mr. Colin Toomey

Mr. Colin Toomey (Australia) became the president of the association.

2015
The Creation of Working Committees

With the expansion of Les Clefs d'Or several working committees begin to be formed in order to meet the needs of a growing association.

2017
4000 Members

Les Clefs d'Or membership reaches the 4,000 mark globally with members reaching in over 80 countries and 536 destinations reaching six continents around the globe.

2017
Mr. Simon Thomas

Mr. Simon Thomas (Great Britain) became the president of the association.

2018
Indonesia

Indonesia joined as member section.

2019
Mr. Roderick Levejac
Roderick Levejac - UICH Les Clefs d'Or

Mr. Roderick Levejac (France) became the president of the association.

2021
Mr. Anders Ølsted Jensen

Mr. Anders Ølsted Jensen (Denmark) became the president of the association. For the first time in the association's history, the elections and the General Assembly was held virtually due to the CoronaVirus Pandemic.

2023
Mr. Randy V. Santos

Mr. Randy Santos (Qatar) became the president of the association.

International Congress Host Cities

1952
Cannes
1953
San Remo
1954
Munich
1955
Marrakech/Paris
1956
Montreux
1957
Dublin
1958
Brussels/Berlin
1959
London/Lourdes
1960
Amsterdam
1961
Vienna
1962
Copenhagen
1963
Nice
1964
Tangier/Casablanca
1965
Madrid
1966
Geneva
1967
Athens
1968
Brussels
1969
(annulled)
1970
St. Moritz
1971
Dublin
1972
Palma de Majorca
1973
Munich
1974
Tel Aviv
1975
London
1976
Lisbon
1977
Copenhagen
1978
Vienna
1979
Rome
1980
Monte Carlo
1981
Dublin
1982
Barcelona
1983
Funchal/Madeira
1984
Munich
1985
Sorrento
1986
Tel Aviv
1987
Washington, DC
1988
Budapest
1989
Paris
1990
Gothenburg
1991
Costa del Sol
1992
Tangier/Marrakesh
1993
Singapore
1994
Sydney
1995
Jerusalem
1996
Rome
1997
Budapest
1999
Prague
2000
Guangzhou
2001
Brussels
2002
Athens
2003
Biarritz
2004
Tangier/Fes
2005
Manila
2006
Washington, DC
2007
Vienna
2008
Copenhagen
2009
Hangzhou
2010
Lisbon
2011
Toronto
2012
London
2013
Queenstown
2014
Kuala Lumpur
2015
Mendoza
2016
Dubai
2017
Berlin
2018
Seoul
2019
Cannes
2020
New Delhi (cancelled)
2023
Istanbul
2024
Bali
2025
Madrid
2026
Sydney