Corinthia Hotels hosted its second annual travel industry gala reception at the Rockefeller Centre’s Top of the Rock’s Rooftop Garden, on 20 September, in New York City, New York.

More than 300 meeting, conference, incentive and event planners, travel agents, tour operators and media attended the first Corinthia Hotels event to take place since the announcement in August 2006 that Corinthia Hotels is to be associated with the Wyndham Hotel Group.

Special guests at the event were Malta’s Foreign Minister Michael Frendo, Ambassador to the United States HE John Lowell and Permanent Secretary to the United Nations HE Victor Camilleri and Mrs Camilleri.

Geoff Andrew, group director, sales and marketing, Corinthia Hotels, said that the event, which focused on its seven five-star, city-centre, conference centre properties, is part of the repositioning of Corinthia Hotels in the luxury brand segment. These five-star properties, formerly known as Corinthia’s Premier Collection and located in some of the hottest destinations, include Corinthia Lisboa Hotel, Lisbon, Portugal; Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, Budapest,Hungary; Corinthia Towers Hotel, Prague, Czech Republic; Corinthia Nevskij Palace, St Petersburg, Russia; Corinthia San Gorg Hotel and Corinthia Palace Hotel, Malta; and Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel, Tripoli, Libya.

Ann Tillman, vice president of sales and marketing, Corinthia Hotels in the United States, co-hosted the event together with the general managers from the Corinthia Towers Hotel, Christian Grage; the Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal, Adrian Ellis; Corinthia Nevskij Palace Hotel, Gerold Held; and the Corinthia Lisboa Hotel, Jose Luiz Moreira.

Other Corinthia representatives included Shawn Pisani, director of Events@Corinthia; Bernard Jaccarini, director of sales and marketing, Corinthia Lisboa Hotel; Miroslav Forejtek, director of sales and marketing, Prague, and Tamas Fazekas, director of sales and marketing, Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal.