Martin Nicholas Kunz
Fusion Publishing
Cool Hotels, Cool Restaurants, Luxury Hotels
Beach Hotels, Hotel Pools, Spa & Wellness Hotels, Affordable Hotels, Ecological Hotels, City Highlights, Fashion Hotels

Mark DeCarlo
Host of Taste of America on the
Travel Channel USA

Mary H Tabacchi Ph.D, R.D.
Cornell University School of Hospitality Management
Spa Management & Development
Biochemical Nutrition
Founding Member- International Spa Association
Author & International Speaker

Varun Sharma
Host of Inside Luxury Travel on the
Travel Channel International

Glen Peloso
Host on Restaurant Makeover on
the Food Network & HGTV Canada
Glen Peloso Interiors

Peter Templeton
Vice President of Education & Research
United States Green Building Council

Erica Duecy
Editor of Restaurants & Hotels
Fodor's Travel Guide Publications

Frank Bordoni
UK Leading Authority on Organic Food
Regular on UK Great Food Live
Guest Chef on BBC2's Saturday Kitchen
OK! Magazine's Resident Chef

Bruce Wallin
Editor
Robb Report, Luxury Magazine

Victor A.L. Gielisse
D.B.A., C.M.C., C.H.E.
Associate Vice President & Master Chef
The Culinary Institute of America

Heather Tierney
Founder, Sorted NYC
Former Restaurant Critic, Time Out New York

Richard E. Rivera, FMP
Chairman of the Board of Directors 2007-2008
National Restaurant Association

Alan Coxon
TV Celebrity Chef as seen & heard on
BBC2, BBC UKFood, BBC Radio,
SABC2, BBC Scotland

Tara de Lis
Editor of Restaurants & Hotels, Los Angeles
Citysearch

Richard Simpson
Director of Education
The Institute of Culinary Education
New York, NY.

Mari Florence
President and Publisher
Hungry? City Guides

Olivier Bajard
World Champion in Dessert Making
Professor, École Internationale de Pâtisserie
Meilleur Ouvrier de France Pâtissier
Manager French Team for World Pastry Championship

Natalie MacLean
Award-Winning Wine Author & Sommelier
Four-Time James Beard Foundation Winner
Five-Time Winner Bert Greene Award
Best Wine Literature Book Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

Robert Gilbert
President & CEO
HSMAI
Board of Directors, AH&LA

Jacquelyn Buchanan
COPIA's Julia Child Director of Culinary Programs

Tremayne Carew Pole
Founder & Managing Director
Hg2 Travel Guides, A Hedonist's Guide to...

Wim Dooge
President, Board of Directors
HOTELSCHOOL The Hague
International Institute for Hospitality Management

Justin Hartung
Restaurants Editor, New York
Citysearch

Adam Leemon
Wine Sommelier to the Stars
Host The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis
Contributor to Bon Appétit, The Tasting Panel Magazine
Founder of LA Wine Fest

Tara Mastrelli
Managing Editor
Hospitality Design Magazine

Carol Selva Rajah
TV Food Host inMalaysia & Singapore
Top Australian Consultant, Author, Educator
& Restaurant Critic

Mary Bentley
President
Women's Food Service Forum

Christopher Burgos
Culinary Chairman
Culinary Academy of New York

Glenn Austin
Australian Top Chef, Consultant & TV Personality
Continental Director, World Board of Chefs Pacific Rim
Australian Culinary Federation National President
Founder & Principal X-Treme Chef Consultant

Willy Legrand
Faculty
Hospitality Management and Marketing
International University of Applied Sciences
Bad Honnef, Germany
Member of the Leading Hotel Schools of the World

Lillian Africano
President
International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association

Julie Keller
Editor-In-Chief
American Spa

Eric Lanlard
Master Patissier to Stars & Royality
As seen on UKTV Food Channel, BBC and ITV
Two-Time Continental Patissier of the Year

Emanuel Douglas Donhauser
Academic Director
SHMS, Swiss Hotel Management School

Bill Gallagher
President
South African Chefs Association

Martin Charter
Director
Center for Sustainable Design
United Kingdom

Lizzie Loel
Top Australian Restaurant Critic, Chef & Lecturer
The Courier Mail

Peggy Miars
Executive Director
California Certified Organic Farmers

Rebecca Goldberg
Editor-in-Chief
Boutique Design

Matthew Stevens
Executive Editor, Director of Editorial & Development
Chocolatier, Pastry Art & Design

Nancy Nelson-Duac
Executive Editor & Founder
The Family Travel Files.com

Lori Raleigh
Executive Director
International Society of Hospitality Consultants

Noel McMeel
Master Chef, Northern Ireland
BBC Food Channel

Ronn Wiegand
Publisher, Restaurant Wine
Master of Wine & Master Sommelier, Consultant & Contributor
American Express, Walt Disney World, Visa International, Vogue, Wine Specator, Decanter, San Francisco Examiner, Nation's Restaurant News, Good Morning America, Newsweek, New York Times, Business Week

Janice Bissell, Ph.D
Chair
Environmental Design Research Association

Donna Yuen
Director of Marketing & Industry Relations
BC Association of Travel Writers

The Judging Process & HONOREE SELECTION

The IRHA Advisory Board collaborates with International Hospitality Awards, Inc. in the creation of category review guides for each subcategory. IRHA conducts research annually in each category field by searching the web, magazines, travel guides and ratings directories, speaking with experts, attending industry expos and events, and coordinating travel and dining excursions. All submissions are then prescreened using the guides without regard to any commercial affiliation between any members of the IRHA community including sponsors, media partners, founders or Board members. Decisions are based on each subcategory review guide, value, quality of experience and interest to travel and dining enthusiasts.

IRHA does not accept or trade money, advertising or promotional consideration, samples, travel or other barter consideration in the selection of IRHA recipients. Submissions that pass the prescreening process become official selections of the International Restaurant & Hotel Awards. From our judging panel of restaurant and hotel experts, we choose fifty different panelists each year to judge both the physical and online submissions.

Judges rate each submission from one to twenty (one being the lowest, twenty being the highest) using their professional backgrounds and the category review guides created by the IRHA Advisory Board. All participating hotels and restaurants are considered for citywide, countrywide and worldwide recognition. The scores are tallied and recipients are announced in each subcategory. The first, second and third place restaurants and hotels are the highest scoring submissions in each subcategory.

All countrywide recipients and subcategory first place hotels and restaurants will then be considered for the IRHA Grand Awards, which will be announced at the International Restaurant and Hotel Awards gala ceremony, as the following titles:

International Value Hotel of the Year
International Moderate Hotel of the Year
International Luxury Hotel of the Year
International Value Restaurant of the Year
International Moderate Restaurant of the Year
International Luxury Restaurant of the Year

The first place Best New Restaurants of the Year and Best New Hotels of the Year will receive IRHA statues at the gala ceremony, certificates of achievement and maximum exposure. Subcategory recipients will also receive exposure during the gala through the opening ceremony video and transition segments. Each year the IRHA Advisory Board selects four-five subcategories that will receive additional exposure at the gala ceremony.

*The Green Award, Best Spa & Most Organic/Sustainable recipients will be recognized at the gala!

IRHA Grand Award recipients receive the coveted title of International Hotel of the Year, two tickets to the International Restaurant & Hotel Awards gala on November 16th, 2008 in Beverly Hills, CA., IRHA statues, certificates of achievement and maximum exposure for a year on www.IRHAwards.com, at the Gala, in promotional marketing and in the IRHA Book.

*The IRHA Advisory Board members have no voting privledges and are unaware of subcategory judging assignments. Any judges that appear to have specific conflicts of interest will review category submissions that fall in a different rate category (Value, Moderate or Luxury) than any connected affiliations.

HONOREE SELECTION

The IRHA Advisory Board nominates industry leaders for the Irha Award Honoree titles of Lifetime Achievement, Visionary of the Year, Travel/Dining Publication of the Year, Designer of the Year & Humanitarian of the Year. No more than seven nominees per Irha Award title are then presented to the Advisory Board & Jury for a final vote. For more information on the Irha Award Honorees click Here.

IRHA is a division of International Hospitality Awards, Inc.