Charter Membership

Membership categories

1. The Association shall consist of such Members, in such categories, as the Executive may from time-to-time prescribe. The requirements for admission and continuation of Membership, and associated rights privileges and obligations, are advised according to the Membership category by the Executive.

2. The Membership categories are as follows:
   1.  Governor
   2.  Founding Member
   3.  Member
   4.  Mentor Member
   5.  Honorary Member
   6.  Fellow
   7.  Life Member
   8.  Affiliate Member

3. To apply, join and remain a Member of the Association, applicants shall agree to uphold these Articles. 

4. Applications for Membership are received via the Association’s website www.hotelgms.com and are approved by the Executive.

5. The Executive shall undertake whatever due diligence it deems necessary to satisfy itself that applications for Membership are legitimate and valid.

6. Acceptance of any Membership application is at the sole discretion of the Executive and no reason shall be given for non acceptance of an application. The decision of the Executive shall be final and no correspondence shall be entered into.

7. In the event of an application for Membership being declined, the Association shall make full and prompt reimbursement of the application fee and all actual related charges paid by the applicant.

8. The Association and its Executive shall be held indemnified and shall accept no liability whatsoever of any kind, whether actual or consequential, relating to an applicant’s failure to secure Membership.

9. The total global Membership and regional proportions thereof shall be as determined from time-to-time by the Executive.

Membership and application criteria

1. Governor

1. The Board of Governors is comprised of eminent luminaries from within the Hospitality Industry and are appointed at the sole discretion of the President, in consultation with the Executive.

2. Founding Member

1. The first 2,500 qualifying applicants for Membership to the Association shall enjoy recognition as “Founding Members” and shall benefit from a number of special privileges.

2. All privileges associated with Founding Membership shall continue in perpetuity and shall only cease in the event of termination or lapse of Membership for any reason.

3. In the event of lapse of Membership as a result of non-payment of due Membership fees, the lapsed Member shall lose all privileges associated with Founding Membership status and may re-apply for ordinary Membership and benefit from the associated privileges.

4. To join as a Founding Member applicants must have served as a Hotel General Manager, and:

• Have joined within the first 2,500 members
• Are currently serving as a Hotel General Manager
• Have previously been in service as a Hotel General Manager and now hold an Executive position in a hospitality management company or similar entity
• May now only qualify as a Retiree

3. Member

1. When the Founding Membership is fully subscribed, it will be closed to new applicants and all subsequent qualifying applicants will be accepted into appropriate member categories.

2. To join the Association as a Member, applicants must:

• Be currently serving as a Hotel General Manager
• Have previously been in service as a Hotel General Manager and now hold an Executive position in a hospitality management company or similar entity

4. Mentor Member

1. Mentor membership is open to those who are no longer in fulltime employment and do not intend to continue working or cannot continue their General Management career for reasons of age or disability.

2. The Executive has the discretion to approve applications for Retiree Membership from individuals currently in service as a Hotel General Manager and reaching retirement age.

3. In the event of retirement falling within their current membership term, Members can apply for Retiree Membership on the date of their annual membership renewal.

4. Mentor Members must have served a minimum of three years as a Hotel General Manager during their working career.

5. Mentor Members are eligible to apply to the Executive for Coach/Mentor accreditation.

5. Honorary Member

Honorary Membership is bestowed at the discretion of the President in consultation with the Executive.

1. All appointed Governors shall enjoy Honorary Membership.

2. Honorary Membership may be bestowed upon individuals who may be involved in other professions related to the Hospitality and Travel industries in recognition of their services to the Association.

3. Honorary Members are exempt from annual Membership subscriptions.

4. The terms of Honorary Membership shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Executive and the President.

5. The Membership, the Board of Governors and/or the Executive may nominate to the President any individual they consider deserving Honorary status. Honorary Membership is open to senior executives and directors of commercial organisations that provide advisory services and or resources and products to the Hotel industry.

6. Membership may also be bestowed at the discretion of the President in consultation with the Board of Governors in recognition of their service and advancement of the profession.

6. Fellow

1. The nomination of Fellows shall be made by the Board of Governors to the President and the award of which, shall be at the sole discretion of the President.

2. After a continuous period of five years as a Founding Member, an individual Founding Member will become eligible for elevation to “Fellow” of the Association.

3. After a continuous period of ten years as a Member, an individual Member will become eligible for elevation to “Fellow” of the Association.

4. Fellows shall enjoy special annual Membership subscription rates and privileges as determined from time-to-time by the Executive in consultation with the President.

7. Life Member

1. Life Membership is automatically bestowed on Winners of the Associations annual global and regional awards for recognition of their achievement and exceptional service to the Hotel General Management profession and Hospitality industry.

2. Life Membership may also be bestowed at the discretion of the President in consultation with the Board of Governors in recognition of their achievement and exceptional service to the Hotel General Management profession and Hospitality industry.

3. Life Members shall be exempt from all annual Membership subscriptions.

8. Affiliate Member

These members can be Corporate executives within the Industry, Media representatives, Industry consultants and in broad terms individuals or companies who provide products and services to the Industry.

Affiliate members are not eligible for Founding membership status.

Duties and Rights of Membership

1. All Members shall agree to abide by the Charter and any other Rules and Regulations of the Association as amended and/or appended by the Executive from time-to-time and published on the Association’s website.

2. Decisions by the Executive in all administrative and financial matters and issues remain at its absolute discretion and shall be final.

3. All Members agree to uphold the values of the Association and at all times act with honour and mutual respect in their dealings with the Association, their peers and fellow Members.

Resignation from Membership

1. Resignation of Membership should be lodged in writing to the Executive.
2. Refund of Membership fees paid are made at the sole discretion of the Executive and shall be proportional and reimbursed in a timely manner.
3. Resignations shall be handled by the Executive in a common business manner.

Involuntary Suspension or Termination of Membership

1. Any Member found in contravention to these Articles, or for any reason brings the Association or any of its Members into disrepute, either morally or materially, shall have their Membership suspended by the Executive and shall lose all associated rights.

2. In the event of conduct deemed unbecoming of the stated principles or expectations associated with the Association, the Executive shall retain the right to suspend the Member concerned and or withdraw Membership benefits for a term of its discretion.

3. In extreme cases, including and not limited to dishonourable conduct and in the event of any judgment in a Court of Law in respect to an illegal act, the Executive retains the right to revoke Membership of an individual without reimbursement of subscription and any other charges paid by the individual concerned.

Post Nominal Letters

All Members are entitled to include the following post-nominal letters after their names, according to their Membership status, on all correspondence, online profiles, biographic data and curriculum vitae etc:

• Governor                            GOV.IAHGM
• Founding Member               FM.IAHGM
• Member                               ME.IAHGM
• Honorary Member               HM.IAHGM
• Fellow                                   FE.IAHGM
• Life Member                         LM.IAHGM
• Affiliate Member                   AF.IAHGM
• Mentor Member                  MM.IAHGM

Membership Card

1. Each Member shall be issued a Membership card featuring their Name, Membership status and Number.

2. The Membership card is provided for identification purposes only. It is non-transferable and has no monetary value.

3. The card should be presented as requested when availing certain privileges and services facilitated by the Executive, its partners, co-members and other third-party collaborators.

4. Loss of the Membership card should be reported immediately to Membership Services and shall be replaced at the Member’s cost.

Protection of the Title

In the event of suspension, resignation or expulsion of a Member, the individual concerned must remove from their name and profile any reference to Membership of the Association and any title/s and/or post nominal letters bestowed by the Association, which is/are attributed to the Association. Continued use of any terms reserved by the Association is not permitted in any form without express written consent of the Executive.

Membership Fees

1. Membership fees are set by the Executive and and will be benchmarked against other industry based Member Associations, to ensure subscriptions are affordable to all who meet the Membership criteria.

2. Payment of Membership dues can be made by either Credit Card through the Associations online payment gateway, or by Bank Transfer.

3. Membership renewal reminders will be sent to each Member’s registered email address - the first 1 month, and the second 1 week - prior to date of renewal. In the event of non-renewal Membership will be deemed to have expired and all associated benefits and privileges will be terminated.

4. Confirmation of Membership renewal is sent by email to the Member’s registered email address.

5. Membership renewal fees for Retirees shall remain fixed in perpetuity.