Pedro Mandoki

Pedro Mandoki, 77, of Gulf Shores, Alabama, passed away on February 1, 2019, after a short illness. Pedro was born in Budapest Hungary on December 8, 1941. After escaping the Nazi occupation, Pedro and his mother fled to Mexico, where he learned the hospitality business working with his mother and uncle in the hotel they owned in Cuernavaca, Mexico. At 16, he took over the management of the hotel upon his mother’s death. After receiving his degree in pre-med from the University of Morelos, Pedro married, had two children, and decided to move to the United States. In 1964, he arrived in New Orleans, Louisiana with his family, five suitcases, and $175. He got a job at the Royal Orleans hotel as a captain in the dining room and went on to management positions with the Royal Orleans Hotel, Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, and Callaway Gardens Resort in Pine Mountain, Georgia to name a few. In 1977, he became a citizen of the United States. In 1976, Pedro took over the management and created Miracle Mile Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida. He began managing Gulf Shores Plantation in Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1986, with his company that would become Plantation Resort Management. He became a Gulf Shores resident in 1988. Since that time, he has continued his management of Gulf Shores Plantation, operating as Mandoki Hospitality, Inc. since 2005. Serving on multiple boards and guest lecturing at various universities, Pedro was the recipient of the 2005 Thomas Carvel Immigrant Entrepreneur Award by the National Immigration Forum. Also in 2005, he was inaugurated as the Chairman of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Prior to that, he served as President of both the Florida and Alabama Hotel and Lodging Associations. Pedro was the founding chairman of the Alabama Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau. In 2010, he was awarded one of the top honors of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Lawson Odde Award. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alabama Tourism Department in August 2017. He was the third recipient of this award. In December 2018, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism. The same evening, an announcement was made that the boardroom would now be known as the Pedro & Nora Mandoki boardroom. Throughout his career, he was the recipient of countless awards in the hospitality industry and mentored many of its current leaders. Pedro is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Nora Durham Mandoki, as well as his four daughters, Margarita (Jim) McClain, Kati (Vincent) Arata, Marcia (Derek) Chapman, Jessica (Jeremy) Cook., and his grandchildren, Brantley, Bret, Virginia, Ben, Peter, Ava, Sera, Josie, and Julian. Memorial services will be held at Gulf Shores United Methodist Church, 1900 Gulf Shores Parkway, Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Thursday, February 7 at 1:00 PM, with a reception to follow at the church. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that gifts be made to the Pedro Mandoki Scholarship Fund in Hospitality Management at Auburn University. Checks can be mailed to the Auburn University Foundation, Attn: Office of Gifts and Records, 317 South College Street, Auburn, Alabama 36849.

Pedro Mandoki

December 8, 1941 - February 1, 2019

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Pedro Mandoki

December 8, 1941 - February 1, 2019

What We Do

Flowers & Gifts

Plan Ahead

About Us

Resources

Obituaries

Grief & Healing

Contact Information

Obituary Notification