What makes a successful managing director?
A successful managing director’s role in the service industry is to create and maintain
customer-driven operations with a vision that inspires hotel associates to do their best.
Overseeing the quality process to ensure guest satisfaction by consistent delivery of both
product and service quality to achieve the hotel’s financial objectives is key.He must have besides his business acumen, a thorough understanding and the experience required in all phases of hotel management, including development, sales and marketing, human resources, distribution, operation and budget/forecast management.
What are your priorities and ambitions?
My priority is to constantly innovate, create profitability through implementation of effective and efficient processes while continuing to develop people and respecting the physical evidence of each Accor Hospitality brand to be developed in the Middle East.
Accor Hospitality is expanding its management spread into upscale hotels with the recent introduction of the Pullman Hotels & Resorts in the region and the elevation of Sofitel in the luxury segment. We aim to increase Accor’s scale consistently and internationally through cost-effective hotel management, enhancing our relationships with our partners and perseverance during these critical times. Accor will continue to be a world-class international hotel brand managed by professionals. This comes from more than 40 years of experience acquired by the group in managing hotels.
This strategy forms our profitability quotient. Horizontally, by expanding chain hotel properties, consistently and comprehensively addressing both short and long-term investment factors, maximising Accor’s brand name recognition, sharing resources between hotel management and owners, diminishing investment risk factors/projections, enlarging properties and increasing competitiveness.
Vertically, we strengthen and coordinate partnerships with other stakeholders such as international travel agencies, airline companies, creating enhanced opportunities for increasing revenue and rapidly developing a firm foundation for all chain hotels under the Accor brand.
Who has been your inspiration in the industry?
The inspiration did not come from one person in particular but from the various leaders I have been working for and learning from throughout my career.
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Have you any innovative management methods you use to inspire your team?
To maintain our hotel’s vigorous growth, we infuse honesty and a sense of purpose into every Accor employee. We place innovation as a priority throughout our entire hotel philosophy and culture. There are no real innovative methods but instead few key words driven by personal and corporate values, which hopefully are identical:
Focus: It is of paramount importance to choose the right priorities and stick to them.
Execution: In any well formulated plan, implementation is a critical point for success,
which should not be underestimated. Therefore, I am not expecting things to happen just
like that, so I go and ensure that things are really happening and on track.
Personal involvement : Leadership with passion is key for motivation as well as walking the talk