From the archive
“Reto is a good friend, a wonderful hotelier, and Kurt’s achievements speak for themselves,” he begins. “Both grew their companies to new heights and remain among the most respected people in the industry. The difference between me and them, and a reason I feel privileged to have been here so long, is that I am not purely from the hotel field. As a finance MBA, it’s very rare to see someone really establish themselves, gain respect from general managers and hoteliers – guys like Reto, Kurt and [Jumeirah Group president and CEO] Gerald Lawless – despite not coming from their noble ranks. It’s a tribute to the brand and I’m humbled by that.”
That brand, much like the market within which it sits,
has seen extensive changes over the past 15 years. Upon Pérès joining Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts in 1999, the company had 39 properties in operation. Today, that number stands at 83 properties across 25 countries and more than 30 planned or under construction. These growth figures only tell part of the story, however. Significant brand repositioning has defined much of the Frenchman’s tenure, removing hotels from the system at the same time as pursuing significant global growth. “I inherited a mixed base of hotels and a real priority
was addressing the portfolio, creating a consistent, upscale, high-quality service leader,” he explains. “This meant letting go of 25 hotels because we could only have properties that held distinctive positions within their markets. A lot of our three-stars within the portfolio were performing well, but they could not meet those standards: our hotels have to be market leaders.
Simplicity itself Purifying one’s portfolio can be a painful experience and many operators have sidestepped the issue of property loss by diversifying their offerings. For Pérès, this was never an option, optimising the group meant simplifying the message.
“We started the process at a time when hotel
companies were creating lots of sub-brands and, without wanting to point any fingers, it can sometimes be quite difficult to spot the difference,” explains the CEO. “In order to get where I wanted us to go, it was essential we remained mono-brand. Perhaps one day we’ll acquire another management company and it’s something we’ll look at, but for now it’s important we continue as Mövenpick and focus on becoming ever clearer about what that means.” Upscale, but not luxury, is perhaps the simplest definition of this operating model, but Pérès draws on the philosophy of Ueli Prager, who founded the company in 1948, for a guiding principle. “He was always very clear,” the CEO begins. “We don’t do extraordinary things, but we do ordinary things in an extraordinary way.” It is a return to the company’s core values that Pérès
believes enabled Mövenpick not only to survive, but also to grow significantly in the immediate aftermath of the global financial crisis. “There are certainly elements of luxury service in a
number of our hotels, but we are not a luxury hotel company,” he says. “At a time when people were becoming much tighter on expenses, when traditional luxury customers were forced by corporate instruction to forego luxury hotels, we really benefitted through that guest segment gravitating to our hotels. It’s a trend that continues to this day.” It is all very, well, Swiss: an assurance of understated
quality, delivered quietly and without bullish self- aggrandising, or declarations of towering ambition. In the CEO’s eyes, this ‘Swiss-Made’ heritage helps to maintain the integrity of the group’s DNA and deliver appeal to owners and developers all over the world. “When I meet a potential development partner, it’s not about me making them an offer,” Pérès explains.
Right: Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Lakes Towers.
Previous page: Jean Gabriel Pérès, CEO, Mövenpick.
24 Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53
