From the archive
“I want to know what they expect from Mövenpick and from me. Those that we work best with tend to already have an affinity with Switzerland, understand where we come from and really get the brand. You can’t just turn up and tell stories and we shouldn’t have to work too hard explaining our merits.”
Putting a face to a name A commitment to face-time with stakeholders and colleagues at all levels is a theme Pérès returns to time and again. There are few hotel groups closing in on 100 properties where there exists only one level of seniority between CEO and GM.
Mövenpick now employs close to 20,000 people, but its chief executive is adamant that he remains personally involved in recruitment and talent management at almost all levels. With an internal general manager succession rate that exceeds 70% it’s an approach that’s clearly working, but one wonders how long it will remain feasible as the group grows in portfolio size and geographical footprint. “It’s not enough to be involved only with the executive committee and general managers; I need to know those who report to them, the leaders of tomorrow,” he explains. “I can’t interview 1,000 people a year, but anybody we feel has the potential to lead is somebody I need to spend time with. That can mean bringing people to Zurich, but it also involves a lot of travel on my part, meeting staff and making sure we have the talent on board. This isn’t an exact science, but it helps me feel responsible for all the decisions we make.”
Pérès is not the only long-serving member of the leadership team. A number of his colleagues first worked alongside their boss in his previous guise as a precocious managing director at Le Méridien and it is a degree of loyalty he clearly appreciates and strives to engender. The same applies to relationships with Mövenpick’s hotel partners. The group’s asset-light development drive under his watch has been driven in large part by a “cluster strategy”, moving into new regions and looking to open multiple properties in quick succession. It helps if one’s working with multiple asset-holders.
“Many have two or three properties,” Pérès acknowledges. “In fact, I’m in the process of signing a property in Dubai with an individual who holds a hotel with us elsewhere in the Gulf region. The cluster strategy has worked for us. It enables synergies, economies of scale and the development of strong, local leaders. You see that in Jordan and Egypt, for example, where we’ve trained local executives who have gone on to become GMs. It’s something to be very proud of.” This approach has seen the group develop a regionally balanced global footprint. Having opened its first Paris property at the end of 2012, the chief
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executive acknowledges that London remains an omission from the Mövenpick portfolio. He might even be willing to sink some of the group’s capital into a property if the right opportunity came along – “There are certain markets that are so exceptional, you sometimes have to go that extra mile to secure presence” – but asset-light growth will remain key. A major driver will be South East Asia, where the chief executive sees his group adding significantly to its eight hotels: “There is room for 25 to be developed in the next four to five years,” he claims.
More interesting options may lie elsewhere, however. “The end of the 20th century was defined by the rise of Asia, but what we’re seeing now is the emergence of Africa,” he says. “We have a presence in the north, but the real focus now is sub-Sahara. We already have a wonderful hotel in Accra and I’d like to see ten more of the same standard in the region, bringing us to 30–35 hotels in the continent overall.”
Even when conversation turns to Egypt, a market currently ridden with uncertainties and already home to a strong Mövenpick presence, Pérès sounds bullish. “I’m certain it will shine again within the next two years – it’s a matter of restoring confidence and trust,” he says. “Today, if I was proposed a very good hotel in downtown Cairo I would look at it without hesitation.” An ambition was to have 100 properties in operation worldwide by the end of 2015, but various unforeseen geopolitical and financial issues have seen a few projects fall behind schedule. The landmark figure has now been revised to “within the next two years”. Pérès insists that Mövenpick will continue to pursue expansion at the same pace – “if not faster” – but knows that growth can never be for its own sake. “Look at the number of opportunities that cross my desk on a daily basis and we could have 250–300 properties under development right now,” he claims. “But volume can compromise your brand, the quality of your properties and of one’s relationships with owners. Those things underpin our success and, after 140–150 properties, I wonder whether if it’s still possible to manage in this personal way and for the brand to create the required impact wherever we open a hotel.”
A century and beyond
The inevitable question is whether Pérès sees himself still being at the helm of the company when Mövenpick reaches that particular landmark. “I’d like to be here a little longer,” he replies with a wry chuckle. “I still feel young and, most importantly, excited by what we’re doing. I really don’t like looking back at the past, but what we have achieved does make me very proud. However, what makes me even prouder is what I see coming up in the future.” In an industry not famed for longevity, the chief executive sounds primed to outlast them all. ●
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