Paul
M. McManus has been instrumental in transforming
The Leading Hotels of the World from the typical
hotel-representation model into a prestigious
luxury marketing organization representing more
than 420 of the finest five-star hotels, resorts
and spas worldwide. Under his direction, the
company has launched several new joint-venture
companies as well, including Leading Group Sales,
Leading Quality Assurance, Leading Financial
Services, Leading Interactive Reservations and
The Leading Hotel Schools of the World.
McManus joined
The Leading Hotels of the World in 1992 as VP
of marketing. In 1993 he became executive VP,
assuming a number of duties of the president’s
office while continuing his responsibility for
the company’s worldwide marketing efforts.
A former president
and managing partner of Reservation Systems,
Inc., with 150 hotel accounts, McManus has held
sales and marketing positions with Regent International
Hotels, Rock Resorts and Princess Hotels International,
and on-property positions at The St. Regis and
The Waldorf-Astoria as well.
A noted industry
speaker and luxury travel authority, McManus
has been profiled in numerous publications.
He received the Marketing Innovation Award from
the German Tourism Industry Association, at
the ITB in Berlin, for the development of the
“Luxury Alliance” with Relais &
Châteaux.
McManus at the Palace Hotel in
New York City.
BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB The ability to
touch so many wonderful hotels in different places.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Diversification. The 76-year-old organization was involved
primarily in the hotel-reservation processing business.
Our business plan has changed that single focus, and we
are just completing our tenth joint venture.
LATEST INITIATIVES
Central to this organization is the benchmarking of the
luxury standard for hotels and, now, for other products.
We found a young company based in the U.K that shared our
concerns and created an inspection program with them that
today inspects the 420 Leading Hotels; but we do 600 others.
We also expanded into cruise lines and will be doing an
airline. Recently a high-end retail brand inquired if we
could create a mystery-shopper program. The service is basic
and comes from the hotel-and-hospitality business, but it
is expandable to anything luxury. We have done ten similar
ventures in the past five years.
One of our newest ventures,
the Leading Spas concept, also is based on creating a standard.
The spa industry has had tremendous growth – with
no standard. We created a panel of experts and came up with
200 standards. We’ve looked at 150 spas as potential
members and have taken 46.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION
We’ve identified about 50 destinations where we’d
like to have product, including new emerging destinations
in Asia and Eastern Europe, some in Latin America and some
in the U.S.
GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR HOTEL AND
CONDO INTEGRATION We are entering into condo
conversion with our Leading Residences of the World; our
partner is Cendant Corporation. Our residences will be a
combination of hotels and homes. In some cases we will build
units on the property – in Europe many hotels have
60 or 80 rooms and are on 25 acres of manicured gardens.
In other cases we will take inventory from the hotel and
convert it for our club use. In places where the product
isn’t mature enough we might buy homes initially,
adding inventory as the market matures. We will probably
start with about 20 units in the club and expand to 40 by
the end of the year.
FAVORITE BUSINESS HOTEL
Peninsula Hong Kong.
FAVORITE LEISURE HOTEL
Brenner’s Park Hotel, Baden-Baden, Germany.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Four Seasons, New York.
FAVORITE AIRLINES
Lufthansa, Continental, Emirates, Qatar and Singapore.
IDEAL VACATION
Going to my house in Chester, CT, and to Nantucket and Martha’s
Vineyard.
The Cafe des Architectes at Sofitel Chicago Water
Tower.
Agnès
Bourguignon began her career as a consultant for Coopers
& Lybrand, then became an executive at Euromarché
Supermarkets. In 1991, she joined the Vivendi Group
as senior VP in charge of hotel subsidiaries, until
an acquisition by Accor in 1999. She was also president
of Ledoyen restaurant in Paris from 1992 to 2000,
and managed CNIT La Défense and the Alior network
(seven convention centers throughout France) from
1997 to 1999.
In 2000, Bourguignon
joined Accor as senior VP of marketing, and became
CEO of Sofitel France in 2003. In addition, in 2005,
she took charge of coordinating the Sofitel Europe-Middle
East-Africa operations and Sofitel International Marketing.
BEST
THING ABOUT THE JOB
Repositioning a hotel brand in order to become a key player
in the international hospitality market.
WHAT
DISTINGUISHES THE COMPANY For
Accor, a Sofitel hotel must always find its roots in history
and fit seamlessly within a region, a city or a neighborhood.
Each Sofitel hotel has its own personality and inherent
uniqueness – but the hotels all share one common goal:
to embody a “French spirit,” which is reflected
in the décor, the reception and the service. The
Sofitel hotels throughout the world are the ambassadors
of the “art de vivre à la Française,”
the French art of living.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
To create and develop Sofitel brand
recognition and fidelity in the international-business-traveler
clientele.
LATEST INITIATIVES The
new Zam Zam Sofitel Grand Suites will open in 2006. These
1,240 suites are part of the prestigious Al Beit Towers
complex, which is being built on 91,000 square meters of
land owned by the King Abdulaziz Foundation. Located 100
meters from the Ka’aba, the 34-story complex enjoys
a direct, panoramic view of the Haram courts. The hotel
complex will include a convention center, a shopping mall
and a floor of restaurants that can seat up to 5,000. Most
of the suites — more than 1,000 — will be marketed
on a time-share basis. Accor will manage all of the establishment’s
hotel services. The hotel will have capacity for 6,000 customers
and employ 1,500 people.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION
To set up some new addresses in the
best locations – in international business cities
and resort destinations where Sofitel isn’t yet present.
There are currently 190 hotels in 52 countries.
LUXURY HOTEL ESSENTIALS
Service, service, service.
FAVORITE BUSINESS HOTEL
Sofitel St. James, London.
FAVORITE LEISURE HOTEL
Sofitel Métropole Hanoï.
FAVORITE AIRPORT AMENITY
A great VIP lounge where you can relax or work.
FAVORITE AIRLINE
Air France.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée,
Paris; Le Beaulieu at Sofitel Métropole Hanoi; Les
Pêcheurs in Antibes.
Sir
Rocco Forte, MA, FCA, founded Rocco Forte Hotels
in 1996. The company is creating a collection
of hotels within Europe, including the Hotel de
Russie in Rome, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, Hotel
Astoria in St. Petersburg, The St. David’s
Hotel & Spa in Cardiff Bay, Hotel Amigo in
Brussels, Hotel Savoy in Florence, The Lowry Hotel
in Manchester, Le Richemond in Geneva and Brown’s
Hotel in London. The company has won awards for
both its service and the design of its hotels.
Forte was formerly
chairman and chief executive of Forte Plc –
founded by his father, Lord (Charles) Forte, in
1934 – responsible for more than 800 hotels,
1,000 restaurants and almost 100,000 employees
in 50 countries. As chairman, Sir Rocco transformed
Forte from a U.K. operation to an international
hotel player based on the Meridien chain and a
collection of luxury hotels, including the George
V in Paris, the Ritz in Madrid and the Plaza Athénée
in New York. Forte Plc was sold in 1996 and has
since been broken up.
Sir Rocco was knighted
in December 1994 for services to the U.K. Tourism
Industry and received the highest Italian accolade,
the Gran Croce dell’Ordine al Merito della
Republicca Italiana, in March 2005. He is currently
principal patron of the charity Hospitality Action.
The roof terrace of the Blaton Suite at the Hotel Amigo
in Brussels.
Sir Rocco on the balcony of Le Richemond in Geneva.
HOW
I GOT INTO THE HOTEL BUSINESS My father got
me involved and I really liked it. Before I joined the company
properly, I’d spent half my holidays from the age of
14 in some part of the business. After university, I became
a chartered accountant, did basic management training, worked
in development and was P.A. to my father. Eventually I became
personnel director, then chief executive and chairman.
BEST
THING ABOUT THE JOB
With a smaller group of hotels, I am much more hands-on and
can influence what is happening and what affects our customers.
On the development side, I visit the potential acquisitions
or sites. I get involved in the financing and planning, how
the hotels are organized, the room configuration. On the operations
side, I’m involved throughout, which makes my job very
broad based and fascinating.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE COMPANY
Most luxury groups tend to build the same hotel wherever they
are. I try to create a hotel that relates to its location,
so that you feel you’re in that country. My hotels are
not too big – if they get over a certain size it’s
difficult to give the guest personalized service. There is
a strong design element in our hotels. They have a bit of
flair and imagination and are very stylish. At the same time,
they are very comfortable and functional.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Finding the right sites at the right
price in the destinations I want – Paris, Milan, Madrid,
Barcelona and Moscow. Also, always delivering high levels
of service. It’s sometimes difficult in some markets
to recruit the right staff.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION
We’ve got three properties under
development in Germany: Frankfurt will open in January 2006,
Berlin in May 2006 and Munich in January 2007. My type of
hotel doesn’t exist in Germany at present. The other
development is a golf resort in the south of Sicily, a very
attractive location. We are doing two types of golf courses,
a 200-bedroom hotel, a spa and limited villa development.
Most golf resorts are covered with villas – I am not
doing that. I also have Brown’s Hotel in London, which
is under refurbishment and will open in September.
GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR HOTEL AND
CONDO INTEGRATION In
resorts, you have people who build villas, then give them
back to the hotel to let or service. In my Sicilian resort,
I will offer hotel services to the villa owners and let the
villas for them if they would like.
UNIQUE HOTEL AMENITIES
We train our staff to be very friendly
toward the guest, at the same time highly professional in
the service they deliver. Many hotels look after VIPs very
well. We try to give high-level, personalized service to all
of our guests.
FAVORITE HOTEL ROOM
It has to be reasonably spacious and tastefully decorated,
with good lighting.
FAVORITE BUSINESS HOTEL
The Beverly Hills Hotel, even when it was very run-down and
rather fading. The Plaza Athénée in Paris, which
was in my old group. The staff look after me extremely well.
I hadn’t been there in five or six years, but when I
went I found my favorite cologne in the bathroom.
FAVORITE LEISURE HOTEL
Villa d’Este in Lake Como.
FAVORITE HOTEL SUITE
The Blaton Suite in our Brussels hotel,
which is nicely furnished and comfortable, with a huge terrace.
The Town Hall of Brussels, with its attractive looming roofs,
is right next door.
FAVORITE AIRLINE
British Airways.
FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
Harry’s Bar, Mark’s Club
and San Lorenzo in London. I’m rarely in New York these
days, but I used to like the 21 Club.
IDEAL VACATION
Somewhere where I can relax and rest
– my in-laws have a wonderful castle in Tuscany. I am
a triathlete, and it is wonderful cycling country.
MOST UNUSUAL TRAVEL ANECDOTE
Just after university, I went to Paris with a group of friends
for the Arc de Triomph, the famous horserace – it’s
like the Kentucky Derby. I had booked the George V, which
was part of my old group. I arrived in a taxi with my friends
and thought the hotel looked unfamiliar. I walked up to the
reception desk and said we have four rooms booked under the
name Forte. They said, “I think, Sir, you’ve come
to the wrong hotel, you want to be next door.” The taxi
had dropped us off at the Prince de Galles!
Dieter Huckestein
Chairman & CEO, Conrad Hotels, Beverly Hills, CA
President, Hilton Global Alliance, Hilton
Hotels Corporation
Huckestein at New York City’s Waldorf Towers.
The Conrad Miami, located in the heart of Miami’s
financial district.
Dieter
Huckestein is responsible for all operations, marketing
and development of the Conrad brand of luxury hotels
worldwide. There are 17 hotels in Bali, Bangkok, Singapore,
Hong Kong, Brussels, London, Cairo, Hurghada, Dublin,
Istanbul, Sharm El Sheik, Kilkenny, Miami and New York.
He also oversees Hilton Hotels Corporation’s strategic
alliance with Hilton International.
Huckestein most recently
served as executive vice president, Hilton Hotels Corporation,
and president. He owned and managed hotel operations
– including Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy Suites,
as well as the Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites and Hilton
Garden Inn brands – that drive more than $5 billion
in revenue. In the ten years he served in this capacity,
Huckestein held oversight responsibility for The Waldorf-Astoria,
Hilton New York, Hilton Hawaiian Village and Hilton
Chicago, among other properties.
Huckestein is a member
of the Board of Directors of Hilton Hotels Corporation.
HOW I GOT INTO THE HOTEL BUSINESS I was born
into a hotel and restaurant family in Germany. After studying
in New York and being given the opportunity to work at The
Waldorf-Astoria, I decided not to return to Germany –
who can resist The Waldorf?
BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB
One of the famous quotes from our founder, Conrad Hilton,
comes to mind: “World peace through international trade
and travel.” I’m privileged to witness more and
more people engaged in travel and exposed to the varying cultures
at their destinations. Exposure equals understanding –
and respect for one another’s cultures, traditions and
way of life. As a hotel manager, you are indeed an ambassador
in fostering greater global understanding.
Another reason I love my job
lies in the fact that a hotel is an integral part of any city
– without a hotel, a city wouldn’t enjoy a steady
flow of visitors or develop its infrastructure.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE COMPANY
While Conrad is luxury, it is not stuffy or formal. We set
out to create a relaxed but highly reliable style of service
and atmosphere – and one that reflects the geographic
location of each hotel.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Our goal to have 50 Conrad hotels in our portfolio opened
by the year 2010, maintaining our desire to have a good balance
of city and resort properties reflected in this portfolio.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION
We intend to grow this brand at a steady pace, with up to
15 hotels in the U.S. and others in Asia, the Middle East
and Europe. Several hotels are scheduled to open in the near
future: Tokyo on July 1, 2005; Phuket, Thailand, and Indianapolis
in 2006; Las Vegas at the end of 2007; and Dubai in 2008.
GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR HOTEL AND
CONDO INTEGRATION The new phenomenon of luxury
condo hotels has invigorated the growth of that segment of
the industry. Conrad Las Vegas will be an all-suite hotel
that will also feature condominiums in the same building.
Such a combination enables the developer to obtain a better
finance mechanism for the entire development while attaining
top-notch, world-class luxury.
UNIQUE HOTEL AMENITIES
Our Butler Service, as well as the many award-winning restaurants
found at our hotels; state-of-the-art technology offerings
at all of our Conrad Hotels – for example, in Bali a
guest can access the Internet from his laptop on the beach!
The feedback we’ve received on our exclusive bath and
pillow menus have been tremendous, too.
FAVORITE BUSINESS HOTEL
The Waldorf-Astoria.
FAVORITE LEISURE HOTEL
The Hilton Hawaiian Village on Waikiki in Oahu, HI.
FAVORITE HOTEL SUITE
Mount Juliet Conrad in Kilkenny, Ireland.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
Sierra Mar restaurant at Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, CA.
FAVORITE AIRLINE
Emirates.
IDEAL VACATION
Two days skiing, followed by another two deep-sea diving,
with tennis afterwards – a fully loaded itinerary filled
with outdoor activities.
MOST UNUSUAL TRAVEL ANECDOTE
I was once checking out from an overnight stay and received
a bill for $8,000! Apparently Hugh Hefner had stayed in the
suite before I did and the hotel accidentally billed me for
the bar service from Mr. Hefner’s stay. Or should I
tell you about the time the authorities in Egypt detained
me because I was carrying the wrong Huckestein passport –
I learned to never travel with my brother again!
In
1979 Caroline Rose Hunt purchased a Dallas mansion
that had been built in the 1920s and was about
to be torn down. She added a nine-story hotel
wing to the property and transformed it into what
has become today’s Mansion on Turtle Creek,
one of 12 ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts.
Also part of the hotel collection are The Carlyle
in New York City; Hotel Seiyo Ginza, Tokyo; Hotel
Crescent Court, Dallas; The Dharmawangsa, Jakarta;
and Al Faisaliah Hotel and the Hotel Al Khozama,
both in Riyadh. Las Ventanas Al Paraiso, Los Cabos;
Caneel Bay, St. John; Little Dix Bay, Virgin Gorda;
Jumby Bay, Antigua; and King Pacific Lodge, British
Columbia, are the Rosewood resorts.
Hunt is also founder
and president of Lady Primrose’s Royal Bathing
& Skin Luxuries, a high-end toiletry company
that has received awards from the fragrance industry.
Lady Primrose products are offered at all Rosewood
hotels and sold at Neiman-Marcus and Bergdorf
Goodman.
The lobby of the Hotel Crescent Court.
A portrait of the founder of Rosewood, who was inducted
into the Texas Business Hall of Fame in 2001.
HOW
I GOT INTO THE HOTEL BUSINESS When a beautiful
historic mansion near downtown Dallas became available, my
son Stephen and I saw the possibility of developing it as
a restaurant with an attached ballroom and hotel. As The Mansion
on Turtle Creek became a success, we expanded into other properties,
keeping to our philosophy of evoking a sense of location,
culture, history and geography, appreciating the local horticultural
environment and the local cuisine. We strive to always provide
exceptional service and sensitive recognition of the needs
of the guest.
BEST THING ABOUT THE JOB
I don’t consider it a job, but a pleasure. My Rosewood
associates are dedicated and creative. When guests express
their appreciation for the experience we’ve added to
their life, it is indeed a joy.
WHAT DISTINGUISHES THE COMPANY
We are a collection of 12 distinctly different properties
– not cookie-cutter hotels – with unique personalities.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE
To never lose our tradition of excellence.
PLANS FOR EXPANSION
Two new properties will become part of the Rosewood collection
this year, including Acqualina, a new resort in Florida, as
well as two new resorts in Mexico that will open in 2006.
GLOBAL OUTLOOK FOR HOTEL AND
CONDO INTEGRATION In 1994 we built condominiums
offering the services of The Mansion on Turtle Creek. Additionally,
The Mansion now manages three other condominiums adjacent
to our hotel. This idea has been exceedingly well accepted
and is becoming a worldwide practice.
FAVORITE BUSINESS HOTEL
The Hotel Crescent Court in Dallas.
FAVORITE LEISURE HOTEL
Back in the 60s when my children were young, we visited Little
Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, and thus we have emotional ties to
this particular property.
FAVORITE AIRLINE
I have two, both being based in Dallas – American and
Southwest.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT
For 25 years my favorite has been The Mansion on Turtle Creek.
The food is not only delicious, the setting is superb.
IDEAL VACATION
One spent with people I love. It helps if the weather is perfect,
the accommodations comfortable and pleasing to the eye, and
the setting stimulates interesting thoughts.
MOST UNUSUAL TRAVEL ANECDOTE
In 1998 I was in Rome with a Library of Congress group. After
an audience with the Pope at the Vatican, we were gathering
for a group photo. The Pope emerged from the audience chamber
and joined our group saying, “Photo op!” with
a big smile.
Photo
credit:
Image 1: courtesy of the Leading Hotels of the World; Image
2: Courtesy of Sofitel, Image 3: Fabrice Rambert; Image 4,5:
Courtesy of Rocco Forte Hotels; Image 5,6: Courtesy of Conrad
Hotels; Image 6: Wyndham Leigh, courtesy of Rosewood Hotels
& Resorts, Image 7: Courtesy of Rosewood Hotels &
Resorts.
ON
THE COVER
Palazzo Versace at sunset. A member of the Leading
Hotels of the World, the property is located at
Main Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast.
ON
THE COVER
