THE INTERVIEW : JENNIFER FOX
Fox identifies Fairmont Pittsburgh , relatively new to the brand ’ s portfolio , as one of its more impressive performers .
can have both types of product .
If you think about it , historic hotels are what the brand Fairmont was built on . But equally , we just opened a great hotel in Pittsburgh , which is outperforming the competition by a remarkable amount . It ’ s architecturally impressive , it ’ s contemporary in design , it ’ s got excellent restaurants and bars , it ’ s got great public areas — it just delivers on what the customer wants in the Pittsburgh marketplace .
I think what ’ s really important is that we think about what is going to work in that market and what is going to resonate with the guest in that marketplace , and that will be the key driver about where we go .
H : What one or two areas present the best opportunities for improvement going forward ?
JF : I ’ d like to continue to work with the team on raising the bar in quality , because I think you have to do that . Our quality scores are very good , but I always see driving quality as one of my goals .
I ’ ll certainly be very focused on design and food and beverage in all of our new developments , because I think it ’ s really important when you have new hotels in the pre-opening phase that you get it right from the beginning . When you build a hotel , you ’ re not building for today — most hotels ’ renovation cycle in nine to 10 years , and if you ’ re starting development of a project today , it probably won ’ t open for three or four years , so it could be a 12-year horizon . So today , in 2012 , I ’ m thinking about what a customer might still want in 2024 .
H : It ’ s still quite unusual for a woman to have ascended to your level in the hotel business . What do you see as the keys to your achievements thus far , and what advice would you offer other up-and-coming women in the business ?
JF : It ’ s funny . I never really think about it in that sense , that I ’ m a woman in the hotel business . I ’ ve always tried to take that out of the equation . I ’ ve always tried to be judged on my merits . I ’ ve never really faced the glass ceiling , where I haven ’ t been able to achieve a role that I wanted or been given a role because I was a woman .
One of the things that has been key to my success has been a willingness to take on challenges and uproot my life to move for a job . Perhaps that ’ s something that a lot of women won ’ t do . They perhaps get committed to family life in a particular location , and if an opportunity comes up halfway around the world , they may not be willing to uproot their lives and take that opportunity .
I don ’ t think I would be able to do the role I ’ m in today if I hadn ’ t had the experiences of working in all these places around the world . I certainly would not have been able to build up my background and experience and knowledge if I hadn ’ t done that . That would be my advice to any young woman coming up in the business today that wants to go into a global role such as the role I ’ m in : Take risks and grasp opportunities , and just go for it .
34 HOTELS April 2012 www . hotelsmag . com