" One Of the BeautieS Of the GM ’ S jOB iS leadinG the teaM , MentOrinG yOunG peOple , helpinG Guide theM aS they Build their careerS . it ’ S actually the part Of the jOB i like the MOSt ."
Special RepoRt : CHanGE MakErs
Priorities straight
IHG GM Eric Viale learned the business side first , but he has the heart of a leader and host .
contributed by Bruce Serlen
Call Eric ViaLE the selfless area general manager of two InterContinental Hotels Group properties in the historic Portuguese city of Porto , a 20-year industry veteran who was recently named the company ’ s European GM of the Year . In fact , he won a Mini Cooper for his accomplishment , but instead of keeping the car , he asked for the cash and shared it among his 85 team members because he understands it is they who make the hotels that consistently rank at the top of TripAdvisor rankings . It is the team he motivates that the hotel ’ s guests speak about so glowingly . But the rising star in the IHG universe dates his passion for the hotel business back much earlier .
" One Of the BeautieS Of the GM ’ S jOB iS leadinG the teaM , MentOrinG yOunG peOple , helpinG Guide theM aS they Build their careerS . it ’ S actually the part Of the jOB i like the MOSt ."
Growing up in the south of France in Montpellier , close to the Mediterranean , Viale would travel as a young boy to seaside resorts and remembers being captivated by their beauty and elegance . “ I remember , too , as a child , being fascinated with the idea of air travel and the notion that there were exciting destinations out there that I couldn ’ t even imagine ,” he recalls .
When Viale reflects on his career , he sees it as a series of transformative moments . Attending hotel school in Thonon-les-Bains in eastern France near the border with Switzerland was one such eye opener . “ I still felt the allure of stately hotels and first-class service , but I got caught up in the business side of the business ,” Viale explains .
In the early 1990s , when revenue management was becoming a sophisticated discipline , Viale was studying sales and marketing at the Conrad Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston . His time spent
www . hotelsmag . com April 2016 HOTELS 47