HOTELIER OF THE WORLD AWARDS
take care of his ailing father in New York . He became CEO of IMG Artists for two years , then rehabilitated the Forbes Travel Guide ( he remains vice chairman ) for two more years , before HRH The Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia called to lure Inzerillo to his current role in Riyadh .
“ Every time I got promoted , I was humbled because every promotion I got was way over my pay grade ,” reflects Inzerillo . “ So , I had to really go within myself and say , ‘ You will define the moment . The moment will not define you .’ Now , there ’ s a great Japanese proverb , one of my favorites , especially for a street kid , like I am , and that is : ‘ Get knocked down six times , get up seven .’ So , when I got big promotions , I always said , ‘ I have to be thankful to everybody around me ’ and that ’ s humbling . And then you double down and if you think you can work 100 %, you find 101 %. But you have to be propelled by gratitude , and gratitude is humbling .”
While always gracious and humble , the street kid is also street wise . “ This is my philosophy for 54 years ,” Inzerillo says . “ Gather the best ingredients . Take the time to bake the best cake . Cut the cake in eight equal pieces , and make everybody believe they got the biggest piece .”
He also likes to describe himself as a “ servant leader ,” adding in the next breath , “ What genius came up with the word subservient ? Because you serve , you ’ re below someone ? In my world , service is nobility . So , you teach the people around you , not by talking , but by doing and proving service is noble . Give – don ’ t worry what you receive .”
Inzerillo next argues , “ Who came up with the word
THIS IS MY PHILOSOPHY FOR 54 YEARS : GATHER THE BEST INGREDIENTS . TAKE THE TIME TO BAKE THE BEST CAKE . CUT THE CAKE IN EIGHT EQUAL PIECES , AND MAKE EVERYBODY BELIEVE THEY GOT THE BIGGEST PIECE
- JERRY INZERILLO
subordinate ? Because you work with people that are below you ? Who came up with that one ? You ’ re equal in your desire to please and to create joy and festivity . So , I take exception to subservience and subordinates . One of the best traits of a leader is to be the head servant .”
“ Jerry truly represents what ’ s hard to find these days – passion for our guests , inspiration for our young leaders , and the unwavering commitment to excellence ,” says Alan Fuerstman , founder , chairman and CEO of Montage International , Laguna Beach , California . “ Jerry is a charismatic and dynamic leader whose unbridled enthusiasm for the art of innkeeping is unparalleled .”
Adds his long-time Four Seasons colleague Hengst , today a strategic advisor for Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas , “ Jerry is , using one word , brilliant – a man for all seasons who understands the human condition . He has empathy and cares for those who work for him and with him . He has a level of energy unparalleled , always thinking how to make things better for his constituents . A true professional and a superb representative of our industry . I have had the pleasure to work with him and have known him since he was a very young man and knew then that there was no limit to his ambitions .”
14 hotelsmag . com July / August 2021