HOTELIER OF THE WORLD AWARDS
AS MUCH AS YOU CAN , GO BEYOND THE GUEST ’ S EXPECTATIONS AND TRY TO SENSE THAT SOMEBODY WANTS SOMETHING BEFORE THEY ASK FOR IT
- PIERRE JOCHEM
shepherded the historic La Mamounia through a major renovation last year .
HEART AND PERFORMANCE At Jochem ’ s properties , as one might expect , guests come first ; policies and procedures are meant to provide a framework that ensures their satisfaction . “ Procedures will help you out and show you the path to follow ,” he notes . “ But after that you want people to deliver service from the heart .”
Jochem describes himself as performance-driven and very demanding , but fair . He believes in inspiring and developing his staffs , encouraging that from-the-heart attitude . To him , that means “ as much as you can , go beyond the guest ’ s expectations and try to sense that somebody wants something before they ask for it .”
He ’ s put his stamp on teams globally , managing cultures as diverse as London , New York , New Delhi , Tianjin and Marrakech . His strategy for adapting to new locations : assess the staff ’ s skills , determine their strengths and weaknesses , understand cultural quirks and tailor your philosophy of service to the locale . “ French people can be a bit cold , people in India are great but have difficulty planning ahead , those in Morocco tend
to cut corners when they can . You have to understand and adapt to their culture , then work out a system for how you are going to get there ,” he says .
Former Le Meridien Hotels Asia CEO Jean-Gabriel Peres calls Jochem a natural host . “ He is one of the very few GMs or regional managers who has made the transition between the traditional hotelier ’ s style and the ones who have embraced the new digital generation ,” he says . “ They not only meet guest expectations while the guest is on location , but also know how to create the addiction to return .”
How guests relate to the hotel motivates Jochem to keep standards high . “ When you see and interact with guests and everybody seems very happy and enjoying themselves during their stay or event , that drives me . I like people to be pleased ,” he says . The numbers-oriented side of him gets gratification from the payoff for his efforts : healthy growth in profits .
He also likes challenges : at least twice he has been tasked with mounting a lavish catered event in a remote location . The first time was in China , at the Louis Vuitton Classic car rally , at a temple 1,000 kilometers from the hotel . His hotel handled the event with military precision . More recently his staff served a three-course lunch for 250 VIPs invited by Morocco ’ s King Mohammed VI to experience Morocco ’ s first high-speed train . The stakes were high , he admitted , and the conditions were less than ideal — setting up a kitchen and serving in crowded train cars — but the crew of 60 pulled it off with aplomb .
Jochem admits to one flaw that might have limited his potential : he doesn ’ t play politics . For that reason , he prefers working on independent hotels , where he can deal directly with ownership . “ You can judge me on my results , but if you want me
26 hotelsmag . com July / August 2021