SPECIAL REPORT : HOTELIER OF THE WORLD
Doing the right thing in the right place matters most to the 2015 Corporate Hotelier of the World .
contributed by PIPPA ISBELL
C O R P O R A T E HOTELIER OF THE WORLD
RICHARD SOLOMONS ’ CHAPTER
Richard Solomons is a man of contradictions . From a family of thespians , he shuns the limelight . Trained as a numbers man , his passions are people and brands . Eminently sensible , he confesses to liking speed and races classic cars when he can find the time . Apparently quiet and unassuming , he has a steel backbone .
The 54-year-old CEO of Denham , England-based IHG comes from a large , close-knit north London family . His father had a gas station and car rental business , and the young Solomons and his brother both helped out . “ Your formative years shape how you think about business ,” he says . “ When you count the cash each day , it ’ s real .”
His grounding in customer service came from his father when they drove the length of the United Kingdom to replace a rental car that had broken down , for a young couple on honeymoon . “ It probably wasn ’ t a sensible thing to do financially ,” Solomons says , “ but it was the right thing to do .”
“ Do the right thing ” has become one of the cornerstones of IHG culture today . Since 2011 when he was named CEO , Solomons has done the right thing for his guests , associates and shareholders . Because of that , his business acumen that helped engineer an asset-light strategy and return £ 10.4 billion ( US $ 16.1 billion ) to shareholders , and for his steady hand on the IHG wheel the readers of HOTELS have chosen Solomons the 2015 Corporate Hotelier of the World award winner .
26 HOTELS November 2015 www . hotelsmag . com