SPECIAL REPORT
its staff should look like and physically represent . A movement away from the old and into the new while still keeping the very foundation of hospitality : that the guest should be always be “ wowed .”
“ I guess I ’ m close to my feminine side , especially in our business ,” says the 59-year-old Leboeuf , whom HOTELS readers chose as winner of the 2018 Independent Hotelier of the World .
“ You have to listen and observe . There are a lot of intuitive things that are not said ,” Leboeuf adds . “ If you observe that someone drinks white wine and does not drink Champagne , some hoteliers are going to put ( out ) lovely , expensive Champagne , but the people don ’ t like Champagne . They like white wine . Hello ? That ’ s absurd . The best service is when you don ’ t have to ask and it just happens .”
He says this as he sips the same type of mineral water once consumed at the courts of Louis XIV and Louis XV at Versailles , while simultaneously eating just-arrived bites from the hotel ’ s kitchen , staffed by Michelin-starred Chef Thierry Marx , who ’ s been with Leboeuf since the property opened in 2011 .
At the time Leboeuf accepted the GM position with the as-yet-unopened hotel , one of only a handful in Paris to be granted palace status , he was general manager at London ’ s iconic Claridge ’ s .
But the culture of Mandarin Oriental called to him . It ’ s provided a space which , in addition to allowing room for facial hair , also has given him the ability to truly cultivate and perfect his management style . ( Not to mention he got his choice of rose gold lapel pins – Mandarin ’ s signature fan icon – which are typically cast in plain gold .)
And at eight years now , it ’ s also the longest he ’ s worked at one place .
He became area vice president of operations in 2013 after years of specializing in hotel openings , mostly for Concorde Hotels & Resorts and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts .
YOU HAVE TO LISTEN AND OBSERVE . THERE ARE A LOT OF INTUITIVE THINGS THAT ARE NOT SAID ... THE BEST SERVICE IS WHEN YOU DON ’ T HAVE TO ASK AND IT JUST HAPPENS .
In addition to Mandarin Paris , he supervised the opening of Mandarin Oriental , Marrakech in Morocco in 2015 and more recently has had operational oversight of Mandarin Oriental , Geneva .
“ TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTIONS ” His daily routine consists of early rising , a
PHILIPPE LEBOEUF
drink of plain hot water and ideally a swim , but almost religiously a bike ride to work . Leboeuf has been a competitive cyclist for 20 years ; in his days as managing director of the Hôtel de Crillon he used to fly the Texas flag for the Texas-born Lance Armstrong , often having a beer with the famous cyclist after each Tour de France finish .
20 hotelsmag . com November 2018