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HOTELS 2022 Corporate Hotelier of the World Roland Fasel standing proudly in the recently opened Aman New York City mentor , Wolf Hengst . By 1994 , he moved to Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts , where he earned his first GM ’ s job in Singapore . It was followed by an opportunity to turn around the then-tired Badrutt ’ s Palace in St Moritz , Switzerland , before heading to London to help reposition the InterContinental brand . Next came a long , eight-year stint with the Dorchester Collection where he served as general manager of The Dorchester in London and regional director for Dorchester Collection , overseeing new openings , residences , spa facilities and participating in the development of the brand .
“ I ’ ve been through military coups in Thailand , disease in Kota Kinabalu to earthquakes and more , and I became a leader who stays very calm , very pragmatic , understanding that everybody ’ s looking at you to communicate properly ,” Fasel explains about the value of his many global experiences . “ That ’ s always been one of my strengths – that in situations of crises , I am able to get the teams together and follow up on processes . Over 30-plus years in this business , you can just imagine how many things we had to deal with .”
What Fasel also learned from his varied global experiences was to be transparent with communication . “ I believe , ultimately , success is not one person ,” he says . “ I ’ ve always been able to bring teams together with clear and transparent communication because it helps everybody stay aligned and calm . If there ’ s nothing hidden people have real engagement that helps develop collective responsibility and accountability .” “ Roland is a passionate hotelier , a very strategic thinker and planner , has long-term vision , works very well with his teams at all levels , and is very well respected by his people ,” says another veteran global hotelier MPS Puri , who worked with Fasel at the Bel-Air . “ He sees the big picture but toils over the little details , as well , completely in touch with what is happening in the current marketplace , ( NFTs , metaverse and more ).”
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