Hotel Director of the Plaza-Athénée - Dorchester Collection, Laurence Bloch sits down with us to discuss her insights and foresights of the ultra-luxury and hospitality industry.
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Today were speaking to Laurence Bloch who is the director of the Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris,o ne of Paris's most iconic palace properties. Laurence Bloch, thank you for taking the time to meet us today to talk about your insights and also foresights about where the ultra-luxury and hospitality Industry is heading in the future. Maybe to begin with, in your own words could you share your own experience in the ultra-luxury hotel industry please ?
Sure, with pleasure. First, I had different positions that helped me understand all of this field, because you have maybe eighty different jobs in a hotel, in F&B, back of house, so I think it's very important to really have different experiences around the hotel. It gives you a helicopter view of what you are doing. Also my family background helped me, because my mother is an art dealer, and my father is an industrial, and it gave me aestheticism, a certain vision of what is Beauty, and in the luxury market I think it helped me a lot to work in a palace like the Plaza Athénée.
Could you perhaps elaborate what your Hotel Director position is all about, what does it entail and in which way do you support a hotel’s operation?
First you have to be a leader. What I mean by that is you have to be inspirational, you have to take decisions quite quickly but mostly the hotel industry is based on people, so you have to have some empathy. I’m talking about the employees and also the guests too so you need a lot of energy. A hotel like the Hotel Athénée has 550 employees and 550 personalities, and of course the guests, with so many nationalities that we have, so a lot of energy and empathy I would say.
If my count is correct, you'll have been at the helm of The Plaza Athénée for 20 years next year, is that correct?
Yes, part of the furniture. Part of the furniture, a true hotelier who is constantly present, who is very much involved in all aspects of the operation with a strong focus on also the soft touches that you've just mentioned.
What in your opinion are the skills of becoming perhaps a Hotel Director of tomorrow?
I think nothing has changed about that, I think you still have to have curiosity and it really makes a difference. I always say to the new entries, what you put into school or a company is what eventually you will get out of it. First is the curiosity and second is the engagement, if you are engaged for a school, for the company then it will advance you further and it could be in any field. Curiosity is very important, the engagement, and maybe the only thing that has changed a lot more than with our parents is the agility. The way you have to adapt yourself to the new environment, it can be in any field but really the agility to react.
Talking about adaptability, how do you know or how do you question if you are still doing the right things to stay on top of your game with an ever increasing competition and sometimes very disruptive new market entrants ?
I always say to the new entries and new employees, I'm a little bit like Dracula. So I need your fresh blood your fresh ideas, the way you are thinking about the world. It's very important for me that all these new people are aware of what's going on and what will be the future, because I don't carry the future anymore, it's really the new employees. Of course the benchmark, I'm not talking about the benchmark in the hotel business or in our competition, of course we have to see what they are doing, but mostly in other fields.