Introduction
Victor Clavell is the Ritz-Carlton Area Vice President, Asia Pacific. He is responsible for the management of 18 properties with more than one billion dollars of revenue. In addition, there are 20 projects either under construction or in the pipeline in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan.
Victor Clavell is a soft-spoken and a gentle man. But one should not let his demureness fool you. He is a hardworking executive and is absolutely determined to do his best. He has an insatiable desire to learn. In fact, he thinks that all senior level executives should go back to school at one point in their career. Here is a quote from his interview:
Interview
You graduated from the Barcelona University and studied Business Administration. When did you realize that you wanted to work in the hotel industry?
In 1986 when I did my management F&B Operation internship in London Marriott Hotel, I really enjoyed it. It was a turning point for me. From that point on, everything I did was related to the hotel industry.
In 1986, you were a management trainee in F&B. By 1988, you became the Director of Marketing at Hotel Majestic in Barcelona. This was truly a fast-track career advancement. What extraordinary capability do you think you possess that got you on the fast-track?
I think I was lucky! Back in 1986 and among the independent hotels, there was very little understanding about what was needed in order to be the Director of Marketing. I would say that there was very little knowledge about sales. In fact, many hotels did not think about marketing. I had some ideas back then…
In 1990 you went back to school and studied at the University of Surrey in England. Why did you go back to school?
I wanted to learn. I like our industry, and I did not believe I had enough academic knowledge to be as successful as I would have liked to be. I thought it was worth it to spend two years in university to learn how marketing and hotel management work. I think we should all go back to school at one point in our career — even if you are in a senior level position. There is never enough academic and practical learning.
You were the GM of Hotel Arts Barcelona. You had two Michelin star restaurants. How did you do it?
Between 1993 and 1994, I was part of the opening team at the Hotel Art Barcelona. Between 1997 and 2000, I became the Hotel’s GM. It was a turning point for me. I was 30 years old. I surrounded myself with talented people. Together we achieved unbelievable growth, F&B and profitability.
Nothing in this industry can be achieved by yourself; you must work together with your colleagues.
What is the most challenging issue you are facing on your current job?
I’ve learned to handle growth and sharing success with my team.
Today we have 18 hotels and 22 units. In 3.5 years, we will double these numbers. This means that we will be very successful. We must be able to handle growth. We have to make sure that we have the right talent. That is, they must understand our culture, be knowledgeable about our industry and our company, passionate about their work, and energetic about motivating others. But, it is not often you can find these kinds of people.
Many people will look to you as a source of inspiration. So, who do you most admire? Why?
I admire both of my parents. They guided me in my childhood and adulthood. They are closely followed by my wife, whom I also admire.
What keeps you motivated?
I have a high level of energy, and I am self-motivated. Facing challenging issues and working with people help motivate me. Seeing young talent grow and develop motivates me.
If you must make a choice, would you do the things right or would you do the right things?
Doing the right thing is doing things right. If I must choose one, I want to do the right thing!
I recently posted a question in our Facebook page (iworkinhotels.com): “Why do you think your GM is important to you?” Someone answered: “I don’t think my GM is important to me but he might be important to the company.” Do you agree with this statement?
Not really! If someone who works in the luxury hotel sector does not believe that his GM is important, he is absolutely wrong or he has a bad GM. The main job of a GM is to influence employees and guests and to touch them in some ways. If the GM is not inspiring, he is not doing his job.
What are the defining moments or time spans in your life so far?
I married my wife 20 years ago;
The birth of my children;
The first time I became a GM;
Opening a hotel in New York; (Every GM should open a hotel. It’s a great moment for the GM.)
My current role (It’s a great learning experience professionally and personally.)
When was the last time you stepped outside your comfort zone?
A few days ago, I was in Tokyo in one of our hotels. I had a very good discussion with the kitchen team. This was out of my comfort zone. But the team appreciated that I took interest in their work.
In your opinion, what is the best quality your employees can possess?
Actually, there are three things that are important:
Passion
Talent
Drive
At work, what answers are you seeking?
We have to constantly ask ourselves, how can we do better? At the end of the day, our job is to make sure that our guests are happy with our service. Having passion is not enough; having talent will help us get the work done professionally. If we can make our guests satisfied, we are on our way to success.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would have worried a little less and enjoyed a little more and celebrated success much more!
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
I have a number of weaknesses, and I know them well. I am impatient. I need to give more recognition to my people for doing a good job. Sometimes, I can be a little hard on myself and on others.
My strengths:
I am very passionate about my industry. I love to come to work and see my colleagues. I am in constant search for excellent service culture.
At work, what puts a smile on your face?
When we achieve our goals to create a memorable experience for our guests, it makes me very happy. Another thing that puts a smile on my face is seeing young people grow, develop, and being promoted.
What puts a frown on your face?
Just the opposite! When our guests do not feel that we have met their expectations. When an employee has to do a job but he/she doesn’t really want to do it, that’s not acceptable. We will never achieve what we set out to achieve that way.
If you woke up tomorrow with no fear, what would you do first?
I would wake up with a huge smile on my face, look at myself in the mirror and enjoy this happy moment!
If you had the opportunity to get a message across to your employees, what would your message be?
I constantly communicate with our employees. We want to make sure that our employees take our service culture to heart. We need to anticipate our guests’ needs. We should try to touch our guests in some ways. We should treat our guests the way we would like to be treated. Our employees must show care and empathy and be willing to make other people happy.
If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
The only things I can teach are the topics related to our industry, such as service behavior.
What’s next?
I never worry about what’s next. I worry about what I am doing at the moment. Success is not in the future; it is in today. If we focus on tomorrow, we will fail today. So, worry about today and make it the best day you can.
About Lily Lin
ily Lin, MBA, Ph.D. is the Chief Editor at http://iworkinhotels.com. She is also responsible for business development in Asia and in the US. She has extensive experiences in marketing management, consulting and training. She has taught in American, German and Dutch universities. In addition, she is an academic board member of the Schouten University, Master of Business Administration. Schouten University is a British accredited online university. She has taught for the University of Maryland (from the State of Maryland in the US). In the Netherlands, she was an adjunct professor for the Phoenix University MBA program in Rotterdam, Webster University in Leiden, HES (Higher Institution of Economic Studies) in Amsterdam, European University in The Hague. She was also an adjunct professor for the Schiller International University in Heidelberg, Germany.
For more than 20 years, she was the designer and the senior lecturer of a number of courses at the Hotelschool The Hague in the Netherlands that include Revenue Management, the first ever offered at the School, marketing management and other marketing-related courses. She conceived her latest project, ”Interviewing Successful Hotel Managers Series”, in which she interviews hotel managers from major international chain and independent hotels. Her interviews and other works are published regularly at the http://iworkinhotels.com/dr-lins-blog.
