Hoss Vetry is the Cluster General Manager for two properties of The Ritz-Carlton in Qatar: The Ritz-Carlton, Doha and Sharq Village & Spa. He began his Ritz-Carlton career at the renowned Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco in 1992 as Director of Outlets. In 1992, Hoss Vetry graduated from the City College of San Francisco State majoring in Business Administration and later continued his studies at The San Francisco State University, College of business. Despite the fact that he did not study in a hotel school, while working for a hotel during a summer vacation, he nevertheless found his passion and calling in the hotel industry. In addition, it’s obvious that Hoss Vetry is just as passionate about learning, understanding and self-improvement as he is about working for the hotel industry. To him, learning is a way of life; he has the need to learn, to quench his desire for more knowledge. It is a never-ending process for him.
Hoss Vetry is highly competitive and a very confident man. He believes in communication transparency and does not like politics; therefore, he tries to manage his hotel free of office politics and gossip. Hoss Vetry brings with him more than 25 years of hotel management experience. In this interview, he speaks candidly about his personal views on various management issues and values…
The Ritz-Carlton, Doha and Sharq Village & Spa is a five star hotel nestled on 350 meters of private coastline around the ancient Arabic bazaar to form Sharq Village & Spa luxury resort in Doha. Sharq means “orient”. It features 174 accommodations, including a royal villa, a spa, world-class dining and impeccable service.
Interview
You were educated in the US and studied at San Francisco State University, College of Business, between 1991 and 1995. But you did not study at a hotel school. So, what motivated you to work for the hotel industry after graduation?
You know, there are many people, like myself, who do not necessarily know what they want to do when they first study at a university. My studies were based on the general application of business management. When I was studying at the City College of San Francisco (1988 – 92), I got a job at a hotel during my summer vacation. I got to meet a lot of people. I really enjoy working in the hotel industry and 25 years later, I still enjoy it!
10 years later, you went back to school from 2005 to 2006 to study Leadership at the St. Mary’s College of California, while you were still working for Ritz-Carlton San Francisco as the Executive Assistant Manager. What prompted you to go back to school?
I wanted to learn — nonstop! Even right now, I am taking courses in one of the Swiss hotel schools. I want to learn, to refine and retool myself, my skills and my style! I just want to sharpen my saw!
You received the General Manager of the Year MEA (Middle-East, Africa Continent) in 2012. Why do you think you were recognized for your achievement?
During this period, I was managing two hotels for 1.5 years. I believe the management wanted to recognize my effort. Secondly, my recognition was also the reflection of my team and their effort.
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar, located on the coast of the Persian Gulf. Qatar tops the list of the world's richest countries by Forbes. In 2010, Qatar had the world's highest GDP per capita. Yet, it is a small country with only 250,000 people. Many of the luxury hotel brands are present in Qatar. Does this make competition difficult?
I believe competition is healthy for business. It is good for customers! Besides, more hotels will help to draw more business. Just take a look at Dubai, it is still growing!
The Ritz-Carlton is a service-oriented company. Having more hotels in Doha motivates us to constantly improve our service quality. We just have to be better than everyone else!
As the GM, do you have a personal philosophy that guides you in your daily tasks and long-term planning?
I call it L.L.C. — Listen, Learn and Change for the better! The obsession to change for the better has always been important for me. I have the need to be better!
What have you learned working in this region?
I’ve learned that this is a vibrant region, especially Doha. From the development point of view, the world’s focus is on the Middle East because the oil and gas industry are the energy sources of the world. This region plays an important role, and it is still growing.
In addition, I have gained a deeper understanding of the culture and people of the region.
As the GM, many people will look to you as a source of inspiration. So, who do you most admire? Why?
I can’t name one person in particular but in the last 10 – 15 years, a few international leaders have inspired me. For instance, I admire President Clinton for his political prowess, Steve Jobs for his business acumen and Gandhi’s spiritual and social leadership. I try to relate to them so that I am able to improve my own performance.
What are the most difficult or challenging issues you are facing since becoming the GM of the Ritz-Carlton Doha?
I think the pursuit of excellence is a really challenging issue for me. I always want to get close to “perfection” but of course, you will never get there; only close to it.
I also love working with people.
What is the single most important issue for you?
Despite the fact that the world has changed, we will always look for talent around the world. We have more than 80 hotels globally. In some cases, we use human capital locally. In the Middle East region, we bring people from other regions.
In the haste of their daily lives, what are your employees not seeing?
In the manufacturing industry, quality is measured by the percent of defects in the system. For example, in the auto industry we can say that the higher the quality, the lower the number of defects and the lower the quality, the higher the percentage of defects. So, what we are talking about here is “differential quality”.
In the service industry, we measure quality by the number of mistakes we make. We try to reduce the number of mistakes by working hard to improve details and training, teaching and motivating our staff to perform better.
If you must make a choice as a GM, would you do the things right or would you do the right things?
When you encounter challenges, doing the right things is more important than doing the things right! When you do the things right, it is more reactive.
I once posted a question in our Facebook page: “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?
Every GM has a style. Mine is people-oriented. I want people to respect me and eventually like me. Also, I would want to know how I could be a better GM to them.
In the case you mentioned, that GM should not have been the GM because he did not understand the heart and soul of his employees!
How old would you be, if you didn’t know how old you are?
In our industry we have tendency to mature fast because of the tremendous job pressure.
From the experience point of view, I am 55 years old but actually I am only 25 years old!
What would you regret: not fully being, not fully doing, or not fully having in your life?
I love what I do! One thing that keeps me on my toes is if my competition is doing better than us. I want to know why they are doing better.
On a personal note: It is about balancing work and personal life. But you can’t win it all; it’s a real challenge!
What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?
My strength is that I constantly want to learn, understand and compete.
My weakness is that I will never know enough and never satisfied with what I know. Actually, it is a drive for me to learn more!
At work, what put a smile on your face?
Simple things put a smile on my face, such as a positive attitude, a warm smile and a sincere welcome. It could be from a doorman, a secretary or a department head.
Life is too short to tolerate __________________.
Politics, gossip and complacency!
People should say the same things regardless whether they are talking to the person face-to-face or behind their back. I try to manage my hotel without politics. It works for me!
What advice would you offer to those who are inspired to become a GM one day?
In the hotel industry, less than 3% of the hotel employees actually make it to the top. Nevertheless, aim high and do the “right things”!
Don’t give up! Every time you are able to move up one step, it will help motivate you that you will get there!
What’s next?
I’ve been in Qatar for five years, and I have been with Ritz-Carlton for 22 years! I love what I do, and the company I work for. We are currently working on renovation, and it keeps me occupied. One day in the future, I may want to take on another challenge…
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.
