Exclusive Interview | Fabien Gastinel, General Manager, The Oberoi Marrakech
/“Patience, tenacity, steadiness, excellent listening/presentation, and grooming. The way we act and we portrait ourselves in hospitality is the key to success”
Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?
Well getting into hospitality was an unexpected journey. My dad's biggest wish was that I become a doctor but I was just not talented enough in Mathematics. When I passed my high school diploma, I actually did not know what to do really. A very good friend of my dad though was the owner and general manager of “La Pinede Hotel” in Saint-Tropez, France, and suggested that I take a summer job as a Major D’Homme (Butler) at his hotel. While doing for several weeks I fell in love with the daily engagement with guests and the passion to exceed their expectations consistently. I was as well amazed by the presence of this gentleman standing in the lobby and being the host of the hotel - then my dream was to become like him one day. I then proceeded with the Hospitality College in Marseille, France, and once completed I left for the US to start my career with Sofitel as a Management Trainee.
Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?
Above all the passion to interact with people and the will to exceed their expectations. That is the basic of luxury hospitality. But as well when starting a career – some key attributes are as crucial in order to succeed: Patience, tenacity, steadiness, excellent listening/presentation, and grooming. The way we act and we portrait ourselves in hospitality is a key to success, being as well our posture, verbal language. In an environment where we face colleagues and guests very often this is crucial. Like many other industries being a good leader and coach is paramount as we influence others every single day. Last but not least – networking is as well as important, very often I tell my team “network is your net worth” – it’s all about whom you know and who knows you!
Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring? If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?
We do hire for the right attitude, the passion to serve and engage. This is much more important to us than the experience. Knowledge can be taught and trained however it is much more difficult to train for attitude. Being in an environment where we do have interactions with others every single minute it is key to us to have team members that are naturally out-going with a pleasant personality and can-do attitude.
Editor: What according to you can trainees do while they are training at hotels to make it a win-win for them & the hotel/unit?
Listen, observe, work hard, being curious and outgoing. The more they are able to absorb while they train the faster they will grow. More importantly, showcasing a very positive attitude and learning from experienced team members.
Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?
More digitalization: we have already entered this world but we see it is taking great importance nowadays with hotels getting into fierce competition.
Cuisines of the World: lifestyle dining venues that offer new cuisines from around the world. We see this with restaurant venues such as Coya, Amazonico, Sexy Fish, Nus’Et, and many others.
Bleisure Hotels: the world of corporate travel has changed with COVID and I believe we will see a shift in the way business hotels are built with very strong leisure components.
Wellness and Sustainability taking center stage in hotels: We see this more and more with a very strong need from the new generation to connect with nature and healthy foods.
Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that goes into creating your guest experience?
I personally do not believe tech will be able to replace human interactions when it comes to experiences. Tech will continue to be developed but not in a goal to improve guest’s experiences. It will probably make it more accessible.
Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.
First, the business model most companies adopt. Most hotels are on management agreements where they do not own hotels but manage them only. Often hotel teams are left reporting to owners who do not necessarily understand hospitality making it very difficult for operators to deliver. There should be a shift where operators are fully independent and able to be accountable for their decisions and results.
Second, I do personally believe that many companies do have too many brands and that it becomes confusing for the customers. Instead of having 20 brands with a lack of identity for some of them, I do believe we should focus more on having fewer brands with a very strong brand entity.
Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?
A slow recovery. We need to remain confident but the world economy has been affected and it will take a few years to get back to the 2019 levels of business. Our industry is very much dependent on the airline industry and airlines will need time to build back their fleet. Our industry is very resilient though and that should give us hope and smiles on our faces!
