Dealing with the Talent Disruption in the Hospitality Industry

Dealing with the Talent Disruption
in the Hospitality Industry
Perception and Analysis of Leading Minds
in the Business

CONTENTS
Introduction 02
It’s all about the people - Why Talent matters 04
What do the CEO’s believe really matter to Generation next 06
Proactive solutions from the CEO’s desk 12
About Bridge.Over Group and World Tourism Forum Lucerne 21

02
Introduction
The impact of talent and skills is profound in the hospitality industry – a sector which is much more about the customer and service than
the buildings and real estate it operates with. The industry and companies within it will find themselves significantly disrupted unless they
can recruit, retain, nurture, develop and evolve their talent consistently. It is clear that like every other industry, hospitality industry and
every company within the hospitality industry is impacted by the effects of a rapidly changing world. Whether it’s demographic change
in customers and employees, global expansion plans, talent scarcity or technological breakthroughs – it has become more and more
challenging for companies and businesses.
Ahead of the World Tourism Forum Lucerne’s summit which will be held on 23- 24 April, 2015 in Lucerne, Switzerland, and as part of
the core agenda of a focus on talent this year, we surveyed 50 Hotel CEOs and top management across the globe, to get an insight into
the talent challenge that companies are facing all over the world in our industry. The theme of this year’s survey was how to manage and
develop talent in a rapidly changing world - whether it’s about a new work force that has up to 70% millennials or generation Y and how
the priorities, ambition and expectation of this workforce about a career in hospitality is different and needs to be addressed accordingly
to stay relevant.
The following CEO’s, COO’s or Presidents are some of the names interviewed for the research. Where sought those respondents that
preferred to have their identity and/or responses be kept anonymous have been duly respected.

03
Frederic Flageat-Simon CEO Alila Hotels and Resorts
Mossadeck Bally CEO Azlai Hotel Group
Abid Butt CEO Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
Raul Gonzalez CEO Barcelo Hotels & Resorts
Christopher Cowdray CEO Dorchester Collection
Roar Ingdal CEO First Hotels
Laura Tarkka CEO Glo Hotels
Aarne Hallama CEO Glo Hotels
Yaron Ashkenazi CEO Grand City Hotels
Martin Rinck President APAC Hilton Worldwide
Peter Fulton Group President EMEA/SW Asia Hyatt Hotels
Kirk Kinsell President Americas Intercontinental Hotels Group
Hiran Cooray Chairman Jetwings Hotel Group
Gerald Lawless President & Group CEO Jumeirah Group
Hamad Al Mulla CEO and Member of the Board Katara Hospitality
Alejandro Bernabe CEO Kempinski Hotels
Vivek Nair Chairman & MD Leela Group
Valeriano Antonioli CEO Lungarno Collection
Stephen J. Alden CEO Maybourne Hotel Group
Tim Busch Founder & CEO Meritage Collection
Dilip Rajakarier CEO Minor Hotel Group
MPS Puri CEO Nira Hotels
Dr. Timo Grünert CFO Oetker Collection
Peter Strebel SVP Omni Hotels & Resorts
Filip Boyen COO Belmond (Prev Orient Express)
Bernold O. Schroeder CEO Pan Pacific Hotels Group
Wolfgang M. Neumann CEO Rezidor Group
Symon Bridle COO Rosewood Hotel Group
Guy Hutchinson COO Rotana Hotels
Norman Arundel Group GM Rydges Hotels
Frank Fiskers President & CEO Scandic Hotels
Greg Dogan CEO Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Simon Coombs CEO Shaza Hotels
Sergio Rivera President Americas Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Lothar Pehl SVP & Head of Global Initiatives Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Michael Wale Group President EMEA Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Puneet Chhatwal CEO Steigenberger Hotels
Ben Subrata Chairman & CEO Sudamala Resorts
Lilian Roten Head Swissotel Hotels & Resorts
Rakesh Sarna CEO Taj Hotels
Alexandre Solleiro CEO Tivoli Hotels
Rupert Simoner CEO VI International
Beat R Sigg Group CEO Victoria Jungfrau Collection
Christoph Hoffmann CEO 25hour Hotels
Although every single CEO we spoke
to registered talent management as
a strategic issue in their company,
we were not sure how many CEO’s
proactively formulated an action plan
to tackle the topic in their respective
companies. Hence, we wanted to delve
deep and discover how serious they are
really about the issue.
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that
often times the mundane but critical
tasks of growing the business, signing
on more management contracts and
simply managing the operations means
that business leaders are not able to
take the long term view of making talent
a strategic priority. Instead they keep
focusing on accomplishing short-term
goals to achieve their targets of growth
and fulfil the priorities of their Boards.
This means that the topic of talent
management consistently finds itself as
an omnipresent member on the bucket
list of things to focus on long term but
never as one which is a top priority.
Our 2015 Luxury Global Hospitality CEO
Perception & Analysis Report on talent
management and the disruption it faces
provides an outlook on what needs to
be done, where the CEO’s focus is and
how proactive solutions to face this key
challenge can be delivered over the
long run.
We believe this is important, especially
in the hospitality industry, which is
known for its traditional and probably
outdated approach in terms of its talent
management. The multi-perspective
investigation into the talent management
vision of the hospitality industry was
primarily undertaken via a series of oneon-one
interviews and a comparative
analysis was then completed. Among
other things in conversation, we
investigated into a variety of aspects
about what the hospitality and tourism
industry needs to do to profile itself
better, reviewed the opportunities and
issues related to the employment of
young and next generation talent in
the industry and also discussed what
the CEO’s believe makes this one of
most exciting and promising industries
for the future.

04
It’s all about the people
Why Talent matters
In the recent times, there has been
a great deal of talk in the industry on
talent management and all major hotel
companies have raised concerns
about how it can seriously impact their
competitiveness. The overarching
agreement is that going forward the right
talent strategy is likely to be a game
changer for businesses. An overwhelming
90% of the top management executives
we interviewed acknowledged talent as a
key strategic issue for the hotel industry
and unequivocally all 100% conceded
that today it is a bigger challenge than
Kirk Kinsell, President America’s for
Intercontinental Hotel Group says,
“We are in the service business, and
people are central to our success. They
are our competitive advantage, so we
need to make sure we’re always looking
at ways to develop our colleagues while
simultaneously attracting new Talent/
experience to our brands. It’s certainly
a delicate balance of internal Talent
development vs. constantly refreshing
the Talent pipeline with people outside
of the organization. Regardless, it’s a
commitment, as both take resources and
investment, but it’s important to remember
that culture trumps strategy, so focusing on
Talent is a high priority.”
it was five years or a decade ago. And
they’re increasingly getting worried about
the disruption this war for talent can
pose for their businesses going forward.
As the industry constantly evolves,
hotel companies need new talent with
different skill sets. And, as competition
in the recruitment market is increasingly
intensifying, there is no greater need than
to recruit, integrate and retain talent.
Stressing the importance of talent,
Wolfgang Neumann, CEO, Rezidor Hotel
Group says, “In our company we say - We
grow talent and talent grows us. We are
a service industry and our hotels come
to life with people. There is nothing that
matters more.”
Talent management consists of a
component which is measuring; assessing
and assisting people in their performance
and helping them reach their full potential
and setting them up for success. The
second component is evaluating the
existing talent and building a pipeline for
succession planning. It is of the highest
importance at every level and includes
peer-to-peer mentoring, internal training
programmes and regular performance
reviews to support, nourish and reward the
employees consistently. For newer hotel
chains, a strong commitment to talent
acquisition strategy is even more critical to
ensure that they have the right resourcing
in place as they grow. We also found that
these new brands and companies entering
the hospitality industry are especially and
consistently vocal about the need for talent
management as they face the toughest
competition for talent.
The CEO’s were homogenous in expressing
how the “people” part of the business or the
software is what differentiates their business
Michael Wale Group President EMEA,
Starwood Hotels & Resorts says, “One of
my core values and responsibilities within
the Group which has 250,000 associates is
to be a talent magnet and inspire and grow
talent. We have great hotels in the portfolio
but what truly brings the hardware to life is
the software or the people.”
For 68% respondents, Talent management
is integrated within the broader management
function of their business.
An overwhelming 90% of the top management executives we interviewed
acknowledged talent as a key strategic issue for the hotel industry
and unequivocally all 100% conceded that today it is a bigger challenge
than it was five years or a decade ago.

05
and how that automatically puts talent high
on their agenda.
Dilip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel Group
says, “It is not only about attracting talent
– it is about developing and sustaining
them. As an entrepreneurial firm we look
for those with a commercial vision and not
just operational efficiency. I spent 70% of
my time on people as it is a critical success
factor for my organisation. Not only that,
we ensure people across the hierarchy
have talent management as part of the
KPI – their performance is judged on
the basis on that.”
Talent needs to be driven from the
top – CEO as a role model
We found there is a distinction between
the level of engagement on talent
management in any company depending
on its boss. Interestingly, when a CEO
makes a bold pledge on making talent
management a top priority, you can be
fairly confident that their company will
take action.
A CEO’s commitment enables the Head
of HR to work with the Operational
heads and make change happen. It also
endorses efforts by department heads, so
more engagement by CEOs could support
Frank Fiskers, CEO of Scandic Hotels
commented how talent prioritisation needs
to be driven from the top. He says, “At
Scandic, we have seven overall “must
win battles” and talent development
and pipeline is top of the agenda. It is
not a “nice to have” but a pre-requisite
and fundamental aspect of our strategy.
Personally, I believe the best way to ensure
it gets the attention it deserves is if the
management sets an example. I talk about
it a lot and now have started to spend less
time on numbers but more on how they
get to those numbers. As an example,
historically I used to take the CFO along for
business reviews but now increasingly it is
the HR Director.”
a more ambitious outcome. We saw that
there are many visionaries in the pack,
and there are others for whom there is
still some way to go.
While 57% CEO’s chose not to quantify the
exact amount of time spent on talent, every
single CEO interviewed highlighted that
it is a growing % and the single biggest
component of their day to day activities.
The idea for CEO’s is to set an example.
When an employee notices the CEO
at events; with HR people, when any
company presentation starts with talent
development and when there is strong
Alexandre Solleiro, CEO of Portugal’s
Tivoli Hotel Group says, “HR and talent is
the key in our industry. Our HR Director
is empowered and reports directly to me
and has a clear mandate to develop our
biggest resource. What I want is a
situation where we don’t have to ever
postpone any talent related initiatives -
even during tough times.”
general focus on talent in both internal
and external communication, people in the
entire organisation tend to realise there is
more than lip service being paid to talent
management. This is the only way it gets
drilled into the DNA of the people which
can be a challenge.
Bernold O. Schroeder, CEO at Pan
Pacific Hotels says, “In our industry we
have benchmarks and targets for every
department from food cost to daily rate but
unfortunately not for talent development.
I think that is wrong. The way I look at
it, every penny spent on talent is an
investment – in fact it is the only thing
that doesn’t depreciate everything else
does. We have a clear process that I drive
from the top which educates how the
investment made in talent development
is directly proportional to increase in
revenues. And we measure it.”
While 57% CEO’s chose not to quantify the exact amount of time spent
on talent, every single CEO interviewed highlighted that it is a growing
% and the single biggest component of their day to day activities.

06
The CEO’s perspective on priorities for Generation Y and Millennial’s
What the CEO’s believe really matter to the young talent
The Hospitality industry is changing at a
rapid pace due to the changing habits of
its customer as well as employee base.
Technological intervention and social media
is not only influencing a client’s decision
to travel at every stage of the process,
from choosing where to stay, to how they
experience the destination, to how they
engage with a hotel or place when they
leave, it is also changing how the young
today look for job opportunities in the
industry, how they choose a prospective
employer and what is really important for
them in a career. As the needs and wants
of the new age customer evolves, the
industry not only has to respond to them
but also respond to the new age employee
who is now very different to how they were
ten years ago.
When asked about the Next Generation
and millennials, our study showed that
79 % CEOs understandably realise
the inevitability of the workforce being
dominated by the next generation.
As an employer, there is also cognisance
that younger and future generations have
value to add to our business in different
ways and an open conversation amongst
Tim Bush, CEO, Meritage Collection says,
“The young are very different today – they
are very confident; they don’t know of the
great depression, they are also mobile –
across sectors and industries. Companies
have to push and educate them as if they
get bored they leave. If you are competitive
with wages, present them opportunities
for growth and empowerment it can make
a big difference to them. They value an
environment of fun where they can be
creative and express themselves.”
various stakeholders i.e. employees,
partners and customers is what can keep
the companies ahead of the curve.
Interestingly, 42% of CEO’s mentioned
that their companies have been recently
doing a lot of research on generation Y.
However, it is very rare that addressing the
changing needs of this group of talent or
adapting the talent management practices
in accordance to their priorities featured
as a top priority to implement for the
CEOs. Perhaps it is because CEOs put it
in the on-going bucket list in light of the
eventuality and inevitability of the changes.
Most CEO’s observed the largest gap is in
their value systems. It is the first generation
MPS Puri, CEO of Nira Hotels says, “My guests and staff are the same generation.
They might not be shopping at the same stores but they do shop in the same way
i.e. online. They think alike and have grown up on the same things. Understanding
one is key to serving the other better.”
that does not want what their parents
wanted. They believe their happiness does
not lie in a big car or a luxury hotel stay.
This is an evolution and a revolution.
However, there are only a few CEO’s who
are consistently vocal about the need for
customised talent management in specific
for the generation Y and millennials and
of those that do, many are typically the
new brands and companies entering
the hospitality industry as they face the
toughest competition for talent.
The general perception remains that loyalty
to the company does not exist anymore in
generation Y or millennials who tends to
pursue the highest overall compensation.
And their motivational factors are more
complex and far-ranging than their
parents. Generation Y or the millennial
workers also place more importance on
recognition and intangible rewards and
crave personal career development and
have particularly high expectations. It is
a question of wanting to benefit from a
combination of tangible and intangible
reward, as opposed to one or the other.
The majority want to feel that they are part
of something valuable, which is a feeling
every hotel company needs to extend to
all employees today. Clearly the industry
finds itself challenged to provide meaningful
careers for well-educated ambitious
university graduates which is often why so
many talented graduates go on to join other
industries despite a four year education in
this sector.
One also needs to be careful of making this
young generation a homogeneous body.
The need of the new generation varies
greatly based on geographic origin as well
as cultural undertones and place of work.
A Swiss employee or an Eastern European
employee from the same generation Y,
working in the same hotel in Switzerland
could have completely different motivation.
The set of values also change culturally.
For those from developed economies it
is about satiation of immediate needs - a
better house, car or wardrobe. For another
employee in Asia or Africa it could be still
work driven by the need to afford a house
for their parents or a better tractor for the
farm in the village. It also varies depending
on whether they are the breadwinners for a
family or have lower levels of responsibility
i.e. mainly of themselves.
Alejandro Bernabe, CEO of Kempinski
Hotels says, “Millennials and what they
seek out of a career is completely different
to each other depending on which part of
the world they originate from and live in.
It also is different depending on what role
they fulfil in their families.”

07
79%
CEOs understandably realise
the inevitability of the
workforce being dominated
by the next generation.
42%
CEO’s mentioned that
their companies have been
recently doing a lot of
research on generation Y.
86%
CEO’s believe that
intangible factors can prove
to be just as strong a
motivator as tangible
benefits.

08
Based on the responses, we have
summarised below the six most recurrent
themes of what the CEO’s in the industry
believe are priority areas that matter most
for the young generation.
(i) A need for speed
The hospitality industry suffers from a
negative perception that career progression
can be tedious, slow and working hours too
long. This conflicts directly with the ambition
of the new generation of graduates who
want to achieve higher positions faster.
This new generation does not also have the
patience to wait for promotions. They have
confidence in their abilities and they want a
road map on how they will grow with and
within the company and companies have
no option often but to comply.
Peter Fulton, Group President EMEA,
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts says, “Risk taking
has to become a far greater part of how
we manage talent and there needs to be
career progression that is far quicker than
may be how it was when we were in the
formative part of our careers.”
Hours, commitment and shift work are
also constraints for these young graduates
who apart from working also want to
enjoy their time outside work. In fact,
people are becoming more aware about
the importance of having a certain work/
life balance, which is hard to achieve in
the industry. This disillusion explains the
low conversion rate of the number of
graduates who actually enter or remain
within the industry despite graduating from
hotel schools.
The reason hotel graduates don’t
necessarily join the industry is because not
many companies allow them to implement
their learning at school on a job in a Junior
Management position with a clear path to
senior management. The young don’t want
to feel underutilised.
Symon Bridle, COO, Rosewood Group
says, “The young need dynamism in their
careers. If you cannot provide a robust
career path they are going to move.
This is a fact of life. You have to work with
your high flyers in particular to ensure they
understand what is in it for them. Equally,
if they like your brand and their work they
will work as hard as anyone else.”
The respondents believe that the values,
expectations and life style priorities of the
young have to be embraced. We have to
integrate a lot more with this generation to

09
89%
CEO’s believe that a faster career
progression is one of the top priorities
for the young generation
72%
of CEO’s interviewed think the
millennials are in search of a
wholesome work-life experience
83%
CEO’s are of the opinion that it is
critical that generation Y needs to
feel valued and recognised for their
efforts to stick to their jobs
77%
CEO’s believe a higher
remuneration can be a game
changer for the generation Y
and millennial’s
71%
CEO’s place constant feedback
as a main concern for the
Generation next
67%
CEO’s assign a higher social
conscience and strong sense of
giving back as a core value for the
new generation of talent
understand what really ticks their boxes.
To satisfy this growth need is relatively
easier for large hotel chains like Hilton,
Intercontinental and Starwood where
the prospects are plentiful with multiple
opportunities to work on new acquisitions,
with new brands or new destinations in
emerging and frontier markets across
the world. However, the smaller hotel
companies struggle to fulfil this burning
ambition of generation Y.
Generation Y and millennials are a
fascinating new generation – they are
well researched, they are informed
and they learn so much more and very
differently than what was the norm before.
Social media and internet has further
revolutionised this learning process.
Frederic Simon, CEO of Alila Hotels says,
“In our industry we still have SOP’s – if
we want the Millennials to appreciate the
industry enough to join it, we have learn to
change the way we present it and also that
once they join us we have to change the
way we train them. The Generation Y does
not have the time or the mind space to
stick with SOP’s. We have to embrace their
new form of learning.”
(ii) In search of a wholesome
experience
The new generation are found to be
more impatient in terms of increasing
their experiences, and as a result, do
not hesitate to consider disjointed or
disconnected “next steps” as a learning
path, that often looks very different from
a typical career path. Being accessible
is important to them and they have a
voracious appetite to learn from people of
experience. They often don’t want to make
the mistakes of their parents, but instead
want to learn from those mistakes and
make their own.
(iii) Strong need for recognition
and to feel valued
A conversation with the generation Y
today can’t be a generic conversation.
The young don’t want to be treated like
children. They are global, well-travelled
and need to respect their supervisor
to stay on a job. And they only stay in
Kirk Kinsell, President of Intercontinental
Americas says, “I always say that ‘having
a job isn’t having a life.’ One has to
seamlessly integrate all aspects of one’s
life across all roles in their life. Employees
don’t want a job for a life time anymore;
they want valuable life time experiences.
Life time experiences with their company,
their workplace, their families, their
communities. They want to balance
and sort them all. People work for money,
benefits and security, but they
cherish bosses that challenge, help
grow, and take time to understand them
and their dreams.”
places where they feel they are able to
contribute and when they do, they want
instant recognition of their efforts for
work well done. Empowerment, ability
to assume responsibility and flexibility in
the opportunities to grow based on their
preference and specialisation is what gets
their attention. Any company that can help
them be the best in what they want to be
excites them.
Ben Subrata, CEO of Sudamala Resorts,
says, “I see the young talent looking for
not only a place to work. They want to feel
valued, appreciated, noticed. The one big
danger of working with a big brand is you
might end up as a number. This I how we
differentiate our offering at Sudamala - if
you are a character of your own you want
your personality to shine you can take the
leap and decide to associate with a smaller
brand like us but end up doing a lot more
that you would with a bigger brand.”
(iv) It is a lot but not all about
the money
Jobs that are neither well paid, nor a
source of creativity, are obviously no longer
esteemed by the wider culture of generation
Y or millennials. Young people –rightly or
wrongly have the expectation of being well
off. They will question the hours, they will
question the pay and this is a fact of life
which will not change.
However, paying more for them would just
be a start. Equally the fact remains that
progress on pay is not going to be fast
enough in our industry. A 10% salary raise
across the board however nice sounding
will send the operating profit spiralling down
hence it is not a miracle one can expect.

10
Christoph Hoffman, CEO 25Hour
hotels concedes, “When it comes to
remuneration, our industry is a bit of a joke
compared to other industries. No wonder
the best hotel school graduates don’t
join hotel operations after four years of
hospitality education. The only solution is
multiply our room rate by three and then
we can raise the salary. Yet, I doubt that
money can buy loyalty or happiness for
the young. If we look at the Technology
industry (Googles of this world), they
make such a good effort of giving freedom
to people. We need to learn from them,
become a little more adventurous and
foster a job atmosphere that allows more
freedom. The young today need the
opportunity to impact change, be involved,
leave their own personality and have a
certain work-life balance.”
In view of the limitations of the industry,
86% CEO’s believe that intangible factors
can prove to just a strong a motivator as
tangible benefits of pay.
(v) Show me the love - constant
feedback and appreciation
Generation Y stands for greater levels
of personal career development and
progression – they need to feel that
Christopher Cowdray, CEO Dorchester Collection says, “Generation Y is certainly
more sensitive and have a deeper social conscience. They want to know more and are
confident about challenging ideas. The expectations of those especially who have been
Universities is to want a fast track to their careers. In our business this is complicated
because senior level positions need to know how to lead people and that is not a stage
which is easy to fast track into. There is a shift in the value system – the fundamental
things like pension is not relevant to them. They want cash in hand. They want career
progression and growth.”
they have an input into the businesses
they work for and that their voices are
being heard. Priority areas for the way
any business manages the younger
generation, therefore, evolve around the
understanding that no ‘one-size-fits-all’
approach can last in any organization,
but rather a greater need to work with
the individual. Regular communication
with employees and coming together
to celebrate shared successes are just
some of the ways in which a company can
foster an environment that places greater
emphasis on the needs of the individual.
(vi) Social conscience is very
important for the Generation Y
As a group, this next generation appears
to have a broader global perspective
and is more value-centred, particularly
about giving back to their communities
or being associated with movements like
sustainability and community actions.
The Corporate Social Responsibility
initiatives, work in the local community,
through charity fundraisers and events,
empowers employees with a rewarding
feeling of giving back – which is just as
important to them as recognition for
good performance.
Filip Boyen, COO, Belmond Ltd. says,
“The generation Y expects more money,
fast career growth, flexibility and have a
strong dislike for anything mundane. We
also have to revolutionise the feedback
process and also how often we appraise
the Generation Next – it is not something
that can happen once a year. They need
feedback and need it constantly.”

A Look into the Future – The Oracle Speaks
11
The generation Y
and millennial
employee
• Wants career growth and a clear road map for development
• Is confident, well researched and not afraid to question or express their opinion
• Values a balanced approach to life and flexibility at work
• Craves recognition, feedback and looks for meaning in life
• Rates the social aspects like team spirit, work environment and sense of pride
as highly as money
• Needs to feel respect for their manager and seeks senior executives as mentors
The new age CEO
• Leads by example
• Believes in inspiring and coaching as against commanding
• Is a role model and shares his story to inspire the young
• Actively delegates responsibility and doesn’t hoard power
• Seeks commercial returns apart from operational efficiency
• Builds partnership and creates a strong employer branding in companies
The bottom line
• Understanding what the generation Y and millennials seek from an employer
will become a competitive advantage in the hunt for the best talent
• The ability to offer growth, flexibility, transparency and feedback is the way
to retain employees
• Parity in pay is important for the young and it needs to be performance based
• Technology is going to transform the recruitment processes and the ability
to innovate in the recruitment will enable best recruitment
• Honest and carefully considered employer branding, will help attract the
“right” people to the organisation

12
Proactive solutions from the CEO’s desks
What can hotel companies do to address the issues and manage the
young talent better?
1. Different is good – Foster diversity at
all levels
There is overwhelming agreement amongst the CEO’s that
diversity is absolutely critical to the growth of the industry
and their respective companies.
Wolfgang Neumann, CEO of Rezidor Hotel Group says,
“One of the key challenges we have as an organisation is we
don’t have enough women in leadership positions. We have
launched women in leadership initiative – I am a passionate
believer in equal rights and equal pay. Today we have 16%
women in Senior Management and we want that number
doubled by 2016.”
In hotel industry, a history of recruiting and promoting from
within has seen businesses and companies become increasingly
insular and homogenous. One of the big challenges is the need
to stop recruiting on the basis of ‘similarity attraction’ on the part
of the existing management, and start recruiting people who are
very different from the current workforce.
Glo Hotels CEO, Aarne Hallama says, “Our industry is often
called insular but we have consciously worked to change that
and need to keep doing that. Our new Marketing Director
comes from an Elevator company and an Agency in London
before. We recruit people for the right attitude and train for skill.
A teacher, a drama school graduate might be more passionate
than a hotel school graduate. Hotel companies should seek out
the right candidate.”
Gerald Lawless, Group CEO, Jumeirah adds, “If all other
industries are recruiting from our industry there is a case in
point for us to start recruiting from other sectors. We are very
proud of the number of female applicants in our company
especially from the region and UAE in specific who are
increasingly showing the promise of joining the industry. If
people don’t express an interest to join our industry, we have to
introspect on the why and think about how can we change it.”
A good talent strategy has to be based on customisation
and innovation – it is great if more and more hotel companies
look and find talent from other disciplines as long as they
understand good hospitality practices. The key is to not
confine people to SOP’s and brand standards – people have
to express themselves beyond that. The spontaneity of a
personality needs to be preserved and fostered.
Symon Bridle, COO, Rosewood Hotel Group says, “When
we are looking for new talent at the management level we do
turn to the more traditional avenues like hotel schools. But it is
constantly changing. As an example for one of our new hotel

13
openings in Beijing, we organised the
initial recruitment at an Art Gallery which
is a non-traditional venue and the reason
is we want more of the fresh personalities
knowing and confident that we can train
for the skills in house.”
Hospitality industry could also do well with
more ‘left-brained’ logical and analytical
personalities as against being dominated
by ‘right-brained’ people who are creative
and intuitive. But the fact remains that to
recruit and – more importantly – retain this
diverse talent most hotel companies will
also need a culture that nurtures such a
development. In our experience with hotel
companies, letting go of the traditional
mind set is the hard part.
Stephen Walden, CEO, Maybourne Hotel
Group says, “One of my core obligations
as CEO is to hire the finest people and
that means not just looking at within the
industry. I particularly like to hire from
outside as those individuals bring fresh
thinking. But when I bring people in to
our business, particularly from outside of
the sector, I do so carefully and one at a
time. You have to be very sensitive and
help them understand the culture and the
working environment.”
He adds “We have recently hired a senior
HR professional from Louis Vuitton and a
Head of IT from Hogg Robinson. I have
also retained a Brand Consultancy whose
last assignment was with Mulberry. I
passionately believe that we can learn
from other sectors like retail, fashion,
high end residential designers and other
businesses e.g. NetJets to bring a higher
level of personalization for the customer;
allowing us to tailor- make experiences in
our suites, taking on board technologies to
see how they are thinking differently to us
in hospitality.”
2. Actively work to change
the industry’s image and
perception
The CEO’s have consistently raised
the issue of the industry’s media image
being old, outdated and even inaccurate.
Although at the first instance there is
curiosity and interest in the industry, many
buy into the impression that the industry
offers poor job security and a lot of
stress, and that training to get a job is not
important or of any value.
A wholesome and concentrated effort
needs to be made to contribute jointly to
an updated and more nuanced image. An
ideal way of doing this is by showcasing
the career paths of various professionals
and stars in the industry. There are
so many highly successful CEO’s and
professionals who have achieved exciting
careers without being celebrities. There
is also more to the industry than “foul
mouthed chef’s”. And there are in fact far
more interesting stories to profile including
the need to emphasise entrepreneurship
and highlight the multiple ways of joining
the industry, rising the ranks despite
coming from completely divergent
backgrounds and having a flourishing
career in it. Another way of reaching the
young is through the high school students
and their parents who are considering
future educational options way before
University education.
Frederic Simon CEO of Alila Hotels
says, “Image of a hotel industry suffers
owing to low financial rewards and long
hours. However this image is changing.
The perception of joining the industry is
completely different based on culture and
sensitivity. Europe, Middle East, Asia – it
is all different. The fact is career growth
potential is fast and enormous for those
who want to build a career in the industry.
We just need to profile the facts better.”
In certain geographies like the Middle
East, hospitality is perceived as a dynamic,
forward-thinking sector and an exciting
industry to work in. Today’s customers are
ever more vocal, and rightly so, about any
negative experiences which, of course,
affect reputation. The hospitality sector
can attract younger generations by staying
relevant and interesting, constantly trying
to better itself and improve what it has
done in the past. A career in hospitality
is incredibly rewarding and dynamically
evolving – this is especially interesting for
the young talent.

14
Puneet Chhatwal
CEO
Steigenberger Hotels
Frederic Flageat-Simon
CEO
Alila Hotels and Resorts
Simon Coombs
CEO
Shaza Hotels
Beat R Sigg
Group CEO
Victoria Jungfrau Collection
Gerald Lawless
President & Group CEO
Jumeirah Group
Laura Tarkka
CEO
Glo Hotels
Alejandro Bernabe
CEO
Kempinski Hotels
Guy Hutchinson
COO
Rotana Hotels
These points suggest that there is a need
to change the industry’s image and create,
as one of the respondents stated, a ‘career
culture’, which could also encourage the
new generation to exhibit loyalty to the
industry, and ideally, to one company within
the industry.
Yaron Ashkenazi, CEO, Grand City hotels
says, “The image of the industry is “service
given by servants” which is far from the
reality. The hotel industry apart from room
and food and beverage deals with aspects
as diverse as engineering, sewage,
maintenance, finance, telecommunication,
real estate and above all people. We need
to send the message that it is one of the
most interesting industries because it is
extremely diversified.”
The other issue has been that hotel
companies have focussed before solely
on the key four departments. Where we
have to do better is to highlight the different
choices in the industry and a big range of
professions – if you start in F&B doesn’t
mean you need to stay there. It is now a
more integrated industry and people need
to realise that.
Importance of Employer branding
The young are more demanding because
they know more. They are well researched,
have a huge amount of choice, and with
the speed of media disseminate their views
widely. The Generation Y and Millennials
are also clever in differentiating between
marketing blurb and reality – they want a
brand that represents what they aspire to
be. People won’t leave companies if the
brand engages them and they still want
the brand to look after you and manage
your career. If we can’t show the career
growth to the young – the industry and its
work is commoditised.
Laura Tarkka, CEO, Glo Hotels says,
“A brand needs to speak to the young
talent. It is not about finding talent - it is
about finding the right talent and creating
an aspirational pull factor with the brand
so the best people want to join and
grow with your brand.”
It is critical to clearly articulate a
company’s vision and make sure that
employees can identify with it. Obviously,
the vision must include positive outcomes
for the business, but it must also relate to
the company’s reputation, what personal
development opportunities it creates for
the employees, a clear plan on how one
can actually deliver on the vision and
ways that the vision will positively
impact them, the key stakeholders and
broader communities.
And there are advantages of being small or
big – they will attract the right type of talent
looking for a certain opportunity that fit
their specific needs.
Christoph Hoffman, CEO of 25 hour
hotels says, “Identifying the high potential
people is key, whether they have little or a
lot of hotel experience. 70% of the people
who applied to 25h are very aware that
we are different than the big names. The
brand itself attracts the right people to
the company. We want to focus more and
more on our employer brand, namely how
are we perceived. We want to identify the
match between our DNA and
the people.”

Make it fun and learn from those
who get it right
IT companies like Google, entice people
to join the industry. They have even made
geeky “cool”. This sort of fresh thinking
helps to retain good young talent. We need
to look at forward thinking businesses (e.g.
Apple Stores/fashion houses & boutiques)
and be in sync with the modern world.
Stephen Walden of Maybourne Hotel
Group says,” My mantra is “create a place
where people want to be” and that covers
both guests and colleagues.”
Many young people are concerned that
the industry is stressful, that the work
environment is poor and that job security
is non-existent. The fact is in banking
depending on whether you are in M&A,
Trading or Investment Banking you are
working a minimum of 16 hours including
most weekends and holidays. Somehow
still the bonus at the end of the year seems
to make it worthwhile. What our industry
needs is for the young to feel proud of
Peter Strebel, of Omni Hotels says,
“In North America, Container Store
consistently gets ranked as one of the
top choice of employers – so what we
do is spend time with these companies
to learn how they keep their associates
happy. More hotel companies need to
learn from unrelated businesses
or specific companies to increase
employee satisfaction.”
working the weekend or an odd shift and
have so much fun while at it that they can
talk about it on Monday morning with an
infectious enthusiasm and sense of pride.
People working in the industry are strongly
united on the best things about the job
being the congenial colleagues and the
workplace atmosphere. This aspect is
particularly important to young people,
and is therefore needs to be emphasised
as one of the main messages.
Wolfgang Neumann, “Our industry is too
traditional, we need to innovate, learn from
others and break down the hierarchies.
Our society is changing. It is obvious we
need to think different.”
15
3. Make the sector financially
attractive – Remuneration
should be about “total
rewards” not just salaries
Hospitality industry needs to be at the
forefront of attracting and retaining talent
by bringing in employment benefits and
flexible work arrangements for staff
whilst educating their employees on a
‘total rewards perspective’ that involves
considering base pay, variable pay, benefits
and work-life balance together. There is
a critical need for companies to keep the
critical talent pool growing - not necessarily
through or only through salaries, but
Guy Hutchinson, COO of Rotana Hotels
& Resorts says, “If you are passionate
you can grow in this industry like in no
other industry. People complain about
low pay in our industry and it is true that
working in hotels is not a straight path to
become the richest person in the world
but it is not the same as saying we do so
badly at all. I often speak at hotel schools
and tell them when asked – look out of
the window this is the car I drove
here in – it is not a sob story.”
Frank Fiskers
President & CEO
Scandic Hotels
Christopher Cowdray
CEO
Dorchester Collection
Abid Butt
CEO
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
Raul Gonzalez
CEO
Barcelo Hotels & Resorts
Wolfgang M. Neumann
CEO
Rezidor Group
Lilian Roten
Head
Swissotel Hotels & Resorts
Rakesh Sarna
CEO
Taj Hotels
Michael Wale
Group President EMEA
Starwood Hotels & Resorts

16
through experience, responsibility and
other intangibles.
Vivek Nair, Chairman & CEO, Leela Hotels
and Resorts says, “On a remuneration
basis we might not be market leaders
but what we can provide instead is a very
steady career path and fast track growth.
We believe this can distinguish us.”
Often, tailored benefits, like insurance or
the flexibility to work from home, can be
worth as much as a pay raise. The cost of
providing these benefits is much lower than
the perceived value by employees, and can
partly take care of lesser ‘salary increases’.
Such benefits are practical as they are less
costly than comparable pay increases,
and they give a unique proposition to
the workforce. This is an easy way to
maximise the companies’ returns on such
costs without increasing across-theboard
expenses. Employees should be
encouraged to think that they are worthy of
best-in-class perks. Most companies have
a remuneration package that is base salary
driven. If companies had a performance
driven component it could actually instil
a strong spirit of entrepreneurialism and
partnership in the team so the young feel
they belong way more.
Rakesh Sarna, CEO of Taj Group says, “In
general, the talent management practices
in hotel industry are in a nascent stage.
By developing the right kind of talent
management practices, one could make
younger talent join the industry and stay
with it. Interventions related to work life
balance, joy at the workplace and in
life, allowing an employee to find his/her
natural talent and developing it etc. would
make the industry much more attractive
for younger generation.”
Provide constant feedback and be
transparent
Any effective talent management strategy
must be built to retain and reward
employees appropriately and making
financial rewards transparent is a key
element to it. This is essential for the
new generation which thrives by taking
ownership and work towards the target.
Lilian Roten, Head Swissotel Hotels &
Resorts says, “We need to make sure that
we are always communicative and foster
an open door policy that allows our people
to be authentic, forward thinking and most
importantly question the status quo. This
is especially relevant as a lot of what we
learnt 30 years ago in hotel schools is not
relevant anymore.”
Mohammed Al Mulla, CEO Katara
Hospitality says, “We value our
responsibility to Qatar National Vision
2030 and the role we play in the creation
of a local knowledge economy. Training
and equipping Qatari nationals for
successful careers in hospitality is one
of the tasks at the top of our agenda.
In light of that, conducting regular
performance reviews and consultations
with our employees also ensures we are
identifying the future stars early on in the
course of their development, so that they
can go on to management positions
within our organisation. All of this helps
to ensure that we are developing the
company’s future leaders from within
the business.”
Taking a longer term view
and sticking to the promise in
hard times
Hotel industry is extremely cyclical and
business plans change frequently during
tough market situations – the industry has
been guilty of firing at the bottom thereby
losing good people and hiring them back at
the top at an increasing cost. This needs to
change through countercyclical planning.
The best talent needs to be shown plans
that go further than the recession, as this
will motivate them to stay with the company.
Budget cuts may cause good employees
to look for better opportunities and
companies need to give them reasons to
stay by creating advancement opportunities.
These steps will not only allow companies
to keep their best employees in a downturn
but also put them in a much stronger
position than the competition when the
good times come back.
4. Make Talent Management
a Core Part of the Strategy
Talent Management should be
everyone’s responsibility
Every leader should be a role model – not
only the CEO’s because often time’s people
leave their immediate supervisor not the
CEO’s vision. Hence, at all levels people
should assume that responsibility. It has to
be a team effort – As a CEO it is definitely a
core obligation, but it is equally everyone’s
responsibility to contribute in this regard.
Gerald Lawless, Group CEO of Jumeirah
says, “An enlightened, modern, flexible
approach is absolutely necessary to
continue to attract young people to the
industry. The hours are not going to get
shorter but there are ways to provide
flexibility that can make a difference. We
are now talking about providing flexible
timings to parents who might have school
drop offs to do in the morning hence a late
start can make all the difference to them.
We are talking about job sharing and part
timing, crèche facilities for young mothers
to welcome them back to the jobs.“

17
Normal Arundel, CEO, Rydges Hotels – “As
a small company we don’t operate like a
chain. We see ourselves as a collection
of businesses run by GM’s and place the
responsibility of talent on the person who
runs that business. What we try to do is
find people who have special talent and
once we have them push them forward.
He adds, “One thing we have discovered
is you can’t corporatize Talent
management. We can’t delegate it to
HR or any one department. We don’t
systemise it so we simply make it part of
the KPI for every single member so it is
considered as something everyone needs
to practice. The catch is we tell people –
if you want to progress you need to make
people in your business progress.”
Recruitment is critical – hire people
for the job they will do
Hotel companies also need to move away
from over promising. It is common to have
hotel companies promise the world and
invite young talent to be part of the most
dynamic, fastest growing or most awarded
company where you can grow the ranks to
be the General Manager or CEO.
For a House keeping department employee
(which is a very important job) – hotel
companies very clear mandate should be
to provide the correct job profile and recruit
for that job profile as against recruiting for
the CEO. If we have 30 – 40% turnover in
the industry it happens for a reason.
Rupert Simoner, CEO, VI International
says, “In talent management hotel
companies have generally focussed on
all parts of the process except on the
recruitment part. We call things differently
now – instead of a waiter it might be a
server and the job description has evolved
to read more interesting. But we are still
fishing in the same pond. The key is to
look at motivated people not necessarily
from hotel schools or apprenticeship
programs but just as much at 30+ career
changers who might be looking for
something different in life.”
Lothar Pehl, Head of Global Initiatives
Starwood says, “There is limited merit in
making a candidate go through multiple
rounds of psychometric tests if the job
they eventually have to perform has
nothing remotely intellectual about it.”
Empower your Human Resources
Team
With the unprecedented increase in luxury
hotel openings, the young talent today
have lots of career opportunities.
Dilip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotel
Group says, “In most organisations, HR
is driven by policies and procedures and
unfortunately people hide behind these
policies. People say – we can’t do this or
that. In our case if we find the right person,
we make it happen. Because from a simple
cost benefit analysis we know the right
person will indeed pay his investment many
times over. More importantly, the candidate
will appreciate us for going that extra
mile and it makes him committed to the
company. You have to break rules and you
cannot hide behind policies and procedures.
You need to be creative. Don’t tie the hands
of the young and ask them to swim.”
Pull out all stops to retain the
best talent
The industry is growing at a tremendous
pace and is probably not doing anywhere
near enough what it can to attract
young talent. 58% of CEO’s interviewed
expressed concern about other industries
aggressively recruiting and poaching the
hotel school graduates for their transferable
skills and attitude. Further, elite hotel
schools state statistics that only 30% of
students who study hospitality actually
remain in the industry and an even lower
percentage actively join hotel operations.
This is a clear indication that the industry is
simply not investing enough time or money
in getting people to want to stay.
Puneet Chhatwal, CEO Steigenberger
Hotels and Resorts says,” The new age
talent challenge is not just about hiring
or training the right people. It is just as
important to keep people motivated and
engaged – it is about retaining the best
talent. This is even more relevant in our
industry where we have to make the extra
effort to keep the best within our industry
first and then our respective companies.”
Perhaps in many ways we have become
conservative in our business about giving
responsibility to the young. Employers need
to take need to take more risks with young
graduates and let them know that they
will not be put them on jobs way below
their capacity but instead are going to
challenged. We are going to give you a job
with responsibility. The hotel schools are
turning out great people – it is up to us to
give them more responsibility.
58% of CEO’s interviewed expressed concern about other industries
aggressively recruiting and poaching the hotel school graduates for
their transferable skills and attitude.

18
individual development goals than to
have established traditional development
stages. Communication should therefore
emphasise that the industry offers great
opportunities for that kind of individually
tailored development, not only for people
who are happy to stay where they are but
also for those who want to progress. The
industry also offers ample opportunities to
tailor hours and capacity to life stage and
personal preferences.
Abid Butt, CEO of Banyan Tree Hotels
says, “The Millennials need establishing
clear development plans and career paths.
Organisations have to continue identifying
and acknowledging deserving employees
and determine those employees that
contribute significantly more than others.
We also need to review long term pay
trends in the industry – especially for the
right candidate.”
Using the exit interviews to
your advantage
In the employee employer lifecycle and
association, an important interaction that
is often overlooked is the moment they
say good bye. When employees leave, it
is important that they leave happy and in
good terms. This is especially important
for the young generation as they are highly
communicative on all social platforms
about their experience. A happily sent off
employee is not only more likely to return,
they will also continue to be ambassadors
for the company.
Glo Hotels CEO, Aarne Hall, “Exit
interviews are such a great way to learn
about what went wrong, why are people
leaving – every company should focus
on it. And if it has been done well, you
will know as the person will come back to
join the firm after a few years. That is the
best feeling.”
Successful companies encourage staff
to make career changes that it’s in their
best interests.
Frederic Simon, CEO of Alila Hotels says,
“I believe in going all out to develop the
Beat Sigg, CEO, Victoria Jungfrau
Collection says, “I am a firm believer
that people should go out, change, and
improve their perspective and return if and
when they find the best fit for themselves.
It is our aim and responsibility to give our
brightest and best what they need - in our
company or help them get it elsewhere.
The idea is always to bring them back.
As a small company this is especially
important for us to offer and engage the
new generation. Some are eager to move
forward and for us the difficulty is we can’t
make it happen internally all the time. So
our focus is to stay in touch and in the
future, whenever there is an opening we
reach the right people if we have stayed in
touch all along.”
right talent. You have to create a culture
of learning and development. This means
having a plan for your best talent instead
of the tendency to say “he is doing such
a great job so let’s make sure he stays on
the job”.
5. Offer individually tailored
development plans and
flexibility
Personal development is the new career
mantra for young people generally.
It is more important for them to have
Only 30% of students who study hospitality
actually remain in the industry and even lower
percentages actively join hotel operations.
Raul Gonzalez, CEO, Barcelo Hotels
& Resorts says, “From our experience,
Generation Y are not desperate or overly
keen to move or be mobile unlike what is
popular perception. Those who are mobile
still have limitations. So it is a personal
story and has to be dealt case to case as
it should be.”
Young generation have different demands
– they want managers they can respect
and they also expect clear leadership
paths and roles of the manager being
one of a coach than a commander. They
also need constant feedback and clarity
in communication. This requires that the
industry needs to be more focussed on
leadership and management training. If we
have to successfully encourage employees
to stay and build their careers in the
industry there has to be ways of developing
more career development opportunities.
Generation Y needs variety – to keep the
interest levels high, the key is to allow the
young to personalise their experience and
choose what excites them.
The young have always been in a hurry
and it is not that things are different today.
Everyone needs a good salary. The young
also need a sense of ownership and sense
of making a difference. And I am sure
most will agree that seeking a sense of
recognition and ownership is not such a
hard ask.

19
Why is the hotel
industry such an
exciting place to be
- THE CEO’s
ELEVATOR PITCH
Golden age of travel and a
growth industry
We are an industry of the future
expecting strong growth going
forward in terms of both domestic
consumption and foreign visitors.
Our industry is one of the largest
global employers, we drive large %
of GDP in many countries, tourism
is growing and for anybody who
joins the industry, there couldn’t be
a better time.
Fast track to being an
entrepreneur
Barriers to entry in this industry to an
entrepreneurial venture or ancillary
business supporting the business are
not very high. Hence, the experience
of working in this industry can help
you become a boss of your own faster
than any other industry – if that’s what
one wants.
Unprecedented career
opportunities
This is a meritocratic industry and
there is possibly no other place where
you can still get to the top armed with
the right skills and common sense.
Where it might take 15 – 20 years for
a candidate to be the GM of a big
division in another business
(as an example heavy industries), for a
good hotelier a GM position is possible
in a matter of half that time.
Travel and passion for finer
things in life
This industry can offer you a job in
any corner of the world. Working in
hospitality is a fascinating opportunity
to tour the world and live and work
with varied cultures, languages and
people. If you have a genuine love
for art, ambience, luxury, food or
wine, working in the business can be
extremely enjoyable.
The pace and the pulse
This is a business that is rich in life
experiences. It is a job where when
you go to work in the morning and you
can’t be sure what will happen – it is
anything but static or predictable and
boring. If you crave for adventure –
you can be excited every day of your
working life.
Working with people is the
most rewarding thing you
can do
Making other people feel good is
something to be proud of. Providing
good service is hard, and requires
skill and expertise and if you have the
passion for dealing with people one
can really make a difference to
another person.

20
About the Author
Aradhana Khowala
Aradhana is Managing Partner at Bridge.Over Group and for the past six years has overseen the rapid growth of its strategy consulting
business. Passionate about people and transforming companies, her combined experience in the Hotel and Hospitality Consulting
industry has spanned Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa over the last 15 years. Prior to Bridge.Over, she was working for Jones Lang
LaSalle in London and before that for a Strategy Consulting practice in Europe as well as in Operations for a Global hotel chain
in Asia.
Aradhana has executed consulting mandates in over 35 countries globally and her particular interest lies in helping hotels and owners
with strategic reviews, project feasibilities, elaborating business plans, turn-around restructurings and buy side due diligence. Apart from
strategy, she is especially focussed on managing the issue of talent and its pipeline development in emerging and frontier markets in
Africa and currently working towards ensuring there are sufficient educational and vocational training institutes to sustainably fuel the
growth of tourism in the region.
In 2014, she was featured by Swiss Economic magazine Bilan as one of the next generation leaders who will likely define the future
of the hospitality industry. Aradhana has a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from IHM Mumbai in India, an MBA in International
Hospitality from Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and an Advanced Program in Hotel Real Estate Investments from Cornell
University, New York. A keen industry practitioner, she speaks regularly at industry conferences, has authored many articles on a range
of diverse hospitality related topics and serves on the Advisory Board of BE Health – a charity that aims to prevent HIV/AIDS and
Tuberculosis in Asia and Africa.

21
About Bridge.Over Group
Bridge.Over Group is a boutique strategy consulting firm dedicated to solving business
challenges for hospitality visionaries across the globe. Sought after by hotel owners,
investors and management companies alike for its entrepreneurial way of thinking,
Bridge. Over Group is a partner of choice for companies seeking fresh ideas for
change and improvement in the hospitality and tourism industries.
Bridge.over Group SA
28 Boulevard du Pont d’Arve
1205 Geneva, Switzerland
T: +44 78 8186 6049
E: aradhana.khowala@bridge-over.com
W: www.bridge-over.com
About World Tourism Forum Lucerne
World Tourism Forum Lucerne is a highly exclusive, independent and global platform
where the top Management of hospitality, tourism and leisure companies from around
the globe can meet a selection of handpicked current and future leaders as Next
Generation Participants. World Tourism Forum Lucerne is led by Prof. Martin Barth
and is unique in being the only global event in travel and tourism with a high priority
and clear focus on the integration of tomorrow’s industry leaders with the existing
top management. During April 23 – 24, 2015 this year’s summit will convene again in
Lucerne, Switzerland, where three generations, the public and private sector as well
as all the different segments of our sector will meet in one room and work together on
the future of our industry.
Prof Martin Barth
World Tourism Forum Lucerne
c/o Lucerne School of Business
Institute of Tourism
Rösslimatte 48, P.O. Box 2940
6002 Lucerne, Switzerland
T: +41 (0) 41 228 99 80
E: martin.barth@wtflucerne.org
W: www.wtflucerne.org

Bridge.over Group SA
28 Boulevard du Pont d’Arve
1205 Geneva, Switzerland
T: +44 78 8186 6049
E: aradhana.khowala@bridge-over.com
W: www.bridge-over.com