A field trip to Barcelona provided a perfect opportunity for Master’s students to hear how to forge a successful hospitality career.

There was a twist for the last in the current series of guest lectures from leading lights in the industry, as this time it happened as part of the field trip to Barcelona organized for International Hospitality Business Master’s students from our London and Swiss campuses.

The five-star Hotel Arts in the Catalan capital was the illustrious venue for the lecture, delivered by long-time Glion collaborator and Area Managing Director Classic Luxury Europe & Maghreb for Marriott International, Rivero Delgado Ramos.

According to Academic Dean Dr Antonina Santalova, “During field trips such as this, students get to see the work of hospitality professionals first hand and, crucially, ask them questions, which enables them to find out how what they have learned in the classroom is implemented in a real-life setting,”

It was particularly appropriate that Rivero spoke to students at the Barcelona Arts Hotel as that was where she began her illustrious 25-year career as a pool attendant after graduating from university.

From intern to management

“I started out as an intern in this hotel 25 years ago,” she told students. “From pool attendant, I moved to the rooms division, then reception and housekeeping. But I remember the day when I joined – it changed my life. I really thought, ‘this is what I’m good at. This is what I love to do.’”

Having worked her way up the career ladder with Marriott International all over the world, Rivero was clear about the importance of being committed to hospitality if you are aiming for a successful career in it.

“I’m lucky because I have wanted to be in this industry since I was very young. If you are hesitating about whether this is the industry you want to spend your life in, hospitality may not be for you. Because to be successful, you need to be 300% committed and you need to be passionate about it.

“At school, they teach you the foundations. But when you step into hotels and you see yourself behind the reception desk or serving coffee, working with guests – if you don’t enjoy that moment and you don’t think, ‘wow, I love doing these things’, you may struggle for the rest of the journey.”

Brand decisions

As well as underlining to students how critical it is to be committed to the industry, Rivero also underlined the importance of finding the right hospitality brand for you.

“When people ask me ‘what is your favorite brand?’ I can’t lie… it’s Ritz-Carlton,” she says. “It’s in my DNA and has been since I was at my orientation. It’s something really special that I feel connected to and something you will hopefully experience in your careers too.

“My advice to you while you’re still studying and deciding what you’re good at is to look for a brand or a company that has values you identify with because that’s so important. If you don’t share those values, you may be OK for a while, but you will find it more difficult to be enthusiastic about over the course of your whole career.”

Rivero added that Ritz-Carlton takes care to employ young people wherever possible so they can introduce them to the brand at an early age.

“When we select talent – and we select rather than hire – we like to engage the younger generation because we can make sure they understand the brand from the very beginning. And when they start developing, they stay with us when they feel our values reflect theirs.”

Learning the ropes

Deciding on a career in the industry and choosing a brand you feel reflects your values is just the start, according to Rivero.

“When I was your age, most people aiming for a career in hospitality wanted to do their internships in the office on the sales, marketing or finance side,” she says. “That would not be my recommendation. Schools insist you should intern in operations and I would agree, because gaining a thorough understanding of how a hotel operates takes years. And there is not a single successful hotelier who does not understand operations.

“I’d also add you should strive to be the best you can be when doing your internship. Push yourself even if it’s not the area you want to work in because that will show you the level of excellence you need to achieve if you really want a successful hospitality career.”

Equally important is the customer experience, according to Rivero, who told students: “When you do your next internship, it doesn’t matter which department you’re in, you need to think about every guest interaction you’re having and provide the three steps of service: functional, emotional and mystical.

“Functional is all about ensuring you deliver the fundamentals, while emotional is making sure you connect with the customer. The mystical is the ‘wow’ factor – it’s about making guests so happy they will want to come back no matter what the cost.”

Leading people

Rivero also had some valuable advice for students on how to lead and get the best out of their teams.

“We have a huge challenge in hospitality,” she says. “People have become used to choosing an industry based on salaries and flexible hours and we just can’t compete with that. But we can offer development opportunities and the chance of a great career. Hospitality is an industry that requires sacrifice from its workforce, so you have to be able to give something in return and that’s not easy.

“But if you select the right team members, train them, set expectations, enable them to learn from their mistakes and focus on their strengths, I can guarantee you will develop loyal, committed employees and you will be successful.”

• Click here to read the report on the first in this guest lecture series, by Hôtel de Paris GM, Olivier Thomas
• Click here to read about the second guest lecture in the series, by Chief International Development Officer at Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, Pascal Camia

Photo credit

Hotel receptionist: PhotoAlto/Eric Audras/Getty