Few Glion alumni know the African hotel market better than Richard Robaix. Now COO and interim CEO of the multi-brand Mangalis Hotel Group, Richard sat down with The Insider to chart his unique hospitality journey while lifting the lid on the challenges and opportunities for African hoteliers.

As many parents of late teenage boys will tell you, getting them to think about future career paths is a thankless task. Not so with Richard Robaix, who at just 18 years of age had set his sights on going to hotel school.

“I finished my French Baccalaureate in July 1979, and then started to look at the best schools in Switzerland,” he explains. “That of course included Glion, but the trouble was that in those days you had to be over 21 to be accepted to the school. The idea was that students would already have some hotel experience before starting the Diploma in Hospitality Administration offered at that time.”

After a little persuasion, the Glion admissions team relented, and Richard was given just a week to prepare for the beginning of his program.

Fast-forward a full 45 years and Richard’s journey in hospitality is still far from complete. It’s a journey that has seen him crisscross the continent of Africa, working in many different countries including Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Tanzania, Benin, Liberia and Gabon, alongside spells in France and Egypt as well as in the cruise business. And now it has reached new heights with his appointment as COO and interim CEO of the Côte d’Ivoire based Mangalis Hotel Group.

Why the African connection? Because while Richard’s family background is Lebanese, he was born in Côte d’Ivoire, and this was the country he returned to in order to undertake the first of two professional placements which were part of his Glion Diploma.

“I liked it very much and – lucky me – the hotel was originally 150 rooms and at that moment they were creating an extension that basically doubled the property in size. During that opening I was in charge of the room service; and in Africa there is no ramping up – you open one day and the next day, you are full!”

In this case the pressure was not just the number of initial guests but also their importance, since most were parliamentarians aligned to the country’s then president, Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

“The hotel was full of MPs, ministers, you name them. I was involved with everything; we did banquets, outside catering. So it was a good experience, after which I returned to Glion to do my second year.”

A quick return to Africa

Towards the end of his studies, Richard attended a recruitment week on campus and was interviewed by Sheraton, earning a post-graduation role with a new hotel the company was opening in the city of Cotonou in the West African state of Benin.

A former colony of France, the now independent Benin was governed under a Marxist-Leninist ideology at that time. Richard’s arrival in the country was just a handful of years after a coup attempt led by French mercenaries, and which had included a failed invasion of Cotonou.

“All around the city there were pictures of these French mercenaries who’d been killed during the coup. And I was thinking goodness, here I am as a Frenchman working for an American hotel company… but we opened successfully and, as usual, we were full immediately!”

More international experiences followed, not just in the hotel business but also in the world of cruise ships, which Richard sampled on two occasions, the latter of which saw him based in the luxurious surroundings of Monaco.

“I was in the leisure department of the international ship management company V.Ships, which meant I could work across a number of cruise ships they managed. One of the highlights of my time there was getting the opportunity to do the opening of a new cruise ship, called the SS Southern Cross.”

Under a previous name, this ship was known for its appearances in a number of popular TV series, including The Love Boat, Columbo and Starsky & Hutch. But even though its TV career was behind it, Richard found no shortage of drama dealing with the cruise line, CTC, which now owned the vessel. CTC had carved out a successful niche within the UK cruising market, but the business disappeared without trace a few years later. “It teaches you a lot of things,” was Richard’s succinct remark on that particular experience.

Transcontinental adventures

Keen to move back into the hotel business, Richard rejoined the Accor group, enjoying spells in Ghana, Egypt and France. Then in 2006 he was given the opportunity to work on a major extension to the Sofitel The Moorehouse hotel in Lagos.

“That hotel was originally 44 rooms and with the extension it more than doubled in size to 92 rooms,” he explains. “We completed the project successfully, and in 2008 we achieved €12 million revenue, with 60% GOP (gross operating profit).”

From then onwards, Richard’s career pathway has not strayed outside the continent of Africa. In March 2019, it led him to the role of General Manager at the Noom hotel in Niamey, Niger. This became the catalyst for his close relationship with Mangalis Group, for whom Noom is the upscale brand within its portfolio.

With this extraordinary amount of firsthand experience to call upon, how does Richard characterize the African hospitality sector, particularly at the upscale end of the market, in which he has mostly specialized?

“Obviously things have become more modern over the time I’ve been here; but there’s still what I would describe as the Ivorian art de vivre – a softer approach to life, as well as a slightly more relaxed attitude to time. But don’t confuse that with low expectations from guests, especially in the luxury segment. If a guest is paying $300-plus for a room they will expect an appropriate level of service.

“You have to remember that more and more Africans have traveled now, have experienced luxury, service, good food abroad. So the clientele is quite demanding. In fact, I say to my boss ‘if I ever come to you and say you know, we’re in Africa this is normal, then kick me out. Because I must not accept mediocrity. We have to look for excellence every time.

“I can actually say, having worked in Europe and Africa, that sometimes we are better served in Africa than in Europe, in terms of the guest experience. And that’s because of the natural warmth of the people.”

Redefining standards

That service element is absolutely central to Mangalis Group, which describes itself as ‘redefining hospitality and service standards for Africa’ with a vision to ‘set the benchmark for hospitality in Africa and beyond’.

As mentioned, Noom represents the upscale element of its offering, which Richard likens to the Pullman brand of Accor. The other two brands are Seen, which offers trendier, more lifestyle oriented hotels somewhat like Mercure or Novotel, while the Yaas brand can be compared to Ibis.

The company currently has seven hotels open and trading, with a new Yaas under construction in Dakar, Senegal, and due to open in early 2025. There’s also a Noom hotel being built in Pointe-Noire in Congo, with opening planned for April next year.

And such is the company’s confidence in its Noom brand that the Radisson hotel in Dakar – the first to be developed by Mangalis’ owner back in 2009 – is being converted to a Noom for relaunch on 1 January, 2025.

“This is a massive project on a tight timeline. It means new uniforms, signage, branding, but also training of the staff to meet our expected standards for Noom,” Richard explains. “In the latter case you are talking about people who’ve been Radisson for all 15 years since the hotel opened. It’s part of my job to convince the people to change their mindset. It’s challenging, but this is absolutely key – I like to use the analogy that if a boat sinks it is not because of the water around it, it’s because of the water that’s inside it.

“With my background in the business I also see it as part of my job to get everyone thinking luxury, and not trying to cut corners. If you buy glasses, buy crystal glasses, don’t buy cheap ones. Let’s not do things halfway, otherwise we cannot justify the rates we need to achieve as a luxury brand.”

Africa’s future

Looking more widely at the African continent, what does Richard regard as the principal challenges and opportunities for the hospitality sector – thinking especially about the premium end of the business?

“In terms of challenges, perhaps the biggest barrier to success in Africa is political instability,” he notes. “That counts for most business activities, but hospitality is especially affected. You’ve seen that in Tunisia, which is struggling with political instability, hitting a tourism industry which was previously the number one contributor to the economy. And in Senegal the parliament has been dissolved and new elections called for November 17, which means the campaigning comes to a climax during our busiest months. We’ve already started to see some cancellations as a result.”

All that said, Africa remains a magnet for luxury brands eager to ride the upside from a continent which has comfortably the biggest untapped potential for tourism and hospitality expansion globally.

Richard cites the new Sofitel hotel in Cotonou, Benin, which he describes as “magnificent” and which he hopes will be a big success, as this will help to pull up room rates across the city.

There are also some very exclusive, upper upscale efforts which have caught his eye. “I recently visited a new development in Senegal, which has just 20 bungalows, each with its own pool. Maybe it’s missing a few genuine luxury details, but it’s another good addition to the city’s hospitality options.

“In Abidjan there’s a boutique hotel called Palais WIA, which was previously a villa owned by Félix Houphouët-Boigny, the founding president of Côte d’Ivoire, and which was also lived in by the dictator Mobutu Sesse Seko. That gives it an amazing backstory, but the hotel is brought right up to the present day because every amenity in the nine suites can be controlled by an iPad – even the coffee machine.”

Untapped potential

In terms of future development potential, Richard unhesitatingly cites Côte d’Ivoire. Why? Because of the opportunity offered by the very large resort in Assinie, which was formerly built and operated by Club Med but is now disused and ripe for redevelopment.

He also thinks there’s potential for more resorts to open in game parks, notably in Tanzania, while the coast of Mozambique is seeing significant development activity. Last but not least, in terms of lesser known destinations Richard mentions the islands of Sao Tome and Principe, in the Gulf of Guinea, enthusing about the crystal clear waters reminiscent of the best of the Caribbean.

“If you look at it, in many places – I see it in Senegal now, I see it in Côte d’Ivoire and in Nigeria, because I still have friends there – I see it in Gabon… you still have those undiscovered spots, and the people who have the money to invest in this type of property. And it’s in the nature of tourists, especially luxury travelers, to want to try new things.”

The African hospitality story is clearly far from over. And Richard has every intention of playing his part in it, flying the flag for Glion at the same time.

• To discover more about Mangalis and its hotel brands, visit the website

Photo credit

Monaco harbour: Ben Gingell/Getty