Three contrasting personalities, all with great stories to tell and valuable insights to share… Peter Schickling, Hazel Limfat and Frédéric Biousse made our inaugural “In Conversation With…” event a compelling spectacle. The Insider’s Martin Green was asking the questions and here we showcase the complete recordings of each conversation.

How to inspire new Bachelor students, give tips and advice for their second semester internships, and provide a flavor of this amazing industry which – for many – will be their ultimate career destination?

In October, we offered a new answer to this challenge in the shape of three intimate conversations held live on stage. It was an opportunity for three engaging personalities to talk freely and candidly about their careers, their current roles, and their professional or entrepreneurial philosophies.

Conversation #1 – Peter Schickling

“Nowadays everything (in the hotel) is faster, so you have to be switched on. You have to find the right talent, you always have to be on the ball – you have so much competition now. And in terms of the customer… customers are knowledgeable. Look at you all with your phones. In the old days we knew about the wine; but now the customer can just click. So you have to know your stuff.”

A class of 1993 Glion alumnus, Peter is presently the General Manager (GM) at the impressive W Barcelona hotel. He opened our event by telling his personal hospitality story, before talking about the role of the GM, the unique characteristics of his property, and what young talents need to do to make that all-important first impression during their internships and first roles in the industry.

Watch the complete recording here:

Conversation #2 – Hazel Limfat

“We are reopening THE Waldorf Astoria New York. It’s the flagship and will set the tone for all the Waldorf Astorias around the world. We’re setting the bar high up, so the rest can follow. So, in whatever we do, whether it’s social media, messaging, how we strategically price our rates, we’re doing it strategically and thinking ahead. And for us in New York, the room product is now our highest USP.”

This conversation was billed as “Reimagining a Legend”; and the legend in question is the world famous Waldorf Astoria New York (WANY), for which Glion alumna Hazel is part of the reopening team.

As a Class of 2016 graduate, Hazel still had fresh memories of her first steps in the business, a career journey that has straddled the pandemic and saw her transition from a front office environment to the commercial discipline.

As Hazel spoke about the multi-billion dollar refurbishment of WANY, the audience was able to picture themselves in a hard had witnessing the painstaking work for themselves. Hazel also had some inspiring insights about making the most of the professional experience that comes as standard with a Glion Bachelor’s degree.

Watch the complete recording here:

Conversation #3 – Frédéric Biousse

“Of course, luxury will always be about money. But it’s not only that today. I think for a lot of people now luxury is about making sense – of what you eat, of what you give your children to eat. Making sense of your experiences, your destinations, the way you buy; to come back to a slow rhythm. Fashion not made by small children in Bangladesh. This is the new luxury. And we are trying to do that.”

A genuine coup for this event was to secure the presence of European entrepreneurial royalty, in the form of Frédéric Biousse. The driving force behind the extraordinary growth story of affordable luxury fashion brands Sandro and Maje, Frédéric and his partners sold those businesses in 2016.

Like every true entrepreneur, he didn’t see this extraordinary success as a cue to retire in the sunshine. Instead he’s continued to back interesting and innovative businesses, while also undertaking a very personal project to create a collection of unique hotels in France and elsewhere.

The lively, candid and well-received conversation touched on all these points and more, providing a vivid picture of the entrepreneurial mindset, not so mention some frank appraisals of the current luxury sector.

Watch the complete recording here:

Thanks to our three wonderful guests for their enthusiastic support of this event – we couldn’t have done it without you!

• For more information about W Barcelona, visit the website
• To visit the Waldorf Astoria New York website, click here
• To discover more about Les Domaines de Fontenille, click here