Gold Bernache 2015
Jenny Selby
General Counsel
Legal department
Jenny is a General Counsel. She has been in her present role for 20 years and has contributed significantly to the growth and success of AccorHotels in the Asia Pacific Region.
Outstanding legal counsel
Since she joined the Asia Pacific executive team, the pace of AccorHotels’ development in the region and complexity of certain projects has required astute, precise and dynamic legal counsel, often in situations of extreme pressure. Only somebody of Jenny’s calibre could have provided this. In the last 20 years, she has been involved in all of the Group’s major ventures in the region, including the acquisition of the Mirvac Hotel Group (48 hotels in Australia and New Zealand).
Jenny has systematically played a key role in ensuring the success of the projects she has been involved with, and she has greatly contributed to increasing the number of hotels in the Asia Pacific region. In 2015, further to very long and complex legal discussions, Jenny’s talents enabled AccorHotels to secure a long-term alliance with the Huazu Hotels Group in China (signature of 32 hotel contracts), which has created the largest hotel company in the country (over 2000 hotels across all categories). By working on the commercial agreements, she supported the transition to a new AccorHotels entity.
By ensuring the conclusion of numerous legal contracts over a period of many years, Jenny has made a remarkable contribution to the expansion of the AccorHotels Group in this region of the world. Her contribution to the exceptional growth of the hotel portfolio has also led to a sharp increase in AccorHotels’ profits in the Asia Pacific region, thus ensuring that she is respected and admired with by all those with whom she works.
Alexi Vronamatis
General Manager of Lounge Services
Management
Alexi joined AccorHotels in 2006 to pioneer the Qantas Lounges project, which had just been launched. He has been running the project for 10 years now, with optimal results.
A great ambassador
Aligning AccorHotels with Qantas Airways has been a key objective since it began operations in Australia. With Qantas’ power in the airline market and its significance to business travellers, this alliance has been a strategic goal for the Group as it has sought to expand in the upscale and luxury sectors.
Alexi fully understood the importance AccorHotels attached to its management of the First Class Lounge in Sydney. He worked tirelessly to ensure that it became a showcase for the quality of service provided at the Group’s hotels. His constant efforts to develop good relations with everyone and ensure high levels of guest satisfaction have led Qantas to entrust AccorHotels with the management of most of its First, Business and Qantas Club lounges in Australia, Asia and the United States.
In 2015, lounge staff in each city were trained in totally revamped food and beverage concepts to bring them into line with Pullman hotel service standards. Services have been upgraded and innovations introduced to ensure the lounges are worthy representatives of the AccorHotels spirit. The lounge guest satisfaction rating has been consistently over 95% during 2015.
Across Australia, Qantas Airways Lounges have become characteristic of AccorHotels’ quality of service. Pullman and Sofitel hotels have become benchmarks for guest satisfaction. The Group’s revenue in Australia has increased sharply, as well as its name recognition, thus illustrating Alexi’s excellent work and his role as an ambassador for the brand.
Silver Bernache 2015
Kate Marshall
Director of International Sales
Kate has worked in international sales since joining AccorHotels in 2004. She has had an impressive career, working up from International Sales Coordinator to Business Development Manager, before being appointed Director of International Sales - Eastern Hemisphere & Outbound in 2013.
A tailor-made welcome
China’s opening up to the world and its spectacular economic development offer considerable business opportunities. However, you still need to work out how to bring these opportunities to fruition. Kate Marshall was the person who managed to do so.
The Optimum Service Standards Programme in Australia for the Chinese market was launched in Australia in 2011. It aimed to develop a competitive advantage and generated significant profits for the AccorHotels Group. The introduction of a special personal welcome for Chinese guests in Australia met with considerable success among Chinese tour operators.
Kate ensured that the special welcome was introduced in as many of the Group’s hotels as possible. No aspect was left out, and the welcome including having Chinese-speaking employees in hotel lobbies, Chinese language television programmes in the rooms and the provision of dishes appreciated by Chinese people. Hotel staff even had to become familiar with Chinese customs and practices and were trained accordingly.
The programme has been accredited by the Australia China Business Council. It demonstrates the Group’s capacity to offer services which are closely tailored to the specific needs of its customers and illustrates the quality of service provided by AccorHotels. Its innovative character has attracted the attention of the Chinese and Australian media. It has been rolled out in 25% of the Australian network (52 participating hotels) with excellent results (a remarkable 37.8% increase in room nights from Greater China, which was double the average market growth).
Kate’s excellent idea has been such a great success that competitors have copied it. However, thanks to her pioneering work, AccorHotels is constantly increasing its share of the growing Chinese market and has now established itself as the market leader.