With degrees from Oxford College and Torquay Technical College, Robert Gaymar-Jones has more than 30 years of experience in the hotel sector, of which more than 15 years were spent with the group Marriott. This seasoned professional joined the group Accor in November to take on the repositioning of the brand Sofitel.
{{HTR Magazine: You have just been nominated COO of Sofitel, a brand that is resolutely part of the luxury segment. What role will you play in its repositioning?R G-J:}}With regard to owners and investors, we must show that we are pursuing the strategy that we set for ourselves, that we are investing in training, marketing, research, that we are implementing new, innovative services. We will also communicate our new positioning to the general public with an advertising campaign using our “Life is magnifique” signature. Travel agents specializing in luxury travel to the United States, Russia and the Middle East are also privileged targets. In Europe we have very strong relations with these intermediaries and we will meet them to explain what we are creating to them. But our greatest challenge remains the guest. A stay at a Sofitel must be something special. We must be sure of winning their hearts. We will implement a customer relations strategy in order to understand and personalize stays. This is why, in order to identify their expectations, we will launch a Sofitel loyalty program.Robert Gaymer-Jones:}} My mission will be to first apply the group’s strategy for repositioning the brand in the luxury segment. We wanted to clarify our offer towards our clients. The Sofitel brand wasn’t really positioned anywhere. The group had two choices, either downgrade or upgrade. The second solution was retained by the board of directors, which also allows the brand to benefit from a growing luxury market. Successfully raising the brand meant defining new standards for it, luxury criteria that would have to be implemented in all the hotels around the world. In addition to working with owners and architects to bring the properties up to standard, my responsibility will also include implementing a management team that will be able to successfully complete this metamorphosis. We have just recruited someone from Louis Vuitton and a quality specialist from Toyota: different profiles with different backgrounds, but talents with a shared vision of what we want to create. Part of the team is not from the group and, in order to make the dream a reality, Sofitel owed it to itself to be an entity in and of its own. It benefits from the support of shared services of the Accor group, but today it is run as a separate business .{{HTR: With the new signature “Life is magnifique” and the will to reinvent French elegance, Sofitel sets forth its French origins. Why has it decided to adopt this positioning?R. G-J :}} Sofitel is the only non-Anglo-Saxon brand operating on an international level. This was a natural choice. All the more so because guests appreciate the French art of receiving. The French touch is the art of conveying beauty. Anyone can stick flowers in a vase. But arranging them so they are pretty is not something just anyone can do. At our hotels, we must reach the five senses through odor and music that re-transcribe this French image. Uniforms must also have style. Sofitel will work with French brands. We already have partnerships with Hermès and Lancôme and we are planning to have even more members of the luxury segment involved in our repositioning, as well as movie stars and other fashion celebrities. We are very serious about our undertaking. We want to become a new French luxury brand like Hermès or Chanel.{{HTR: Isn’t it surprising that the implementation of the French art of receiving has been entrusted to a British man ?R G-J: }} English, German, French... Does it matter? What matters is that from the hotel manager to the housekeeper and the concierge, each staff member is in step with one another in the effort to provide exceptional service and understand that luxury is different. It is necessary to constantly surprise clientele. Luxury is about details. For example, when there is a complaint, it cannot be handled in a standard manner. The manager must send a handwritten letter. That’s not so much, but it makes a difference. My work will be to direct training and develop the luxury spirit along with our collaborators. But that should not present any problems. Since my arrival, I have been impressed by the quality of Accor’s teams. Sofitel may be French, but it is also international as the brand is based throughout the world with international guests. An international team was needed which understands and matches the needs of our clients.{{HTR: Sofitel’s rise in range goes hand in hand with a drastic reorganization of the supply. Is this also proof of the Accor group’s strong commitment?R G-J:}} It is extremely rare for a hotel company to voluntarily re-duce its supply. We have a strong commitment. We will not compromise our standards. Of course, this cannot happen overnight. It should take three years to implement. We will ensure each hotel meets the brand’s new criteria, analyze whether or not it can achieve the highest prices and if they are in a good location. We have no interest in having a Sofitel in a secondary market. At the same time we are going to work with the owners to undertake renovations. Accor will also renovate the hotels it owns before it sells them. In 2010, Sofitel will have 139 hotels – the vast majority will be converted to the new standards.{{HTR: How big is the supply expected to grow after that?R G-J:}} In the mid-term, the Sofitel network should have 250 properties, the vast majority of which will be managed. We can invest in some places if it makes economic sense or allows us to take over the contract. Increasing numbers of investors will see the direction we are heading in. A hotel like Beijing is beginning to make noise in the market. People from the Mandarin Oriental have come to see us and were greatly impressed by the work accomplished. Once we have completed our repositioning, Sofitel will no longer be competing with Hilton or Sheraton, but with Westin, Park Hyatt or Mandarin. With regard to owners who like to have a balanced portfolio, we will be a credible alternative to Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton for our Sofitel Legend sister brand. We will also be able to become their first choice if we have a good product and the right kind of relations with the investors. Since Accor has been an owner, we understand their needs and their quest for profitability.{{HTR: Sofitel is also launching two sub-brands, Sofitel Legend and So by Sofitel. What are the particularities of these two niche brands?R G-J: }} Sofitel Legend and So by Sofitel will be luxury hotels in and of their own. So hotels target the young businessman with contemporary hotels that are fashionable, but will not be outdated in eighteen months time. The first So hotel, a transformed Sofitel Arc de Tromphe, will show owners and guests the direction that this Sofitel line is headed in. In the end, I foresee a supply of 20 to 25 So hotels by Sofitel in Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and London. Sofitel Legend hotels, meanwhile, are destinations in and of their own. These hotels must have a legacy, and be among the best hotel in the destinatation with an equal share of leisure and business clientele. Our challenge will be to find the right hotel in the right place.{{HTR: What other challenges will you have to take on to achieve your goals?R G-J:}}With regard to owners and investors, we must show that we are pursuing the strategy that we set for ourselves, that we are investing in training, marketing, research, that we are implementing new, innovative services. We will also communicate our new positioning to the general public with an advertising campaign using our “Life is magnifique” signature. Travel agents specializing in luxury travel to the United States, Russia and the Middle East are also privileged targets. In Europe we have very strong relations with these intermediaries and we will meet them to explain what we are creating to them. But our greatest challenge remains the guest. A stay at a Sofitel must be something special. We must be sure of winning their hearts. We will implement a customer relations strategy in order to understand and personalize stays. This is why, in order to identify their expectations, we will launch a Sofitel loyalty program.
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