Jacques Morand: Area Vice President, Hyatt International Hotels & Resorts,
General Manager, Grand Hyatt Istanbul.
It is always an education to meet one of the great hoteliers of our time and Jacques was no exception when we had the honour of talking with him on our visit to Zürich (he has since moved to Istanbul). He was extremely generous with his time and we had a fascinating conversation, which covered a very wide range. He was of course keen to promote his own hotel and Zürich as a destination but also revealed a fascinating professional background sharing many insights into the history of hospitality and the many and varied cultures he has lived and worked in. His command of the details of operations at Park Hyatt Zürich was so complete you would think he had been there forever. In fact he had been GM in Switzerland for just a year, replacing the inaugural GM Kurt Straub (now in Mexico). Factor in also that he is Area Vice President with responsibilities for hotels in such diverse locations as Zurich, Istanbul, Kiev, Belgrade and Thessaloniki and it becomes truly impressive.
We have reviewed Park Hyatt Zürich separately and can attest that it is an excellent hotel offering truly 5* service. Jacques, as you would expect of someone from a French-speaking Swiss background is particularly proud of the standards set in the hotel's fine dining restaurant parkhuus where the provenance of the food is a matter of very serious concern and there is a spectacular 3,000 bottle wine library. We had lunch there during our stay and both food and service were top-class. He is equally proud of the energy efficiency and green credentials of the hotel (lake water being used for cooling for example) and those little details that make guests feel special, such as ensuring that room service to lone female travellers is provided by female staff, and everything you could possibly forget to bring for your trip is available to borrow (or purchase if you prefer).
A graduate of the famous École Hôteière de Lausanne, Jacques can actually claim to have been born in an hotel. His parents ran a small hotel in Fribourg Switzerland at the time of his birth. This early first-hand experience taught him about the rigours of the hospitality industry and he chose to graduate from university in Finance instead. After his National Service with The Swiss Army though he felt the pull of hospitality and so it was off to Lausanne. The qualification in finance stood him in good stead though, as his first job in hospitality was as a finance director and again when he worked as Finance Director EAME (Europe Africa Middle East) for Hyatt H&R for a couple of years (1999-2001).
Jacques' first job with Hyatt H&R was as GM in Casablanca, Morocco where being a native French speaker was important. Fluent in several languages including English, German and Turkish, he has managed in Paris (Charles de Gaulle) Turkey, Morocco and Belgrade (at the time of the outbreak of the Jugoslavian civil war). He is a private man who wasn't going to give away if he has a favourite but he is clearly very close to Turkey as well as his native Switzerland.
Park Hyatt Zürich is a well-run hotel offering excellent quality accommodation, service and dining. However, nothing ever stands still and Jacques was happy to share details of the forthcoming improvements. The cocktail bar ONYX was to have a makeover in late summer 2013. Cigar smokers may be disappointed to hear the humidor is on its way out but the good news is it will be replaced by a specialist vodka bar (I tried to persuade him to make it a gin bar, fingers crossed). The need for more suites will also be addressed with the conversion of some of the guest-rooms. Slightly less definite plans include a reworking of reception to allow a friendlier, quicker, more flexible check-in process (it sounds akin to the Andaz approach). It was interesting to have the opportunity to discuss some Hyatt H&R developments with someone so senior also. Some interesting developments seem to be in the pipeline including more targeting of special offers based upon guests' individual habits for example. Keep your eye on Hyatt Gold Passport.
We didn't discuss retirement but I can't help noticing how many great hoteliers in Hyatt H&R are of a particular generation. Happily, Hyatt are working hard to grow the next generation of experts as well as building an area structure to ensure the family feel of the organisation continues. We wish them and Jacques well.
We have reviewed Park Hyatt Zürich separately and can attest that it is an excellent hotel offering truly 5* service. Jacques, as you would expect of someone from a French-speaking Swiss background is particularly proud of the standards set in the hotel's fine dining restaurant parkhuus where the provenance of the food is a matter of very serious concern and there is a spectacular 3,000 bottle wine library. We had lunch there during our stay and both food and service were top-class. He is equally proud of the energy efficiency and green credentials of the hotel (lake water being used for cooling for example) and those little details that make guests feel special, such as ensuring that room service to lone female travellers is provided by female staff, and everything you could possibly forget to bring for your trip is available to borrow (or purchase if you prefer).
A graduate of the famous École Hôteière de Lausanne, Jacques can actually claim to have been born in an hotel. His parents ran a small hotel in Fribourg Switzerland at the time of his birth. This early first-hand experience taught him about the rigours of the hospitality industry and he chose to graduate from university in Finance instead. After his National Service with The Swiss Army though he felt the pull of hospitality and so it was off to Lausanne. The qualification in finance stood him in good stead though, as his first job in hospitality was as a finance director and again when he worked as Finance Director EAME (Europe Africa Middle East) for Hyatt H&R for a couple of years (1999-2001).
Jacques' first job with Hyatt H&R was as GM in Casablanca, Morocco where being a native French speaker was important. Fluent in several languages including English, German and Turkish, he has managed in Paris (Charles de Gaulle) Turkey, Morocco and Belgrade (at the time of the outbreak of the Jugoslavian civil war). He is a private man who wasn't going to give away if he has a favourite but he is clearly very close to Turkey as well as his native Switzerland.
Park Hyatt Zürich is a well-run hotel offering excellent quality accommodation, service and dining. However, nothing ever stands still and Jacques was happy to share details of the forthcoming improvements. The cocktail bar ONYX was to have a makeover in late summer 2013. Cigar smokers may be disappointed to hear the humidor is on its way out but the good news is it will be replaced by a specialist vodka bar (I tried to persuade him to make it a gin bar, fingers crossed). The need for more suites will also be addressed with the conversion of some of the guest-rooms. Slightly less definite plans include a reworking of reception to allow a friendlier, quicker, more flexible check-in process (it sounds akin to the Andaz approach). It was interesting to have the opportunity to discuss some Hyatt H&R developments with someone so senior also. Some interesting developments seem to be in the pipeline including more targeting of special offers based upon guests' individual habits for example. Keep your eye on Hyatt Gold Passport.
We didn't discuss retirement but I can't help noticing how many great hoteliers in Hyatt H&R are of a particular generation. Happily, Hyatt are working hard to grow the next generation of experts as well as building an area structure to ensure the family feel of the organisation continues. We wish them and Jacques well.
