Stefan Gaessler, GM Hyatt Capital GateIf you read Rupesh Patel's advice on how to be an awesome hotel manager
it sounds a lot like a guide on how to be the perfect parent. What Rupesh doesn't actually say is that exuding warmth and conveying a genuine liking for people goes a long way. Welcome to Stefan Gässler, the latest Hyatt GM to impress us with his simple grace and humanity. It speaks volumes that members of staff were virtually queueing up to tell us how much they like him. Well, after an hour and a half's conversation in the reception at Hyatt's iconic Capital Gate, we liked him too. He seems like a good fit for a hotel which occupies such an important position in the experiment that is Abu Dhabi's modernisation project. Royal visitors to the hotel are frequent, as are requests to use this extraordinary building as a backdrop to some TV or Bollywood production of a spy thriller. It isn't always easy to manage the effect of foreign culture on the sensitivities of the proud Emiratis. Stefan manages it with sangfroid. |
As you might guess from the name, Stefan was born and raised in Germany. The son of a dentist who fully intended to follow his dad into the family practice, he was bitten by the hospitality bug as a youngster in Baden-Wurtemburg, taking his first temporary job as Bellhop in the Steigenberger Baden-Baden. He recalls being wowed by some of the wealthy guests coming for their annual spa retreats and really intrigued by the whole world of hospitality. We shared a few jokes about Hotel Budapest and it was clear he was simply smitten by the variety of human life on show in hotels. So, he came back for a second taste as a waiter and enjoyed it just as much. After a little negotiation with Father and the manager of the Steigenberger, he decided to sign on for a career in hotel management, starting at the bottom. After a a two year apprenticeship as a chef, he went to University to study hotel management then dedicated himself to sending his CV to every GM in the Universe. Hyatt asked him to kindly desist on the understanding they would take him on as a trainee. First stop Chicago, which was a really stimulating experience for a young man with no foreign travel experience. After a brief sojourn in Köln Germany it was off to exotic Rabatt in Morocco, Puerto Vallerta Mexico, Jakarta, Busan and Seoul in Korea. By now, a truly international being, he was given his first command in Acapulco. Since then he's managed in Cancun, Jakarta and Sharm el Sheikh before arriving to take over from Ashwini Kumar at Hyatt Capital Gate.
There's a lot of guff talked in corporate circles about the "company DNA" and we hear a lot of references to Hyatt DNA when talking about their management talent. Well, if they haven't already, Hyatt should be sending samples of Stefan Gässler's DNA to the lab for storage, just in case the flow of talent ever dries up. Hyatt Capital Gate is currently #5 on TripAdvisor. Their ambition is to be higher of course, despite the inbuilt bias against 5* hotels. The hotel is currently fantastic value for money and houses one of the top restaurants in Abu Dhabi (18 degrees). They also support a local charity for autism awareness because that's a difficult issue in an Arab country. They don't make a song and dance about it though. Can the hotel improve? Well, nothing is ever perfect though we've stayed here at least five times now and have no complaints but we're sure Stefan will find ways and we wish him the best of luck.
There's a lot of guff talked in corporate circles about the "company DNA" and we hear a lot of references to Hyatt DNA when talking about their management talent. Well, if they haven't already, Hyatt should be sending samples of Stefan Gässler's DNA to the lab for storage, just in case the flow of talent ever dries up. Hyatt Capital Gate is currently #5 on TripAdvisor. Their ambition is to be higher of course, despite the inbuilt bias against 5* hotels. The hotel is currently fantastic value for money and houses one of the top restaurants in Abu Dhabi (18 degrees). They also support a local charity for autism awareness because that's a difficult issue in an Arab country. They don't make a song and dance about it though. Can the hotel improve? Well, nothing is ever perfect though we've stayed here at least five times now and have no complaints but we're sure Stefan will find ways and we wish him the best of luck.