For more than a century, Le Fouquet’s has been beating to the rhythm of Paris’ heart and writing its most exciting pages. Epitome of Parisian savoir-vivre, now skilfully enhanced by architect Edouard François, proudly displaying a Haussmannian-styled façade, the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s Paris has been completing and helping perpetuate the spirit of the Maison since 2006 by making its colours shine on one of the world’s most famous avenues. Its Irish-born General Manager, Geraldine Dobey, accepted to share her vision of service excellence and reception. With a strong background in international in various hotel groups, first as Front Office Manager and Hotel Manager in London for Hilton, then Operations Manager and General Manager for Mandarin Oriental, she is the bridge between the centenary legacy of one of the most famous French institutions and the vision of Barrière Group, the only French brand radiating on the Parisian landscape of total luxury accommodation.
Vendom.jobs – What made you discover the accommodation industry and, more particularly, management?
Geraldine DOBEY – My encounter with this industry was purely coincidental. I had not initially identified hospitality as a possible career but, as I started at a very early age in this sector, it quickly became appealing. Following these first professional experiences, I started a course in this field. I particularly appreciated the work environment with the teams, the prevailing spirit of mutual aid, the contact with customers, as well as with collaborators. Another very motivating factor was the fact of being continually active, of moving from one service to another. In this regard, luxury accommodation became for me the only possible way, as it represented my need to go further, to outdo myself, besides integrating the values of quality, of high standards and of perpetual reassessment. I am totally committed to this. Moreover, competition is strong in Paris and we are always driven to be the best for our customers, who lie at the centre of our concerns.
When you work for the general management of a hotel, you collaborate with all services: commercial teams, communication, etc. Therefore, you sometimes get to manage varied situations, which can be related to the culinary offer with the restaurant chef, or to building management with the technical team or to the setting of a marketing strategy with the sales manager. Every day is different! This is what motivated me to choose management: I believe it is one of the few jobs giving you the possibility to deal with such different fields.
V.J. – What advice would you give young professionals having the same ambition regarding this career choice, but also in terms of relational qualities?
G. D. – Hospitality is a way of life, it is a work of passion. When you have a passion for something, you need to see it through. Your full commitment is needed. So you must collect as much experience as you can while you are young, as this is precisely what will help you manage teams, be a source of proposals and understand the various problems likely to arise in hotel management. It is also very important to travel, get in touch with different cultures in order to best fulfil the demands of multicultural customers. All this leads to the relational qualities necessary to communicate with our hosts, but also with our teams and to make decisions. Therefore, I would advise them to seize all opportunities arising and live fully all these experiences. One of a manager’s main qualities is curiosity. All managers forged their career on a variety of experiences.
V.J. – In the early stages of your career, did you encounter outstanding personalities that inspired you and that you can now consider as your mentors? If so, who?
G. D. – When I started my career in London, I had the opportunity to meet a general manager who followed my path for nearly 10 years. We met when I was the head of department’s assistant and he encouraged me to carry out all my potential. Of course, he was very demanding of me, as well as of everyone else. He helped me go beyond my capacities and, most of all, become aware of that. He was intransigent, but this personality trait made him a true unifier. The human qualities of a good leader come first. It is necessary to work hard and to work well, but what matters the most is to work together. This embodies what I like in this job: the spirit of mutual aid, as I mentioned earlier, as well as transmission and pedagogy, which are also a part of our mission. It is not only a question of technical skills, but of know-how and values. In the hospitality sector, these are of vital importance, as service is the core of our work.
V.J. – Managing an institution such as the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s must certainly leave traces on the personal and professional development. The other way around, in which fields did you wish to bring your expertise and your personality at Le Fouquet’s?
G. D. – Le Fouquet’s has been a Parisian institution for 120 years! In this regard, it has a particular history within the city and its customers are very attached to the Maison. However, the Fouquet’s brasserie’s management is very different from the hotel’s. Of course, I bring my share of international experience and my Anglo-Saxon culture to it. In return, I learn a lot from Le Fouquet’s as a family group, which a very enriching experience thanks to the cooperation work, in particular with the president. It is easier for me to understand the group’s stakes and to share my ideas.
V.J. – Which is your vision of management?
G. D. – I would say that my vision is first and foremost collaborative. I am deeply committed to maintaining an open communication with the heads of department and to establishing human contact, similar to the one I experienced during my training years. Also, I try to be an incentive to maintain high level standards by being self-demanding and by keeping a spirit of mutual support. With the right atmosphere and a good spirit, it is possible to preserve this unifying effect. My role is to keep it going and ensure the continuity of the Maison.
V.J. – After more than one century of existence, what continues to make the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s one of the major venues of Parisian life, according to you but also to your customers?
G. D. – I would say its history, without any doubt. The restaurant plays an important role. The authenticity perpetuated by the savoir-faire, the social skills that have been transmitted for more than one century and that our customers are looking for. We are a Maison: this is what makes this place exceptional in the Parisian accommodation landscape. Our trademark is “luxury à la française”.
V.J. – What is your vision of tomorrow’s high-end accommodation and gastronomy?
G. D. – We speak a lot about digital tools, but these are first and foremost instruments that help us smoothen our service, especially before the arrival of our hosts. With digital tools, we can be more performing, in particular at the level of information transmission, and make time for our customers, but these tools need to remain invisible to their eyes. The real stakes for luxury accommodation will always lie, in my view, at a human level. The quality of the services – reception, customization, sincerity, but also availability beyond digitalisation – is the real core of our business. The main demand of a high-end clientele goes beyond digital tools to take full advantage of them, while also returning to the fundamental interactions staff-customer: assist customers, make them live an experience and share the moment with them.
As for gastronomy, luxury restoration is undoubtedly centered on the quality of the product. Customers are increasingly sensitive about the respect and conservation of the environment. Our hosts’ behaviours are changing. As restorers, we have the duty to be forerunners in this area. But even beyond this awareness, what really matters is no longer the exceptional product but its origin, its traceability, its seasonality.
V.J. – With the recent opening of fabulous suites that made the headlines for their design and experience, could you unveil for us some future developments or events at the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s?
G. D. – We always challenge ourselves to surprise our customers. Our new suites show how central our Maison is in Paris. In this regard, we organize New Year’s Eve with fireworks on the Champs-Elysées. What experience can be more Parisian and exceptional than that? The year to come will be definitively marked by the Harcourt suite which offers the experience of the mythical studio and is our flagship novelty. Other projects are underway, namely at the spa, with a new signed partnership with the Manucurist – a brand creating eco-friendly nail varnishes – or with our Joy interior garden, where our new Spring-Summer concept is being developed.
V. J. – What is your personal luxury?
G. D. – Time. I am lucky enough to live a rich life. Finding time for my family and close friends are my moments of luxury. Time is an invaluable good, also for our customers. Being able to suspend time for them in a very beautiful place, surrounded by pleasant personnel, and to create heartwarming moments for them is essential.
(Photo credit : Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet’s Paris)
