For more than a century and a half, the elegant silhouette of Beau-Rivage Genève has reigned over the Swiss city. A haven for royal families, with its atmosphere full of gilding, harmonious volumes, and rich tapestries, it has managed to maintain this exceptional heritage through the ages thanks to the vision of a family. A new era seems to have opened with the welcome of Lars Wagner. With three decades of experience in the most prestigious hotel groups (Hyatt, Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental), he sets a vision of the leader's exemplarity and open-mindedness. Not to mention, with a sense of salutary humor in these still uncertain times.
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Wagner Suite
Vendom.jobs - After working in prestigious international groups, why did you choose an iconic independent hotel such as Beau-Rivage Genève?
Lars Wagner - This is the first time that I have worked for an independent hotel and I love it, especially the speed of decision-making. As my background reminds me, I like to travel, to take on challenges, starting from scratch somewhere to build credibility. I have now reached an age where my family and I have decided to settle permanently somewhere. Two years ago, the opportunity arose when the Mayer family - the previous owners of Beau-Rivage - contacted me to run the hotel. The history of the Beau-Rivage is very special, because five generations of the same family have succeeded each other at the head, the hotel has known only two external directors. I think I was chosen because I know the local market deeply. Having a well-stocked address book, I was able to develop the company. And we were very pleased with the results until the crisis arrived.
V.J. - We are still living in uncertain times, what is the biggest challenge for you for such an establishment?
L. W. - The main challenge was to keep in touch with our customers, of course, but also with our colleagues. As they say, "Out of sight, out of mind." However, we can only see about 25% of our workforce every day. As for our guests, it is easy to be quickly forgotten. On the other hand, we have seen a considerable change in the typology of our customers. Before the crisis, 15% of our clientele was local. As of today, we have reached 60% due to travel restrictions.
Corner Suite Lake View
V.J. - Customers are becoming more and more interested in eco-responsibility. How can an urban institution of more than 100 years old currently respond to this awareness?
L. W. - I like to say that I see the Beau-Rivage as an "old lady" but has constantly learned and adapted to the expectations of her clients during her five generations of history. Eco-responsibility is, of course, what customers are currently looking for. However, tomorrow they will have other desires, other values, and new priorities. Adapting to the expectations of our guests is a natural and continuous process. Our executive chef, Dominique Gauthier, does a remarkable job when it comes to this.
V.J. - What is your definition of leader? A mentor? A visionary? etc.
L. W. - I will first distinguish these concepts. Having been a mentor many times during my career, I would say that he is a personal advisor to your professional life. A mentor must always be available, he must assist in decision-making, but also guide the mentee in the evolution of his career. And that is exactly what I particularly like, seeing my employees evolve is particularly rewarding. Having been mentored myself, I find it normal, when you have reached a certain level of professional experience, to give back the time and advice you have been given. Giving back is very rewarding.
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Executive Luxe Room 603
Regarding the difference between leader and manager, one is not necessarily the other, and vice versa. The leader is the one at the helm, he is the commander who acts for the whole. As we say: “There is no I in team”. The ego cannot take precedence. My personal philosophy is a dedicated, participatory leadership, inclined to make decisions collectively. Of course, in my position, I am the last to decide, but the decision-making process remains the result of collective reflection.
The question of the leader's vision is also central. Without a clear vision, which must be understood and followed by your employees, you cannot lead. It must be established at an early stage, so that it can be reviewed, reshaped and improved over and over again.
V.J. - You mentioned that you had experienced mentoring during your career, could you tell us more?
L. W. - Indeed, at the beginning of my career, I had two main mentors. I used to contact them when I had the opportunity to access a new position, or when I had to make a decision, in case of conflict resolution as well. The mentor must be an inspiring personality. Any early-career leader should have a mentor. For my part, I will be able to cite two main ones. On the one hand my father, because he also continued his career in the hospitality industry. The second, which I will not name, is a general manager for whom I worked at the beginning of my career. For me, a mentor is the person who has gone through and experienced the same trials and experiences that you are going through and who will guide you.
V.J. - Human resources tend to evolve. What do you think are the next decisive steps for recruitment?
L. W. - A good human resources department is, in my opinion, the key to the success of an establishment. Over the years, their vision has evolved, adapted. Now - and I am particularly sensitive to these points - we consider the candidate's attitude, his smile, his body language, but also his willingness to work in a very demanding field such as high-end hotels.
For me, what makes a good service, and a model employee, is his ability to connect with his interlocutor, our host. Emotional intelligence is central, empathy. When we look at reviews on booking platforms, we find that 80% of the comments are about the relationship with the teams, not the decoration, the beauty of the bathroom, etc. The cocktail of success is, I will say: a simple and intelligent conversation, an open attitude and emotion.
Imperial Suite
V.J. - What do you want to instill in your employees?
L. W. - I think it is important to be natural so that our employees are comfortable. They need to understand that it is permissible to make mistakes, that failure is an opportunity not only to progress, but also to excel even more.
My role is also to teach them the internal end of the company, it is prerequisite for the fluidity of our services. As it is up to me to make the final decision to welcome a new employee, I make sure that he understands the spirit of the house.
V.J. - How do you instill this spirit?
L. W. - By the example that the leader must embody. We go back to the idea we talked about above, leadership is to lead by example, to breathe the values of the house.
V.J. - What might these values be at Beau-Rivage Genève?
L. W. - Well, it is easy for me to answer that question, we have what we call our "wall of values" to which we continually refer. It is five pillars: being yourself (attitude), acting together (the collective), respect, innovation and excellence.
V.J. - You have been a pioneer, especially within the Mandarin Oriental Group, of new features (virtual tour, city guide,etc. ). Is innovation still your driving force?
L. W. - Indeed, I am a strong advocate of innovation, I like to push the limits. For me, this is what makes an address stand out. Creativity is a central driver of my career. We were talking about my duties for the Mandarin Oriental, for example, I built a cottage on the roof of the hotel in Munich. In Geneva, I had one set up in the restaurant itself. At Beau-Rivage, we decided to occupy the terrace that was not used in winter to create an "After-Ski Lounge" [https://www.beau-rivage.ch/fr/apres-ski-lounge.html].
All these ideas come from the atmosphere of creative emulation that prevails within our teams. We like to exchange; our employees are force for bringing forward proposals. Thus, to honour the history of the hotel, which was the residence of the Empress of Austria, we imagined, in collaboration with the Viennese café Sacher "Sissi Afternoon Tea".
I like to be the first, so I thought about installing the Nordaq Water System. In this, my model is Jean-Claude Biver, whom I quote, from memory: "You must be unique, the first and different from the others." I made it my creed.
V.J. - With always fun culinary offerings and innovative health programs, Beau-Rivage Genève offers a great range of activities that are often ahead of the curve. Could you share with us with some of your next projects?
L. W. - You will understand that I cannot disclose what is not yet made public... However, we were talking about the commitment of our employees to innovation, Chef Dominique Gauthier is for me a great partner of reflection. I have promoted him for a year from executive chef to culinary and service director. We have a lot of fun imagining new experiences. So, in the gloom, we decided to launch the Fondue Therapy Package, a real comfort that was much appreciated by the locals.
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Le Chat-Botté *
V.J. - If you had a wish to make for the near future of your profession as a high-end hotelier, what would it be?
L. W. - I hope that we will soon find the excitement of welcoming the public, with the beautiful energy and vibration that we usually get from them. Of course, there will be no return to the life we used to live. The whole world had to "reset." It is up to us, leaders, professionals of service, luxury, to invent new paradigms in line with our new lifestyles.
V.J. - So how do you see the upcoming months?
L. W. - My analysis is as follows: We will, of course, still suffer from the restrictions over the next 18 months, especially for the welcoming of groups, because all decisions are taken almost on a day-to-day basis, depending on the state of health. Regarding the business segmentation of our market, they have realised that telecommute works, that the era of great luxury trips to the other side of the world is over, except in case of need to meet in person.
Finally, I think leisure stays will be the big winners, because as soon as possible, people will be looking forward to being able to move again (you can see it with what is happening in Dubai). Therefore, our job as a hotelier holds a real opportunity to evolve. I believe that the experience both global and local will be the key to our development to come to surprise again, delight our guests. I must say that I am a big consumer of local experiences when I travel, I like to live as the locals do.
Quai du Mont-Blanc 13
1201 Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 716 66 66
(Photo credit : Hotel Beau-Rivage Genève)
