A growth mindset driven by a sense of adventure and a passion for luxury

For Michel Chertouh, a growth mindset has been the foundation of his career at IHG - which has so far spanned thirty five years, as well as many different continents and countries.

Michel’s sense of adventure, love of new experiences and passion for luxury hospitality began at a young age and has led him to his current role as General Manager, Regent Hong Kong. It’s been quite a journey already but Michel still sees every day as an opportunity to exceed expectations and take his skills, his team and property to the next level.

 

A passion for travel and luxury hospitality

"كانت تجربتي الأولى في مجال الضيافة في باريس، حيث نشأتُ هناك. كان والدي يعمل طاهياً وافتتح فيما بعد مطعماً خاصاً به، وكنت أساعده في العمل هناك في عطلات نهاية الأسبوع لأحصل على مصروف الجيب. عندما كنت طفلاً، أتذكر أيضاً زيارة بعض الفنادق الفخمة في المدينة، حيث كانت تتمتع بأجواء ساحرة تركت انطباعاً دائماً في نفسي.

I come from a multicultural background and I’ve always travelled, ever since I was very young, as well as later on as part of my military service. These experiences gave me a life-long love of new cultures, places and languages. Luckily, I’ve been able to combine these two ambitions - my passion for the luxury hospitality industry and my love of travel - in my career with IHG.

 

Early on before my career took off, my ambition was to manage a high-end restaurant but then I realised hotels could offer me even more scope to stretch my wings - especially if I chose to work for a global organisation.

After joining IHG, I navigated through various roles within the Food & Beverage function to eventually become a General Manager and Regional Manager at a variety of locations. My career has taken me to vibrant cities like Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro, Barcelona, Miami, São Paulo, Aruba, Hanoi, Bali, Tokyo, and Hong Kong.

This exposure to different cultures has enriched me, both professionally and personally - equipping me with diverse skills and an ability to thrive in new environments.

As well as being employed in various regions, I’ve also had the privilege of working across different IHG brands, including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental and Regent. This diversity of experience has enhanced my business acumen and broad knowledge across the organisation.”

 

التحديات والفرص - من يجرؤ، يفوز من يجرؤ

“I’ve never shied away from taking on a new experience or challenge - in fact, I’ve actively sought out career moves that will push me forward and develop my abilities.

One such opportunity came about when I was offered the position of Assistant Food & Beverage Director, InterContinental Rio de Janeiro. At the time, I had never visited this location before - I spoke fluent Spanish but not a word of Portuguese.

وبدلاً من أن يردعني هذا الأمر، كنت متحمساً لخوض تحدٍ جديد واحتضان المجهول. كانت التجربة إيجابية للغاية وساعدتني على تنمية مهاراتي بشكل أكبر. وانتهى بي المطاف أيضًا بمقابلة زوجتي وتأسيس عائلتي في البرازيل - وهي الآن واحدة من أكثر البلدان التي أشعر فيها بأنني في وطني.

 

When I began my current position as General Manager of the Regent Hong Kong, I took on my biggest challenge to date. The property was to be rebranded from an InterContinental to a flagship Regent hotel. This was a huge undertaking but especially so, as it happened during the period when the Covid pandemic hit.

لقد جذبتني فرصة قيادة عملية التحول إلى عقار فاخر في سوق تنافسي مثل هونغ كونغ، التي تتطور في حد ذاتها كوجهة سياحية، إلى هذا المنصب.

ومع ذلك، فقد فرضت الجائحة العديد من العقبات اللوجستية - بدءاً من توفير المواد إلى توظيف فرق البناء. كان عليّ حقًا أن أخرج من منطقة راحتي وأن أطور قدراتي في حل المشاكل إيفن بشكل أكبر. إن علامة ريجنت التجارية مرادف للتميز والإحساس الحقيقي بالفخامة، لذا فقد كان هذا هو ما دفعني لاتخاذ قراري، بدءاً من الرؤية الكبيرة وصولاً إلى أدق تفاصيل تجربة الضيف.

Since then, the property has achieved accolades and recognition - both internally from IHG and the wider community - this has given me a huge sense of pride in what we’ve accomplished.”

 

Instilling a sense of passion and encouraging growth within the team

“One of the areas I’m deeply passionate about and where our team and property has really excelled is sustainability.

In line with the ethos of IHG’s ‘Room to Make a Difference’ initiative, at the Regent Hong Kong, environmentally friendly materials were selected during its renovation and we also reused materials where we were able to. Some of the existing marble was repurposed as restaurant trays, for example. We also provide filtered water in rooms, incorporate sustainable uniforms for staff, and have an electric car fleet for guest transfers.

When you feel invested and have a deep sense of pride in what you do, this can inspire those around you. There are over 800 staff here and a large part of my role is motivating them through my desire to continuously improve, in order to achieve impeccable standards.

 

This ethos is encapsulated in IHG’s ‘Room to Grow’ initiative, which encourages all employees to reach their full potential.

‘Room to Belong’ has also been important in my career. Wherever I’ve travelled to and worked, although the location, property or brand may have changed, the one constant is that I’ve always felt a firm sense of belonging in the company.

I’ve also tried to always emphasise continuous development and consistency in my interactions with my team. I make sure I attend every on-boarding session with a new member of staff for example - meeting people and connecting in person is fundamental.

It’s important to be present both for our guests and my team and what I love most about my current role is the ability to create a distinctive and special environment that caters to the needs of all stakeholders.

I’ve always had this mindset throughout my career. By embracing the new and being open minded to growth and improvement, this energy and passion has been reflected in the properties I’ve managed and the teams I’ve worked with. Every day brings a new challenge but also a new adventure - here’s to the next one.”