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SJR: Good Afternoon, this is Stuart Jay Raj
and we're here for Hotelier On The Grill
with a very experienced hotelier
here at the Four Seasons in Bangkok
recording on the 22 Nov 2013.
So rather than me introducing you,
would you be able to quickly introduce yourself?
VH: All right, yes
My name is Vincent Hoogewijs
It's a Dutch sounding family name.
I'm actually from Belgium.
I am from the 'good side' of Belgium
so I'm from the Flemmish side.
But I have been traveling for the past 27 years,
traveling and working in this fascinating business.
I started off my career with Hyatt.
I moved on to work for a little bit with Banyan Tree.
Then re-joined Hyatt.
And today I have been happily married with Four Seasons for the last nine years.
SJR: Wonderful
So, (these are) standard Hotelier on the Grill questions.
Twelve questions.
The questions are the same for everybody.
We will jump straight into the first question.
** Question 1: Where did you first 'cut your teeth'?
VH: I originally wanted to be a chef.
That was my dream.
That was my passion.
And I still enjoy cooking.
So on my day off, you will find me in the kitchen.
So I went to hotel school in Belgium.
In Koksiijde on the Belgian coast.
And then did some apprenticeships in some of the restaurants.
But my parents thought that, you know,
I should continue to study a little bit more.
And I agreed, so I went to Hotel Management School.
Still in Brussels.
And there I started to really appreciate the 'hotel side',
or the 'Hotel' thing rather than the Food and Beverage thing.
I started working at the Hyatt Regency in Brussels.
My first job in the hotel was in the accounting side of the hotel.
I was cost control.
I stayed there for six months,
but then I had to do my military service.
I went to do my military service,
Served my country for a year.
And after that, then my career really took off.
I went to London.
Looked for a job.
I applied with all the big chains.
By accident, I rejoined Hyatt in London.
Which was then called Carlton Tower Hotel.
It was run by Hyatt.
I started out there as a waiter.
I didn't speak that much English.
You know, Pidgin English from school.
After six months I think as a waiter I think in the Rib Room
I was offered a traineeship.
A management traineeship.
And I started off working for Hyatt for quite a few years from then on.
SJR: Wow. So that leads on to the next question.
** Question 2: What was your first big break?
VH: My first big break probably was that Management Traineeship
that I was offered.
I was a waiter with the Hyatt Carlton Tower.
Somehow the boss that I had saw that I probably had a bit of potential.
And he offered me that traineeship.
I took that on with open arms.
I accepted it, and I was able ....
... as a traineeship, you know you don't have that many responsibilities.
But at least you're given the opportunity
to work in many different departments of the hotel.
So I took that on and I worked my way through.
I did some stewarding.
You know, washing the dishes.
I did some banqueting.
I did some 'minbar'.
You know, all the different facets of the food and bevarage operations.
I think that was probably the first big break.
But I think along your career, you need a few more breaks to make it successful.
SJR: Right.
So you were mentioning that it's been 27 years now
that you've been in this industry.
** Question 3: Why were you able to make it to where you are now?
(Where perhaps others have failed?)
VH: Well, I think first of all, you need to enjoy what you do.
If you don't have the passion for the service industry,
then you better stay home and become a shoe-maker
or do something else.
If you don't have the passion
and if you wake up in the morning and
you feel like you don't want to work,
then you probably better stay home.
So I've always enjoyed what I do.
I think that's the first thing.
I did work hard you know.
I'm not afraid of putting in ...
It's not about quantity of work
but you do do a lot of hours in our industry,
so I've never shyed away from that.
And then I was at the right spot at the right time.
And I was offered the opportunity.
Because it is a combination of everything.
It's not ...
I always tell our new recruits here at the hotel,
"You know you don't have to have a PhD to be a hotelier".
"But you have to have the passion,
you have to be willing to work.
learn, make mistakes,
and have a little bit of luck".
SJR: And I assume that you've probably had your ups and downs.
Going through it, you have your good times and bad times.
** Question 4: Could you tell us about your darkest moment in your career?
VH: Yes, my darkest moment was maybe the first time that I left Hyatt.
I was at the Hyatt Regency in Rabat, Morocco.
And somehow, with all due respect for the Moroccan country -
it's a beautiful country,
but I didn't enjoy working there.
At that time I was still very young.
I was 28. I was the director of Food and Beverage.
The culture didn't fit me.
I didn't fit in the culture.
I just wasn't the right place for me.
And I then decided to leave Hyatt
for which I had worked for quite a few years by then.
And suddenly an opportunity came up with Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts.
They opened their first resort here in Phuket, Thailand.
So I moved with my family from Rabat to Phuket.
SJR: And so in that time there when you were feeling like that in Morocco,
** Question 5: How did you get through it?
How did you push through that?
I've been very fortunate.
I've been married to the same lady for 25 years.
So my wife has been very supportive all the time.
You work it through.
Yes, it was painful and I didn't enjoy it,
but I knew that I couldn't just quit.
So that's when I had luck.
And that opportunity came up out of nowhere.
Probably with someone that I had worked with before in the past.
That had also worked for Banyan Tree,
he said
"Oh we need a new director of Food and Beverage - let's call Vincent".
So there is a lot of luck in our business as well.
SJR: Right.
I think since meeting with you just now downstairs and up here,
there is a lot of energy there.
** Question 6: What drives you?
VH: You need to enjoy what you do.
It's like I mentioned before.
Our business is about people.
It's about enjoyment.
It's about eating, drinking, sleeping and having a good time.
And if I'm not having a good time,
then how can I then offer my guests (the opportunity) of having a good time?
So that's what it's all about.
And I do enjoy you know ...
I don't like the fussy part of our business.
But I do enjoy it when I see people enjoying themselves.
SJR: Right.
The fussy part?
VH: The fussy part is you know,
when I go on holiday, I hardly stay in a hotel.
I enjoy camping.
I enjoy roughing it out.
I traveled around India,
not in five-star hotels,
but probably what you would call 2-star hotels.
But I did enjoy that.
And that to me is vacation,
rather than staying in a plush hotel where everything is taken care of.
I like to rough it on my days off.
SJR: You've been in so many different places and different countries.
** Question 7: Do you have a mentor? If so who and why?
VH: A real mentor over those 25 years of my career ...
like 'one person', not really.
But I think that the education that my parents ...
my parents have somehow been mentors in my life.
But there is no-one that really stands out that has been guiding me
throughout my life.
I do have great support in my current job with my superiors who I see a little bit as mentors.
There are a few people in my career,
but there's noone really standing out aside from my parents.
SJR: ** Question 8: Could you tell us about an event in your career that's made you proud?
VH: Oh, there's been so many.
The opening of the Banyan Tree in Phuket.
I think that that hotel is probably really the first Spa Destination
that existed in Thailand.
I'm talking about 19 or 18 years ago.
That is a very proud moment.
We had a great food and beverage operation there.
Another proud moment was when I was at the New York Grill
at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo.
Which to me is still one of my favourite hotels,
though it doesn't belong to our brand.
It's a stunning hotel.
Where we won with the New York Restaurant Grill,
one of the major awards in Tokyo,
or in Japan.
So that's probably also a great story in my career.
SJR: Wonderful.
As a GM, and somebody who has a lot of people under you,
** Question 9: What's the best advice that you could give to someone wanting to be a good GM?
I think 'stay normal'.
Don't think that you are God.
Or that you are better than the rest of us.
It is a job.
Yes, you do take care of..
you're feeding a lot of families by being a leader of a hotel,
but you know,
just stay with your two feet on the floor.
Today you have this great job, but tomorrow, I don't know.
Stay grounded.
SJR: ** Question 10: What's one thing that GM's 'could' get wrong or 'shouldn't' get wrong?
VH: In my humble opinion, I think that some GM's think that they are better than,
or stand above everyone else.
I have no problem assisting carrying luggage.
Or being part of the team.
Clearing tables.
I don't say 'it's not my job'.
I don't do this every day,
but if the need is there,
I have no issues in jumping in.
SJR: O.K.
This is the final question in the main 'hotel focused' questions,
** Question 11: If you weren't in the hotel industry, what would be your ideal alternate career?
Being a chef.
No, not being a chef,
but having my own restaurant,
or having my own business.
I think that there is a lot of satisfaction that can be had as well
by owning your own place.
So if I wasn't a GM,
I probably would have had some sort of restaurant or bar.
SJR: That was very insightful, and very enlightening.
We have one last question which is on a totally different tangent.
But it's very interesting.
It's interesting to see the different responses.
** Question 12: What's one 'app' that you're using or that has grabbed your attention?
VH: Actually, I just changed my phone,
so there are not many apps on here.
The only one that I use a lot -
I'm not such a tech ...
I use technology because you have to in a way,
but you know I use Scrabble a lot
when I'm waiting for the plane maybe.
That's an app, but I'm not an 'app fanatic' so to speak.
SJR: Well, there you have it.
'Scrabble' is the app mentioned..
VH: And it's not free, you have to pay $3.99 for it.
SJR: $3.99 - Scrabble.
Thank you very much Mr. Vincent Hoogewijs.
It's been a pleasure meeting with you
and an honour also to hear your experience
and learn what it's taken to become a great hotelier here.
VH: Thank you.
SJR: Thank you very much.