Hospitality Design - November 2015 - 75

PERSPECTIVES

INTERVIEW

Photography courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts
and Raffles Hotels & Resorts

LUXURY
MANAGEMENT

A two-decade hospitality career lends insight

Ömer Acar has worked his way up the hotel
ranks-from assistant restaurant manager to
director of F&B to his current position as the
corporate director of asset management for
Western Europe at Katara Hospitality. The
Qatar-based hotel owner, developer, and operator
has roughly 35 properties in its impressive
portfolio-including such iconic luxurious
places as the Excelsior Hotel Gallia in Milan,
the Peninsula and Le Royal Monceau Raffles in
Paris, and the Savoy in London-with 25 more
set to open in the next 11 years. Here, he answers
Alexandra Champalimaud's questions about
secrets to success, creating experiences, and the
expectations of modern guests.

You studied architecture in your early
years. What inspired you to make a
career shift to hotel management? Does
your previous study affect your process
today?
Studying architecture was a truly inspiring

ÖME∏ ACA∏

experience. I found that being able to create
something from scratch was always exciting and
equally rewarding. However, as I wasn't able to
take part in the operations once the project was
complete, I decided to turn to something more
hands on.
I believe creativity makes for a successful
business, and this is why I made the switch to the
hospitality industry. By focusing on the success of
the business, I am able to analyze and focus on the
job at hand, while at the same time continuing to
look at the bigger picture. I really enjoy creating
experiences for people-being a part of their
special moments by coming up with a humble
idea and then taking it right through to people
actually enjoying the result.
By studying architecture, I was able to
leverage my creativity and focus on building
the concept of a dream. Working in hotel
management, I can live the dream and share it
with others around me.

part of success. It's also about learning from the
inspiring people around you in the hospitality
industry-those who push the boundaries to
provide exemplary experiences, true innovation,
and those who really focus on how to surpass
guests' expectations. This is what makes
memorable experiences and in turn creates truly
iconic and leading hospitality establishments that
set the standards for the rest of the industry.
Success can only be achieved by a team of
individuals who are inspired by their leaders.
It is important to constantly be innovating to
keep the team engaged, and a large part of this
is achieved by listening and learning from
others' experiences. Our CEO, Hamad Al Mulla,
is very innovative and asks us to always be
inspirational and creative for each project. This
approach makes us a very unique company in the
hospitality industry.

You have been GM or director of F&B
at many renowned 5-Star hotels, such
as the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheikh
in Egypt, the Ritz Paris, and Le Royal
Monceau Raffles Paris. What lesson did
you take away from these experiences
and carry in to your current role?

Having different partners around the table with
different cultural and professional backgrounds
keeps me on my toes and allows me to
continuously think outside of the box. No idea
is a bad idea-they may not be a perfect idea for
an existing project but they could be a perfect
solution for another. To have a true holistic
approach, it is crucial to take on board the
ideas and opinions of those from across all
industries.

Each experience has its own journey and each
journey has its ups and downs. The key thing
that I have learned is to grow from not only your
successes but also the challenges that come as

How do collaborations lead to new
ideas?

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Hospitality Design - November 2015

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