Incentive - October 2008 - (Page 90)

Nicolas Pesty General Manager of the Sofitel, Philadelphia OFF THE CUFF BY JENNIFER JUERGENS Q : W h a t w a s yo u r f i r s t j o b ? A : Room-service waiter at the InterContinental hotel in Paris. Q : W h a t i s yo u r f a v o r i t e q u o t e ? A : “How do you expect a different outcome if you keep doing things the same way?” Q : W h e r e w e r e yo u b o r n ? A : France (Paris) in the 17th district, one of the most beautiful! Q : W h a t d o yo u m i s s m o s t a b o u t yo u r h o m e t o w n ? A : Culture (music, architecture, museums, movies with a special French sense of humor and good taste) and the way people dress, even if casual, always well appointed. The food is a religion and even a simple snack is a ritual. Q : D o yo u g e t t h e r e o f t e n ? A : Lately three times a year. I guess as I get older I get closer to my family. I also realize being away for so long that France is such a beautiful country. I want my son to know and appreciate where he’s coming from. Q : I f yo u we re t o go i n t o a ny o t h e r c a re e r, w h at wo u l d i t b e ? A : Red Cross or any charitable organization. I will get there whenever I retire! Or comedian. I would have loved it, not for the glamorous side, just for the fun to play different characters every day. Q : H ave a ny h o bb i e s ? A : Scuba diving, triathlon, movies, motorcycling and cooking. Q : Do yo u eve r v i s i t t h e historical sites of Philadelphia? A : Over seven years, I did everything. It is sad to see tourists going first to New York; Philly is where it all started. been dealing with more interesting things than taking care of the F&B equipment. Q : W h e r e d i d yo u g o t o c o l l eg e ? A : Paris, at the Hotel School. W h e r e d o yo u t r a v e l w i t h yo u r j o b ? A : China, South America (Brazil, Colombia) and France. Q: Best job? A : My current. It is very challenging, even more with the actual economic situation. A lot of satisfaction, feeling that hard work really pays off. Also hanging out with my son (13-year-old) who is very active! Playing soccer, riding a motorcycle, going to restaurants and getting him to understand the difference between good food and bad food. Q : Any s i m i l a r i t i e s t o wh e re yo u a re f ro m t o P h i l a d e l p h i a ? A : Architecture, and history which links France to Philly during Independence. Q : D o e s t h e h o t e l h av e a n y i n c e n t iv e s f o r i t s e m p l oy e e s ? A : We have a monthly recognition program. Employees receive points when they go above and beyond in terms of service. Then, they can redeem their points for gifts they can choose from a list. We have also a quarterly recognition program. Each hotel selects an employee (a star), and a letter of accomplishment is sent by our COO as well as a trophy with the name of the employee engraved. Q: Q : W h a t d o yo u l i ke t o t a ke o n a trip? A : Workout gear. No matter where I am I have to have it. I work out every day; it is very important with a stressful job. Q : W h a t i s t h e w o r s t j o b yo u e v e r had? A : Assistant steward. Honestly, I have 90 | Incentive Q : W h a t w a s t h e b e s t b o o k yo u e v e r re a d ? A : The First 90 Days (professional); Stendhal’s Le Rouge et Le Noir (personal). OCTOBER 2008, VOL. 182, NO. 10—INCENTIVE® (ISSN 1042-5195; USPS 799-880) IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA. CORPORATE AND EDITORIAL HEADQUARTERS: 770 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, NY 10003-9595. SUBSCRIPTIONS: US—$59, CANADA—$75, FOREIGN SURFACE—$95, FOREIGN AIRMAIL—$195, SINGLE COPIES—$10. COPYRIGHT 2008 BY NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. POSTMASTER: SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO INCENTIVE, PO BOX 1255, SKOKIE, IL 60076. PERIODICALS MAIL PAID AT NEW YORK, NY, AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. | October 2008 | incentivemag.com http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - October 2008

Incentive - October 2008 Contents Editor's Note Headlines Cover Story: Face Time with Senior Executives is the Top Motivator of Cisco Systems' Chairman's Club Winners Incentive Interview Safety Incentives: Safety Drives a Limousine Service's Motivational Efforts Case Study Primer Learning: Diving into Incentives for the Mind Enhances Both Loyalty and the Bottom Line Research: Travel IQ Travel News Florida Coast to Cost Caribbean Escape Potentials Here and Now Gadgets & Power Tools: High-End Roars Seen at the Motivation Show Advertisers Index Off the Cuff

Incentive - October 2008

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