Frits van Paasschen, Presidente & CEO di Starwood Hotels & Resorts: le mie cinque settimane di tour in Middel East

(During five-week relocation, Starwood’s leaders visited 19 cities in 12 Countries covering 38,000 miles from world’s most vibrant travel hub )
di Paola G. Lunghini
E’ così che si fa, accidenti !
Si prende la valigetta , si caricano insieme sull’ aereo manager entusiasti  e non riottosi, si fissano le date, e si va. Tanto siamo tutti sempre interconnessi!
Ecco qui sotto l’ esperienza – una vera  lezione di “ stile di direzione” – di Frits van Paasschen, Presidente & CEO di Starwood Hotels & Resorts , che appunto ha preso la valigetta ed è andato per cinque settimane a trovare i suoi grandi clienti nel Middle East, e quelli potenziali. E, naturalmente, le personalità politiche e governative di quei luoghi.
Frits ( che ho imparato a conoscere all’ International Hotel  Investment Forum di Berlino , agli inizi dello scorso marzo) è un signore molto tosto che è alla guida di uno dei più grandi gruppi dell’ hotellerie al mondo : 1.134 proprietà in un centinaio di paesi, con oltre 170 mila dipendenti. I suoi brand sono  St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, ed ElementSM.
Scusate se è poco.
Mentre Frits “ batteva “ le strade del Middle East e, come da foto, indicava “ This Way”, i nostri alberghi milanesi  si organizzavano per ospitare improbabili mostre di design in occasione del Salone del Mobile .Come se ciò potesse attirare ospiti dall’ estero…
E così, mentre qui si sta a discutere del sesso degli angeli e la nostra industria turistica perde colpi su colpi, vi propongo  la sintesi del Tour di Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, così come oggi l’ ho ricevuto dalla Società.
Sperando che qualcuno tragga ispirazione.
«Marking the conclusion of Starwood’s month-long relocation to Dubai, Frits van Paasschen, President & CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, today shared highlights and insights from the company’s immersion in the Middle East.
Throughout the month of March, Frits van Paasschen and members of Starwood’s Senior Leadership Team met with 3,000 associates, conducted nearly 50 owner meetings and visited all 14 Starwood hotels in Dubai, which is the company’s second largest hotel market behind only New York City.
The team also took advantage of Dubai’s strategic location to travel to 19 cities across 12 countries, meeting with government officials and potential development partners in fast-growing markets, including Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and India.
During the five-week relocation, the team travelled 61,000 kilometres (38,000 miles) – the equivalent of circling the globe one and half times. Over the course of the month, more than 200 of Starwood’s senior leaders and General Managers travelled to Dubai as the company ran day-to-day operations almost 7,000 miles and an eight-hour time zone difference away from the company’s global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
During the relocation, Starwood executives also met with more than 150 corporate and leisure customers who drive business to hotels globally. The Middle East is an increasingly important outbound travel market, and regional membership in Starwood Preferred Guest, the company’s loyalty program, has increased 140% over the last five years.
Following the company’s successful relocation to China in June 2011, this second leadership move reflects Starwood’s innovative management approach to cultivating a more global culture by understanding, appreciating and leveraging different societal and associate perspectives and approaches to business and hospitality»