Being the son of an airline executive being posted in different countries, meant growing up in different parts of the world and being exposed to a multitude of cultures and languages. This exposure influenced me early on to pursue an international and diverse career. At the age of 18 I decided that the hotel business would be well suited to pursue that lifestyle. 

My Hospitality career started in 1988 at the Park Hilton Munich as hotel apprentice and, as the cliché goes, my first job was in stewarding, washing dishes and cleaning kitchens in a very busy hotel. I still remember working double shifts and the physically exhausting nature of this job. It was then that I contemplated to become General Manager by the age of 35. Fast-forward, I achieved that goal at the age of 34 becoming General Manager of the Alexandria Renaissance Hotel in Egypt.

To kick start a career in the hotel business is certainly not easy, it requires hard work, dedication, a plan and some luck along the lines of being in the right place at the right time. There are many career paths that lead to senior positions, but one career booster is common among all: combining work experience with academic knowledge; a powerful combination. This combination is even more effective if a certain degree of work experience is obtained prior to studying, because the academic, theoretical learnings of how to manage a business successfully becomes far more tangible, comprehensible and applicable.  

Actually, my journey to IMHI was more of a coincidence; I had concluded my apprenticeship and was working as sales executive in the Grand Hotel Munich. One day a friend called me asking if I would like to join him on a long weekend trip to Paris. I said yes and off we were en-route to Paris by car. On the way, my friend suddenly shared that he will attend some admission tests and interviews next morning for this amazing hospitality Business Administration program called IMHI.

He explained a little about the program and then dropped the big surprise that he signed me up for the admission interviews! I was a little in shock yet at the same time excited after he had told me so much about the program. He was basically an ambassador to IMHI even prior to being accepted. Well, a long story short, we both got accepted and started our studies in Paris and graduated in 1993. The 2 years were amazing learning years, not only from an academic point of view; the diversity and cross cultural interactions with the fellow students were a great add on bonus and ended in lasting friendships over decades.

After graduation, I joined a private owned Hotel in Buzios, Brazil, a beautifully appointed high end resort getaway as Operations Manager. After managing the resort for three years and assisting the owners to open a second, bigger resort I realized that my career opportunities were limited since this was a small private ownership group. 

I called a few IMHI alumni who in the meantime were working in asset management companies. Out of four, three recommended me to look at Marriott, a big US player just starting to accelerate its international footprint. I applied in one of their biggest hotels in Germany, the Frankfurt Marriott and knew little then that it was the beginning of a 26-year career until today.

Point being, a company that pursues a growth strategy is a company of career opportunities. After joining Marriott in 1996, I moved to the Cairo Marriott in 1999 as DFB and shortly after reached my 1^st GM job in 2001, in less than 5 years and before reaching the age of 35. The key factors that were critical for a fast career progression were:

1. Look at a company’s growth strategy; the more defined and aggressive the growth strategy, the more are the career advancement opportunities.
2. Choose your boss wisely. The mentorship of my first 2 GM’s in Frankfurt and Cairo, both tenured veteran GM’s allowed me to learn from their experiences, their best practices and how to navigate or evade typical career pitfalls.
3. The business acumen gained through my studies at IMHI. This knowledge set me up for success in a number of areas such as finance, analytic thinking, leadership and many more. (It’s no secret that we have expand our horizon continuously, learning and self-improvement is an infinite process)
4. Surround yourself with the best and build stellar teams to succeed jointly. (building successful teams is a science in itself)

The combination of the above were the secret sauce to success and further career growth. Later I ventured into a regional role overseeing Marriott Operations for the Middle East & Africa for 6 years, followed by four years as Vice President Operations Full Service Hotels at the Marriott Headquarters in Bethesda Maryland USA. 

Without guidance and support over the years from mentors, and without the business acumen obtained at IMHI I would have not been able to succeed in these roles.

After 10 amazing years as “above property” leader I did miss the true nature of the hospitality business and decided to return back to the best job in the world: being a Hotel General Manager. 

You might ask, why would anyone want to return to the fast paced and competitive environment of running hotels? The answer lies in job satisfaction. Either you have a passion for hospitality, or you don’t. I chose the profession as I was passionate to engage with different stakeholders and simply run a great hotel. Over the years, just as I had the pleasure to be mentored and learn from experienced bosses, I now had the chance to mentor and groom many young hoteliers myself. A successful year and great financial performance is nice, but to mentor younger hoteliers and see them flourish in their careers is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a leader.

I returned to the Middle East and managed the Marriott Marquis Doha for four years followed by other GM assignments in Dubai. During these years I received an accolade of awards because I had learnt another important lesson; surround yourself with the best in class, build a winning team that is aligned and understands the importance of the “True North”. A leadership team that pursues and contributes to the same KPI’s and understands that only a cohesive team will finish at the top. I was blessed to work with some of the best in their class and can proudly say that these were the best years ever; for all of us.

Today, I am the multi-property General Manager for 5 Marriott managed properties in Kuwait and continue to enjoy my hospitality journey with hopefully the same fun and success.

The world of hospitality has changed substantially over the past 30 years; competitive pressures, oversupply, the effects of the recent pandemic on travel and tourism, bottom line and higher return expectations by stakeholders all add additional pressure and complexity to the role of a hotel leader. Hence, being equipped with a IMHI master’s degree in hotel business administration is probably one of the very best investments to navigate a successful career in the field of hospitality. 

Andreas Wissdorf