Interview with Thomas H. Hachem (IMHI 2011), Vice President Global Rooms Operations at Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts. 

AAIMHI : How did you end up working in Hospitality?

Thomas:

Born and raised in a multi-cultural environment discovering the world has always animated me. From Alain Ducasse to Four Seasons and today in Dubai, my passion for hospitality shares one common denominator is enabling talented teams to craft exceptional guest experiences. 

Passionate about operational excellence and bringing forth impactful team leadership that inspires cohesive and effective profitable performance in multi-national and cross-functional teams  

I graduated with an MBA in 2011, and just over a decade later I am part of the senior leadership team of a luxury hospitality brand with expertise in the luxury industry where I’m directing my efforts towards the personalised craftsmanship of every guest interaction, with tailored services and heart touching operations. 

My multi-cultural background has aided me over the years in adapting to various cultures and diverse surroundings. Being raised in a multi-cultural environment, I always loved to explore new cultures and speak new languages and where better to do that than in the hospitality sector. 

In my discipline, one of the most important traits in this field is to be a creative individual, encompassing the qualities of a designer, but yet establishing controls as the custodian of the brand, allowing for the best expression of a brand and curating the most elevated guest journey. Hospitality is about being passionate and having the capacity to share this with your teams and your guests brings a sense of purpose, but lets not forget this is all underpinned by discipline and hard labour of course. 

The first turning point that ignited my passion for hospitality, was working with Alain Ducasse and deep diving into the world of gastronomy.  That made me cherish his precious learnings and the values he upheld, such as curiosity to keep one’s eyes open to the world, but also his advice to youngsters to work faster, stronger and always smarter. 

AAIMHI: Tell us about your journey after ESSEC?

Thomas:

Some momentous occurrences in my journey so far – joining Four Seasons as a MIT has had an impact on my career and paved my onward journey. another significant milestone that has shaped my course is joining Jumeirah Group in Dubai.

Focusing on transforming digital touchpoints as well as product and brand aesthetics go hand-in-hand when elevating the guest experience, which ultimately sits at the core of everything we do. I have been involved in the elevation and growth of the brand in my current role, along with international expansion. Along with the support of my team, I am committed to a daily quest towards the innovation of customized services, product strengthening and conceptualizing and managing the brand strategy.

With over 10 hotels openings under my belt so far, the one that stands out the most was playing a significant role in driving the reinvention of The Carlton Tower Jumeirah in London. This was a monumental undertaking and made me grow in leaps and bounds. Another defining moment which I can look back on with a sense of achievement is the integral role I played in establishing a prominent position for the brand in the midst of the global pandemic, by working on the certification of Bureau Veritas Safeguard Label, where Jumeirah was the first hotel group in the world to receive this important certification at such a crucial time, when guest sentiment was directly related to their health and safety – providing our brand the edge during such turbulent times. 

A forthcoming milestone which is set to mark a new era for our Group and Dubai at large is the opening of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, another timeless architectural wonder offering guests endless vistas over the Arabian sea and a new expression of luxury hospitality. The resort will complete Jumeirah’s “oceanic trilogy,” which comprises the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel and the sailboat-inspired Burj Al Arab Jumeirah.  

Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab will feature 386 rooms and suites, penthouses and luxury residences suites, set amid private gardens. The resort development includes a superyacht marina, 10 signature culinary destinations expected to attract top caliber chefs and new wellness concepts. In my capacity as Vice President – Rooms, my responsibility to bring our brand to life through all guest touch points and other operational aspects for this exhilarating opening, will likely to be the one that will challenge me the most, drawing on the luxury expertise I have developed over the years and then evolving those learnings to bring a unique touch to this signature hotel, that will resonate with the sophisticated luxury guest for years to come. 

There are a couple of other projects along the way that I hold very close to my heart and that I have been instrumental in bringing to fruition, one of them being the fully integrated Jumeirah Online Check-in solution. This was a project which was a collaboration with cross functional teams and was launched with the collaboration of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism. This tech solution which was showcased during Gitex  (Global Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) is an innovative and user-friendly contactless check-in application that integrates Jumeirah’s hotel ecosystem with government approved security features, providing guests a safe, secure, and efficient way to check-in, personalize their stay and upload their room keys to their mobile devices.  

The other project that stands out is a conservational one. We acknowledge that guest experience that stands the test of time one delivered with an emotional connection. One of our leading initiatives across our beachfront in Dubai, is a sustainable initiative to rehabilitate endangered sea turtles. The Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project which began in 2004 gives our guests and the wider community an opportunity to learn and participate in rescuing, protecting and rehabilitating these incredible species. Since the start of our program, we have successfully rescued, rehabilitated and released over two thousands turtles that are cared for in our sanctuary at Burj Al Arab Jumeirah and Jumeirah Al Naseem Turtle Lagoon. For us it’s a moment of eco-consciousness that we are delighted to share with our guests.

AAIMHI: What lesson did you take from your experience at ESSEC? 

Thomas: 

If you ask me how did IMHI act as an accelerator in my career and individual growth, moreover what is its relevance in a practical real-life working environment, I would say that the biggest growth an MBA program such as this brings about, is that it allows you to know and explore much more about your own personality and preferences, and discover where skill set lies and which areas that you should pursue. I believe the programme constantly develops your skills, it enables you to find comfort in the uncomfortable, and find opportunities hidden amongst the challenges.

Having this enhanced introspection and confronting this throughout the different classes, exercises and assignments, makes you better prepared to select the best career suited for you. Also being submerged in a melting pot of so many different leaders and cultures, gives you the opportunity to better grasp where you want to go. With all this strength and know-how, you are more prepared and confident to engage in a new position and allows you to quickly identify the initial challenges. Furthermore, it makes you very resourceful in creating teams and tackling whatever problems present themselves in the workplace. 

The opportunities at ESSEC are immense, the prospect to attend luxury brand classes with Global brands,  meeting their executives, listening to their experiences and accomplishments, and hear how they have overcome challenging situations  is very useful and great lessons for the journey ahead. The University also opens doors to a diverse set of classes which are part of the program and hence provides an opportunity to hold parallel skills such as Law, Finance and Ethics in Business to name a few. These have stayed with me and brought value to my working life as they are the areas in our professional path we continuously interact with. 

AAIMHI: What would be your recommendations to the new students joining the program?

Thomas: 

ESSEC plays an important role in facilitating purposeful growth. They bring together multicultural professionals with brilliant minds each with a new perspective and differing ideas to learn from. It is a platform to meet and engage with exceptional scholars and brings about great networking of professionals. A strong sense of teamwork exists here, all of us will recollect the sleepless nights from working on some amazing and exhilarating projects. 

This has taught me to take diversity, team building and inclusion, very seriously and place a great importance on team leadership and adopting goals for parity and inclusivity. I believe in enhancing people’s natural strengths, coaching and guiding on areas requiring development and where I see the opportunity and ability of an individual to go beyond their current remit – show them the way and mentor their development. Passionate about operational excellence and bringing forth impactful team leadership that inspires cohesive and effective performance in multi-national and cross-functional teams - best defines me as a professional. 

AAIMHI: Thank you Thomas!