Interview with Antoine Frechard (IMHI 2020), Guest Experience Project Manager at Magnicity (M56 Group).

AAIMHI: What do you remember from your time at IMHI?

Antoine: I remember a lot of things from my time at IMHI as it was not so long ago. I would start first a little bit before the first IMHI classes. The first thing, most of us remember, is taking the GMAT test in order to enter the IMHI Program. I also remember the day I received my acceptance letter. And after 2 years, I especially remember my classmates from my promotion but also from the 2019th and 2021 promotion. And last but not least, our teachers, and especially the end of the diploma consulting project. Looking back, the things I will remember most is discovering new people with the same interest (hospitality) and the life lasting bond that was created between us. 

AAIMHI: You have been very active at IMHI Traiteur and the Lab, tell us about it!

Antoine: The ESSEC association is huge, and IMHI associations are part of them. I did my bachelor degree at ESSEC as well, so I spent nearly 6 years on Cergy campus. To be in charge of an association or be part of it is a really important aspect of your studies. It helps you grow your network and develop your entrepreneurial skills as well. 

IMHI Traiteur is a wonderful example of expressing our specificity (hospitality) as IMHI students to outside companies or private events. And the Lab is a wonderful example of expressing our specificities as IMHI students to all the other students on campus. 

For IMHI traiteur I was in charge of prospecting new clients in order to gain more money for our graduation, and we did increase the number of events (compared to the years before) and overall the global revenue of the association making it a thriving association. For the Lab, I mostly served other students and created a strong bond between regular clients and us. 

AAIMHI: What did you do right after graduating, can you share a bit about your different experiences? 

Antoine: I graduated from IMHI in July 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown due to COVID 19. We spent the last half of our last semester at home. Fortunately, before the pandemic, we had classes every week where speakers and industry leaders came over and spoke about their careers. So, during lockdown, I used this time to reconnect with them.

Just before graduating, I had an opportunity to become general manager of a 49 rooms, 4 star hotel in the South of France. So I grabbed everything I had and moved in June 2020 to Nice. My role was to open the hotel after COVID, put in place all the safety measures, do a technical tour of the building and most importantly to convince all the employees to come back to work after almost 4 months of staying at home, and of course operate on a every day basis the operation and distribution/pricing of the location. After 4 fantastic months, my contract came to an end. During the same Summer, a regular speaker and AAIMHI contacted me. He was launching the hotel branch at Paris Society and he wanted me on board. I moved back to Paris and spent almost 2 and a half years with Pierre Etienne Caire (IMHI 02). After 2 years, we archieved to manage 4 hotels, L'Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, La Citadelle Vauban de Belle Île en Mer, Le Refuge de Solaise and Villa M (Paris). And recently, I wanted to try something else. I had the opportunity to join M56 - Magnicity, one of the main companies in its field, as Guest Experience Project Manager. Exit the hotel industry and welcome to the observatory desks, thrill attractions, bars and restaurants 200 meters above the ground. They are managing the last floor of skyscrapers, like La Tour Montparnasse, 360 Chicago Tower, TV Turm in Berlin and Euromast in Rotterdam, with many projects on the go. 

AAIMHI: Could you share an achievement you are particularly proud of?

Antoine: I am particularly proud of contributing to open a 4 star hotel post COVID, to contribute opening 2 atypical hotels in France (Le Refuge de Solaise, Val d'Isère and Villa M, Paris) and to follow the renovation work of 2 atypical hotel (L'Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, Auffargis and La Citadelle Vauban, Belle île en Mer). 

But most importantly, during this period, I tried to stay the same and this attitude helped me to get to know other people, like for example mayors, architects for classified buildings in France, french deputies, and of course hotel managers and colleagues.  

AAIMHI: Are there any lessons you have learned that you would like to share ?

Antoine: Start to meet industry leaders and read about topics that you love. The younger you become an expert on a topic, and the more precise you are on this specific topic, the more valuable you will be for your work. It can be anything, related or not to the hospitality industry. At one point it will help you in a way or another. 

The second advice I would like to share is to not base your decision on taking a job only on the salary aspect alone, but take into consideration the environment you will work in. Especially for a first job. Enjoy what you are doing, because you will probably have to do it for a couple of years :)

AAIMHI: Besides the academic degree, which are the soft skills you believe are particularly important today?

Antoine: COVID definitely changed a lot of things. And for me, kindness/respect, integrity and curiosity are the key components to becoming a good leader. I do believe that you can no longer work in the hospitality industry without taking into consideration those aspects. Yelling at employees, being not open-minded about other industries is no longer sustainable in our industry.  

AAIMHI: Do you believe the alumni association AAIMHI, the IMHI network, is important? 

Antoine: I do believe that the IMHI strength comes from its alumni association and the IMHI network. It is through the IMHI network that I found my first permanent contract, thanks to Pierre Etienne, who became today a mentor. At that time, during the pandemy, it was hard to find a job in the hospitality industry, and without the help of IMHI alumni it would probably took me longer to find a job.

AAIMHI: What are your next steps? 

Antoine: I just started a new job last month. I don't have next steps in mind, my only goal is to be happy and we will see in the following month, years what will happen.

Thank you Antoine!