A look back at the career of the Regional Director of Sofitel Phokeethra as the brand celebrates sixty years of French art de vivre.
The current manager of the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra has been working in Asia for twenty years. Although he was destined for a very different career, it was during his end-of-course business studies that the young Charles-Henri fell in love with this profession, which he readily compares to a great play.
Interview with a passionate man
CM: Tell us about your origins and the early stages of your career
I come from Brittany, from Rennes to be precise. I'm the eldest son in a family of three children. I'm the fourth generation of a French family who used to make leather accessories for horse-drawn carriages.
Like my two sisters, I didn't want to join the family business. I went to Angers to study for a business school. I had the opportunity to do my end-of-studies work placement at the Sofitel hotel in Roissy. It was love at first sight.
CM: It wasn't exactly your first vocation...
In fact, I would have liked to do theatre. And, in the end, with the hotel, I found myself somewhere in a great play. In fact, there's the ‘stage’, i.e. the part that's visible to the public, and then there's the backstage, the preparation that in our profession we call the ‘back office’. So, somewhere along the line, I found myself in an environment where there was a stage and backstage.
“And I liked it straight away, especially at Roissy where the activity was so intense and formative”
After my six-month work placement, the director at the time, Claude Chevauché, offered me a job. That's how the adventure began in 1994, when I was barely 22.
At the time, I didn't lack energy or ideas, and I was working in an environment where the teams were strongly unionised, and I think that had repercussions on customer service. So I was experiencing my first challenges.
CM: You already wanted to improve things
I was in charge of reservations when I was hired, but my work placement had given me an insight into several aspects of the hotel's operations and I wanted to improve the way guests were welcomed and looked after. I put a lot of effort into it. I didn't look at my hours and I continued to work after hours. It was quite easy for me because I lived in the hotel.
I really wanted to understand how the establishment worked and what customers' expectations were. And the switchboard was a good training ground, because at the time we didn't have today's technological tools and a lot of things went through the switchboard.
It was also the time of ‘yield management’, a brand new concept inspired by the airlines, which had been practising it since the 1970s. In fact, it involves analysing supply and demand and adjusting prices accordingly.
This was new at Accor and it enabled me to go to the United States to familiarise myself with this technique and then implement it at the Sofitel Roissy, which thus became the pilot establishment for this concept. That was the start of an exciting adventure.
CM: What next after Roissy?
I stayed at Roissy for three years. Then I went to the Sofitel Paris La Défense Centre, a five-star hotel with a large business clientele, until 2002. I was first reception manager and then Food & Beverage manager.
CM: Tell us about your enthusiasm and, perhaps, the difficulties of those early years
Back then, we didn't yet have mobile phones, we used telex or fax and human interaction was logically much more lively.
“I found my work very motivating, it was vibrant and, yes, really exciting.”
As for the less amusing aspects, I'd talk about the difficulty of finding qualified staff, a problem that still exists today. I was also lucky enough to have opportunities at Accor and to have worked with some excellent managers. Of course they taught me a lot, but they also supported and encouraged me.
This is a job where you need energy. We're on the job when others are at rest. Working in this sector isn't always easy on your private life, and unfortunately there are quite a few divorces in our profession.
For my part, I was lucky enough to meet someone who understood and accepted the constraints of my job from the outset. I'd like to stress that this is invaluable, because it can be extremely stressful to know that someone is waiting for you at home, but not in a serene way.
CM: Tell us about your first years in Asia
In December 2002, I went to Vietnam to work at the Sofitel Legend Metropole. I arrived as the hotel's new number two, with a manager who wanted to revitalise the establishment and bring in some new blood.
I spent four years in this historic hotel, which dates back to 1901 and is absolutely magnificent.
Over the years, I've been lucky enough to host major events and meet stars and celebrities from all over the world - it's been an extraordinary experience. I got to meet the kings and queens of Sweden and Spain, the French President and Mick Jagger.
CM: Did you have any fears about this first posting abroad?
To be honest, no. I was assigned in a very short space of time and I didn't hesitate. It's true that this was my first professional contact with Asia, but I was quite familiar with the Asian environment.
I've had a circle of Vietnamese friends in France for a long time. I also enjoy cooking Asian dishes. So it was quite easy to make contact, and I wasn't totally disorientated. And Hanoi is a city that retains a bit of French heritage and flavour.
And after Vietnam?
After the Metropole, I worked for two years in Beijing, where I opened the Sofitel as the hotel's number two. It was a giant hotel complex with 417 rooms, large meeting spaces, four restaurants and a huge spa complex.
It was a challenge and a bit stressful because the Olympics were coming up and we wanted to make sure we were open before that and we managed to do that. I then held the same position at the Sofitel in Shanghai.
CM: How would you sum up your experience in China?
‘It never stops’... the professional activity is intense and, in a private capacity, you are also constantly invited because of your duties. It was an exhilarating rhythm.
CM: In 2009, you took over from Didier Lamoot in Siem Reap
After China, the Accor group offered me the management of the Sofitel in Siem Reap. It was an absolutely wonderful hotel for my first experience of general management. It was a hotel that was still in the development and positioning phase.
It's also a magical place and the owners are fantastic, with a long-term vision and a quality approach.
It's also a hotel where we do a lot of networking, because so many people want to visit this city. So you welcome quite a few VIPs, especially from Europe, who want to visit the temple city.
“My background was more in business hotels, but this was more of a leisure destination. It was a different approach”
I'd already been to Angkor as a tourist and knew a bit about the town. It's also true that in 2009, Siem Reap was not yet enjoying its best years in terms of commercial activity because of the fallout from the Asian crisis.
I remember that in 2009 we ended the year with just 32% occupancy. But then business took off and we were able to bring a certain dynamism to the establishment and market the golf course.
In July 2011, I found myself in Phnom Penh, again as General Manager.
CM: You spend much longer than usual on assignments within the Accor group...
It's true that this isn't quite the usual pattern. Managers generally carry out assignments of three to four years. I think it's important to have a certain amount of time, especially for a five-star hotel.
Some of us work in the same establishment for much longer periods. As long as things are going well, the momentum isn't waning and the results are excellent every year, there's really no reason to change.
CM: What about the Covid crisis?
2019 was an extraordinary year, and 2020 was off to a pretty good start. Then Covid came along. To manage as well as possible, we reduced the workforce and negotiated a few departures.
I sincerely hope that things will move in the right direction, but there are still some unknowns, particularly in China. We still don't know when the measures will really be relaxed on their side, and this has a major impact, particularly on foreign visitors to Phnom Penh.
We also depend on air travel and the measures taken by our visitors' countries of origin. While it is now easier to get to Cambodia, it can be more complicated to get back. And that's something we can't control.
CM: What is your current strategy?
The idea is to be much more active in the domestic market, in catering and in cultural and sporting events. We have now reopened all our restaurants, some with new menus. We also have a number of exhibitions in our gallery and organise a lot of gastronomic events, as well as sporting, leisure and artistic events.
CM: What would be the happiness and worries of the manager of the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra?
A good day is satisfaction. I'm talking about satisfied customers. I would stress that we have teams here who love their work and are dedicated. So, a good day can be a dynamic process with a few small challenges, but where, at the end of the day, these few difficulties have been overcome and the customer is happy in the end.
“There are no real fears...”
To illustrate my point, if someone says to me ‘I know how to handle customer complaints if there are any’, I don't necessarily find that positive. The right attitude is to anticipate and act in advance so that there are no complaints and therefore no worries.
One of the stressful elements here could be power cuts. Even if they are much less frequent these days, it can be annoying to have an unexpected power cut when the hotel is hosting a lot of people.
Unlike some hotels, which can be exposed to natural disasters or terrorist attacks, Phnom Penh is fairly safe. We've never suffered a huge storm, attack, flood or any other such inconvenience.
CM: What is your opinion of the hotel environment in the country?
It's a fairly dynamic market. But you have to look at the segment. As far as five-star hotels are concerned, I think that there is already a good supply and that there is strong demand for mid-range hotels in Phnom Penh. I also believe that budget hotels still have real potential, particularly in the provinces.
CM: A word about the brand's 60th anniversary
June is a very important month for me, as I am celebrating my 30th anniversary with Sofitel, having devoted my entire career to this exceptional brand. I am incredibly proud of how far Sofitel has come and deeply honoured to be contributing to its legacy. Celebrating Sofitel's 60th anniversary at the same time as my own birthday fills me with immense pride and gratitude for the journey we have undertaken together, continually striving to deliver unforgettable luxury and experience to our guests.
CM: Talking about your hobbies...
I sleep (laughs). Having said that, we work six days out of seven, and when you think about it, our rest time is precious. I enjoy reading and cooking. I also like walking around the capital. Phnom Penh is a pretty nice city for that.