Xavier Icardo

First hospitality job:

I was hired by ACCOR as a trainer for Formule 1 hotels in South Africa.

 

Age you started working in hospitality:

23

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Your inspiration to begin working in hospitality:

Travelling!

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My hospitality mentor:

Jean Francois Bourgois, the co-CEO of that ACCOR brand - we met for coffee while I was interviewing him for a business school paper and he asked me, "what are your plans for next year?" He hired me on the spot and I spent more than 20 years with the group - he trusted me, saw something in me.

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What are your favourite aspects of your job?

The human relations, putting teams together, and the personal pleasure of helping create experiences for people.

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What has inspired you to continue your career path in hospitality?

The traveling opportunities, the idea of doing something quite different every day...

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Advice for students interested in a career in hospitality:

Be passionate about what you do, but don't waste your time if you aren't - life is too short to spend it at a boring job.