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For International Women’s Day, Relais & Châteaux is proud to celebrate the women behind the association: their skills, their strengths and their vision.
Relais & Châteaux first came about when eight independent businesses joined forces to share their vision of the art of living and to build friendly, lasting relationships based on the passion of their mutual profession. Their shared values continue to shine today: equal opportunities are central to their relationships, both between employees and with guests.
Hospitality, a universal value
“A hospitable place enables you to unwind almost as soon as you step in. It is a place that harmoniously combines simplicity and comfort. As the guest moves through the hotel, they see sincere, spontaneous smiles every step of the way.” This vision of hospitality – in the words of Patricia Biancarelli of the Relais & Châteaux Grand Hôtel de Cala Rossa & Spa in Porto Vecchio (France), who was awarded the Woman of the Year Trophy 2022 by Relais & Châteaux – is, above all, about the human touch.
At an establishment where an exceptional setting, quality accommodation, and the excellence of every detail is of utmost importance, the key difference in clients’ eyes is hospitality. For Fiona Winger, Lodge Manager of the Relais & Châteaux Matakauri Lodge in Queenstown (New Zealand), “It’s not the quality of the sheets or the exceptional sunsets that make people come back to our lodge, even though those things are important. It’s always the people they meet who make them want to come back.” 
Others see hospitality as both a natural aptitude and a skill that can be learned through an understanding of guests’ expectations. “Hospitality is a subtle combination of time and attentiveness, which makes it possible to provide each guest with a personalised experience. That way, everyone feels perfectly comfortable and well cared for. It means not giving a standard answer to everyone, but striving to provide an individual response to each person that suits their personality,” says Marie-Hélène Miribel, Maître d’Hôtel of Relais & Châteaux Sol y Luna in Urubamba (Peru).
“The Italian term that I like to use to describe it is ‘accoglienza,’ because that better explains my concept of hospitality. It entails a very specific combination of warm feelings, sincere affection, and the pleasure of sharing,” says Stefania Moroni, Owner of Relais & Châteaux restaurant Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in Milan (Italy).
A similar sentiment motivates Trisha Pérez Kennealy, Owner of Relais & Châteaux The Inn at Hastings Park in Massachusetts (United States): “I grew up in Puerto Rico. We have a very friendly, open, welcoming culture there. It isn’t uncommon to encounter people in the street and have them say, “Hey, come eat dinner with us!” That is the spirit that I try to express here. You are like guests at our home, and we want you to feel welcome.” This business leader – a graduate of the Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London – opened The Inn at Hastings Park to share her passion for fine cuisine with visitors from all over the world. “I love making people happy. One of the things I love most about cooking is that it is an incredibly tangible way of showing people that you care about them.”
What sets the hospitality profession apart from others might be said to be the concept of encountering people and learning from each one of them. That feeling is shared by sisters Margaret and Laura Bowe, Owners of the Relais & Châteaux Marlfield House (Ireland): “Hospitality is deeply ingrained in our family, and it is an integral part of our daily lives. It is a sincere love of meeting people and the desire to pamper them.” Aggie Banda is a Lodge Manager at the Relais & Châteaux Royal Chundu in Livingstone (Zambia), where most of the managers are women: “Dealing with people – whether clients or employees – is the best training.” 
These definitions of hospitality, all of which are complementary, emphasize how much personalities play an important role in the hotel and restaurant professions, and how much they can make a difference, breaking down barriers between the personal and professional spheres: “Just as we welcome our friends and family to our home, we consider our guests as extended family, and our accommodations as an extension of our home!” says Anjali Singh, Co-founder of The SUJÁN Life in India.
Taking the expectations of employees into account
“Hospitality is a value that we express to our guests, but also to our employees,” says Stefania Moroni. The new priorities of the post-pandemic world reflect an evolution in the field: “The pandemic has accelerated what was already underway. We have all observed a clear evolution in our employees’ professional aspirations and expectations, and in their desire to find a healthy balance between their private and professional lives. Our sector is going through a complete metamorphosis.”
Following the “Great Resignation”, which radically impacted the hotel and restaurant sector, employees are intent on bringing meaning back into their professional lives, and that is ricocheting into business’ recruitment dynamics.
“People are being more straightforward about what they expect from work and from their employer,” add Margaret Bowe. “Having weekends and evenings off, getting social benefits and the opportunity for promotion… Such human elements constitute the lion’s share of negotiations when we hire new staff. Money is still an important factor, but a balance between people’s professional and private lives is clearly their main priority. And employees want to know that we really care about them.”
To better meet their expectations and foster long-term loyalty as employees, there are various initiatives underway. In Italy, Stefania Moroni explains: “We have completely reorganised our restaurants and changed the days and times that our service is available. We are also investing in training to improve our employees’ knowledge, skills and salaries.”
In Corsica, Patricia Biancarelli says: “Organisations must get better at managing working hours and ensure that employees’ personal lives are respected.” In India, Anjali Singh states: “Teams must be structured, organised, and united, which enables everyone to enjoy their turn at getting a vacation or days off. That time is so essential for their well-being, and yet our sector [typically] requires someone to be present seven days a week, 24 hours a day.”
To compensate for the frequent use of screens in professional interactions, Fiona Winger makes sure that she “takes the time each day to speak with the team members of Matakauri Lodge, whether to have an informal conversation, to assist them in their work, or perhaps just to suggest how to improve on a detail. It is essential to uphold the human aspect of our business.”
Patricia Biancarelli has demonstrated her skills in creating a more peaceful work setting: “It is extremely important to know how to listen, without requiring an appointment, and to do everything we can to make the hard labour and stress more bearable. But my personal approach is through humour. Even though you can’t always laugh about everything or with everyone, humour remains a very powerful way to connect with people, and it makes it much easier to manage everything!”
The pandemic, an opportunity to bring meaning back to our profession
Paradoxically, the pandemic has also turned out to be an opportunity for establishments engaged in responsible tourism, as Anjali Singh explains: “Since the lock-down provided people with the time to reflect, many have decided to seek out more meaningful jobs at establishments that have a positive impact on the community. Therefore, at The SUJÁN, we received a record number of applications. The DNA of our approach is now becoming a trend throughout the hotel industry. The socially responsible, ecologically aware, locally meaningful tourist model that we have developed is now precisely what is attracting the best talent.”
Margaret and Laura Bowe give their employees – young ones in particular – the opportunity to contribute to their sustainability policy (Marfield House aims to be carbon-neutral by 2024). “We encourage their contribution and suggestions, and we implement their ideas whenever we can. We are investing in training, and we encourage them to seek promotion within our establishment.” 
In Zambia, Aggie Banda emphasizes employee involvement, too: “When guests come to the Royal Chundu, they are supporting the local community. About three-quarters of our revenues are re-injected into the local community in the form of salaries, purchases and the provision of services. We support the development of those who support us, from the gardeners and seamstresses of the village, to local painters, sculptors, weavers and traditional fishermen, not to mention the schoolchildren, who are tomorrow’s community leaders. When we see the impact we have been able to make in nearby communities, we are thrilled with how positive it has been.” 
For Barbara Eselböck, Maître d’Hôtel at Relais & Châteaux Taubenkobel in Schützen (Austria), the social movements that are taking shape in today’s world can lead to developments that benefit everyone: “Upheaval and change are often perceived as negative. One of the great strengths of the hospitality business is that young people travel the world to work at distinguished restaurants and hotels. That’s a wonderful way to cultivate yourself, both in personal and professional terms. And welcoming new employees has a positive effect that benefits the whole team!”   
A new approach to recruiting at Relais & Châteaux
Philippe Gombert, President of Relais & Châteaux, made this announcement in November 2021 at the association’s 51st annual convention: “Our professions must provide employees with the meaning and joie de vivre that is so essential in order to provide our guests with the enthusiasm that they come in search of. Another observation is that young people are all seeking a better life/work balance than the previous generation.”  Indeed, there can be no hospitality without well-being at the workplace.
At the same event, Olivier Roellinger, Vice-President of Relais & Châteaux, emphasised the urgency of applying parity and equal remuneration to men and women, while making it possible for them to adapt their work hours and offering them career opportunities abroad.
That change is essential, says Anjali Singh: “In order to recruit female workers and build their loyalty, it is necessary to provide them with a secure, positive, ethical work setting. We are personally committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, since the example needs to be set at the highest level. And we are sure that the trend is slowly but surely moving in the right direction.” 
That conviction is shared by Stefania Moroni, who calls for a change of paradigm, because “gender equality requires a cultural evolution. I am trying to demonstrate that diversity is the best resource we have. That means accepting new points of view and adapting the methods according to the people, not the other way around.”