Meet Jaime

Yes — at the time, it was called the Vivier program, which later became the International Hotel Management Program, which was aiming to help aspiring leaders become General Managers.

I completed it in 2002 and 2003 in partnership with Cornell University and the Accor Academy. It was an incredible experience. The quality of the content, the level of knowledge shared and the overall learning experience were simply outstanding. It is a program that has stayed with me ever since and one that had a real impact on my development as a leader.

One of Accor’s values is the spirit of conquest, and I believe that entrepreneurial mindset is something deeply encouraged across the Group.

As employees, we are given a high level of autonomy. We are trusted, encouraged to take initiatives and also allowed to make mistakes. That is something I have always appreciated. This is something often shared with new recruits: ask as many questions as possible and do not be afraid to make mistakes, because mistakes are part of learning. The more mistakes you're doing, probably the more that you're learning. That culture of trust and development has been very important to me.

Training and development are paramount for all of us, and especially for our Heartists®.

It is essential that we provide our teams with the right tools so they feel comfortable, confident and prepared when facing situations in their daily work or when engaging with guests. Beyond operational readiness, learning also helps people feel recognized and rewarded. It shows that they are part of an organization that is genuinely investing in their growth and development.

I have worked in many different cultural environments, including Jakarta, Bangkok, London and Moscow. I saw this very clearly when I moved to Moscow to become General Manager of the Novotel Moscow City.

At that time, the Academy had developed a program called Intercultural Immersion to help leaders integrate into the local culture. I was fortunate to take part in that three-day training, and I found it extremely valuable. It was the first time I had experienced something like that.

It reminded me that, while we are there as Accor ambassadors, it is equally important to respect local cultures and local ways of working. That understanding is essential when operating in such an international environment.

My first piece of advice would be to embrace technology. The pace of change has accelerated significantly, especially with the arrival of AI, so it is important to explore it, use it and become comfortable with it.

At the same time, as technology becomes more present and more systems become automated, empathy will become even more important. We must never forget that hospitality is a business of people, for people. Creating meaningful human connections should always remain at the heart of what we do.