In the second episode of the new season of Accor's industry leading podcast, Heart of Hospitality, Duncan O'Rourke, host and CEO Accor Northern Europe, speaks to Dr Ines Blal, the Executive Dean and Managing Director Haute Ecole & Academia SA, part of the EHL Group. They exchange on the fundamentals of education in hospitality, the importance of purpose and authenticity when attracting young talents into the industry, and how being part of a team creates everlasting memories.

The first woman and youngest person to hold the position of Dean since the creation of the school in 1893, Dr Ines Blal assumed the deanship in August 2017. Ines holds a PhD in Strategic Management in Hospitality and Tourism from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an MBA in Hospitality Administration from EHL, and a bachelor's degree in International Business from the INSEEC Group. Ines describes EHL as being 'at the crossroad of hospitality and education'.

Ines' message to hotel GMs around the world was clear, 'make sure that you know that you have people that are passionate about the industry and everything that it brings, and make sure that you deliver to them the context and the structure, to be able to live that passion.'

In the podcast, the hospitality leaders discuss the work of EHL, the highly valuable and sough-after 'soft' skills of the hospitality sector, and the importance of developing the incredible and unique human capital in the sector.

'Our role at EHL is human development - to guide and tutor talents to help them understand what they are looking for,' explains Ines. 'Every person will have their own personal intrinsic motivation, each one of them will have a purpose and we help them define their own measurement for success and to co-create their professional vision.'

On the topic of Gen Z, Duncan and Ines discussed the shifting priorities and aspirations of the emerging generation as they start their professional lives. 'This new generation, they really look for a purpose. If they're going to work, they want that work to mean something. And it is super inspiring. They want to work for people and businesses with authenticity, that are walking the talk.'

Commenting on the episode, Duncan O'Rourke, Heart of Hospitality host and CEO Accor Northern Europe said: 'Together, the hospitality sector and world-renowned hospitality and business schools, of the calibre of EHL, nurture talents. We help define professional careers, celebrate the diversity of each individual and help shape the career and impact they could each have professionally. Students from EHL are sought after by some of the biggest businesses in the world, both in and out of hospitality. This is because of the incredibly valuable, powerful and transferable skills that thrive in the hospitality sector. Lifelong 'soft skills', coupled with creativity, innovation, management and care, are the backbone of this sector and skills to be cherished.'

Ines added: 'Working in a hotel at the start of my career my colleagues and I had to deliver a banquette for 1000 people, and I was doing the service, moving between the elegant atmosphere at the dinner table and the pace of the kitchen. It was a team effort, intense, focused and sometimes so quiet because everybody was concentrating so hard on delivering the next dish perfectly. And I thought, wow, this is so exciting. I still have goosebumps thinking about it and it was 25 years ago. The collaboration, management, effort and preparation ensured a stunning result. It was just fantastic. We felt so proud about delivering that service in such intense circumstances. And for me, that's the summary of hospitality - togetherness, you truly feel that you are part of something.'

The Heart of Hospitality podcast is part of a pan-European industry platform of the same name, built to tell stories of the sector and its people. Accor is inviting stories from across the industry to be shared via #HeartOfHospitality

To listen to the full episode, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/podcast/ or find the podcast on Spotify and other leading Podcast platforms.

For more information and more stories from hospitality, visit https://heart-of-hospitality.com/

ABOUT ACCOR, A WORLD-LEADING HOSPITALITY GROUP

Accor is a world leading hospitality group consisting of 5,300 properties and 10,000 food and beverage venues throughout 110 countries. The group has one of the industry's most diverse and fully-integrated hospitality ecosystems encompassing more than 40 luxury, premium, midscale and economy hotel brands, entertainment and nightlife venues, restaurants and bars, branded private residences, shared accommodation properties, concierge services, co-working spaces and more. Accor's unmatched position in lifestyle hospitality - one of the fastest growing categories in the industry - is led by Ennismore, a joint venture, which Accor holds a majority shareholding. Ennismore is a creative hospitality company with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. Accor boasts an unrivalled portfolio of distinctive brands and more than 230,000 team members worldwide. Members benefit from the company's comprehensive loyalty program - ALL - Accor Live Limitless - a daily lifestyle companion that provides access to a wide variety of rewards, services and experiences. Through its global sustainability commitments (such as achieving Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2050, global elimination of single use plastics in its hotels' guest experience, etc.), Accor Solidarity, RiiSE and ALL Heartist Fund initiatives, the Group is focused on driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity and inclusivity. Founded in 1967, Accor SA is headquartered in France and publicly listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and on the OTC Market (Ticket: ACCYY) in the United States. For more information visit group.accor.com or follow Accor on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

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