INTERVIEW - PART 1 - CANDICE D'CRUZ, VICE PRESIDENT, LUXURY BRANDS, ASIA PACIFIC, HILTON: “AN ENVIRONMENT THAT INSPIRES OUR TEAM MEMBERS TO HAVE A DEEP PASSION FOR THEIR BRANDS”
Through passionate responses, the new VP for Asia Pacific shares her experience and vision of a luxury hotel industry that combines diversity, authenticity, dynamism, and responsibility. |
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INTERVIEW - PART 1 - CANDICE D'CRUZ, VICE PRESIDENT, LUXURY BRANDS, ASIA PACIFIC, HILTON: “AN ENVIRONMENT THAT INSPIRES OUR TEAM MEMBERS TO HAVE A DEEP PASSION FOR THEIR BRANDS”
Through passionate responses, the new VP for Asia Pacific shares her experience and vision of a luxury hotel industry that combines diversity, authenticity, dynamism, and responsibility. |
Category: Asia Pacific - Careers
- Interviews and portraits
- Appointments - Interviews - Industry leaders
Interview made by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on 2024-03-22
From her beginnings in Bombay with the prestigious American communications agency Weber Shandwick to her appointment as VP of luxury brands in the APAC region for the Hilton Group, Candice D'Cruz has charted an exemplary path.
In 2007, she took part in the Emaar adventure in Dubai and saw the Burj Khalifa rise. This journey lasted four years, before she joined the Starwood group in 2011 as Marketing and Communications Director for the pre-opening of the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi.
In five years with Starwood, she climbed the ranks and strengthened her expertise in Customer Satisfaction and Analytics. She managed the communications and marketing strategy for three hotels to be opened in Dubai. In 2017, she joined the Marriott group as Vice President of Marketing for luxury brands MEA. A position she held for six years, before Hilton convinced her to join Singapore to put her experience to work for the American group's luxury brands.
Candice D'Cruz has had an impressive career, and is one of those professionals who inspire the younger generation. A source of inspiration recognized, when she won the Hotelier Middle East 'Trailblazer' Award for 2023, which recognizes “someone who has made a difference to the industry in the past 12 months by doing something new and different”. Highly committed to women's empowerment, she has also completed a program dedicated to Women's Leadership at the Yale School of Management.
In a two-part interview, we spoke with this influential woman. Vision, experience, and empowerment are just some topics covered in this first part.Journal des Palaces: How did your passion for luxury hotels come about?Candice D’Cruz: Having travelled widely for work, there are instances that leave an indelible mark on you. I remember a particularly impactful trip to Maasai Mara, where the lodge experience highlighted the simplicity of life and the power of personal happiness. The genuine warmth of the people and the opportunity to observe nature up-close left a profound mark. The harmony within the animal ecosystem, realising there's a place for everyone, and understanding each creature's role - it's a lesson in the interconnectedness of our human experience.Could you name a few professional encounters that have marked your career? Do you have any mentors, and if so, can you tell us about them?I continue to learn, and each chapter brings a different set of awareness given that our business is about people and culture, beliefs and values, combined with passion for the trade and understanding that brand love is what propels us forward.
I’ve had the opportunity to kick-start the focus for luxury lodges in Africa. Something that started as a simple conversation with a colleague has become a developing segment today, truly opening our minds to the potential of transformation travel. What’s amazing to consider is the remoteness of a lodge and how you have to rethink areas of the guest experience that many take for granted – from food supply to IT and infrastructure.
During my time leading brand, marketing & comms for Burj Khalifa, I had the opportunity to work on the opening of the Armani Hotel Dubai. It was incredibly insightful to witness the care and attention that went into ensuring the true representation of a brand. It was the early days of when you saw fashion and retail brands making their foray into hospitality, or as we say today, lifestyle extensions. The precision of every detail in ensuring the brand delivered to promise was wonderful to see. Today, brand is what differentiates us, and it is so important that it isn’t homogenised.
As I started my stint with Emaar, I would often hear of the story of many senior leaders receiving a box of running shoes as they started their time at the company. It was still early days and the company was very much a start-up at heart. Every leader was not afraid to push boundaries and have that “marathon yet sprint” mindset. During this time, I was part of the team that launched the Burj Khalifa. What a humbling experience to see how the human mind achieves the unthinkable and how teamwork is absolutely the key to success.
My first pre-opening and on-property role taught me many lessons in humility and respect. Guests often interact with a few team members during their stay, however often don’t have full insight into the planning that goes into each touchpoint. I highly recommend this to any individual looking to have a career in hospitality – to clock in at least one pre-opening experience.
I have had many mentors and allies over the years. Each have played different roles to help shape my leadership style and approach. I have also often tried to make mental notes of what I didn’t want to emulate. I live by two simple philosophies: treat others the way you would like to be treated and, a good leader should focus on growing a team member’s strength, not trying to change who they are and what they stand for. Everyone is unique and brings with them a different perspective.With several accolades such as the recent Hotelier Middle East 'Trailblazer' for 2023, your vision is considered powerful and inspiring. What is your vision of the luxury hotel industry? What are the challenges?Being new to Asia, I am excited by the diversity of the region, its various definitions and interpretations of luxury experiences and authentic service culture. I believe a new cohort of GenerAsian Travellers, a term recently coined by Hilton, combined with the region’s incredible potential for growth and rapid change, will lead the way for new global trends in experiential luxury and transformative travel.
Asia Pacific is a strategically important market for Hilton’s luxury brands, presenting a dynamic landscape of high-growth potential and a burgeoning demand for luxury accommodations across the region. Our commitment is exemplified through several highly anticipated launches: Waldorf Astoria in Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Australia, and Waldorf Astoria and Conrad in Malaysia, China, and Japan.
We are also focused on driving positive impact in the destinations we operate in. Through Travel with Purpose, Hilton’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally, we seek to create positive environmental and social impact across our operations, supply chain, and communities. Guided by science-based targets, we are focused on reducing our emissions, creating engines of opportunity within our communities, and preserving the beautiful destinations where we live, work and travel while operating with accountability, integrity, and transparency.
What will always remain a fine line is the adoption of technology and what the likes of AI can offer, but also not forgetting that luxury remains high-touch so equipping our teams with the right mindset and training to ensure that they focus on the little details that make the ordinary extraordinary is crucial. Only real people can deliver that!You attach great importance to empowerment, particularly in terms of enhancing the guest experience. What role will you play in empowering your teams?At the core of my leadership philosophy is a commitment to prioritising people. I am particularly passionate about fostering the growth of women leaders and nurturing young talent to reach their potential.
We are truly grateful and proud to be recognized as the No.1 World’s Best Workplace by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work, and the #1 hospitality company to work for in Asia for the seventh consecutive year. Additionally, Hilton has recently been recognized as the Best Place to Work for Women in Greater China for four consecutive years.
With 50% of APAC's Executive Committee being female, covering roles in Brand Management, Finance, Human Resources, General Counsel and Communications, our team is positioned to lead by example and inspire a new wave of hospitality leaders in the region, shaping the future culture of the industry. We create an environment that inspires our Team Members to have a deep passion for their brands, knowing that their leaders have empowered them to take ownership and make an impact.
There remain opportunities to do more for our teams – from enhancing current development programs for their professional growth to finding new platforms that can support their personal wellness journey, we are committed to enhancing our workplace environment where our team members can thrive in body, mind and spirit, discover their passions, and be their authentic selves.
I know that a collective effort has contributed to this culture, and I am motivated to continue fostering an exceptional workplace for our 11,000 luxury employees in the region.What advice would you give to a young person looking for a career in the luxury hotel sector?Gain on-ground experience at a hotel and if there’s an opportunity to be part of a pre-opening team, embrace it with open arms. Being part of a project and seeing it come to life is invaluable and will teach you so much about teamwork, attention to detail and working towards a plan.
Hospitality is an industry where one can truly say “the world is your oyster” – make the most of it. Leaving home and getting out of your comfort zone can be rewarding on so many levels.
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