CAREER - GUILLAUME-ALEXANDRE FERRAUD, GENERAL MANAGER IN DUBAI: "I HAD TO GET USED TO MULTICULTURALISM" (United Arab Emirates)
The Parisian Tropézien set down his bags almost a year ago in Dubai, and has no intention of leaving. Here's a look back at an atypical General Manager career full of surprises. |
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CAREER - GUILLAUME-ALEXANDRE FERRAUD, GENERAL MANAGER IN DUBAI: "I HAD TO GET USED TO MULTICULTURALISM" (United Arab Emirates)
The Parisian Tropézien set down his bags almost a year ago in Dubai, and has no intention of leaving. Here's a look back at an atypical General Manager career full of surprises. |
Category: Middle East - United Arab Emirates - Careers
- Interviews and portraits
- Career - Interviews
Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on 2024-07-31
 Guillaume-Alexandre Ferraud on a terrace facing Dubai Creek
Photo credit © Sonia Taourghi / Journal des Palaces
It's an ideal city for those who want to try their luck with a few contacts, ambition and an ironclad work ethic. A portrait that sums up the professional with 25 years' experience... in advertising and events. "Ididn't go to hotel school, I studied law for two years, and I worked very early on: five years in advertising, 20 years as a company director, then as a hotel employee for the first time after I turned 40 in Saint-Tropez".
For the younger generation aiming for a career in the hotel industry, he is adamant about the need to go to a hotel school for the training and "above all for the network". This is something that members of alumni associations confirm, and which he himself has benefited from through his personal network.
Our discussion reveals the surprising itinerary, with a career built on his desires, various talents and encounters. An adventurous profile of the kind Dubai was home to by the thousands 15 years ago, who now has to deal with a more mature city and a competitive hotel market that continues to grow. Between disappointments and great opportunities, Guillaume-Alexandre Ferrand offers a realistic look at his career as an expatriate.Journal des Palaces : Can you sum up your career path?Guillaume-Alexandre Ferraud: In the 90s, I worked in advertising, without studying, and in 2002 I set up my own business tourism agency, which I ran for over 10 years. We organised seminars, conferences, press trips and so on. I think that's where the hospitality bug came from.
When I sold my agency in 2012, I thought about what I wanted to do, and decided to make my 20-year dream come true: I opened a restaurant in Paris, in the 16ᵉ, right next to the Arc de Triomphe. That was in 2013.
Unfortunately, what had appealed to me about the idea of having a restaurant when I was 20 years old was no longer the same: society and the profession had changed. Customers' expectations and habits are no longer the same. And political unrest and acts of vandalism finally got the better of me. In 2020, I closed the establishment. Two days after signing the deed of sale, the government announced that the restaurant would be closed...What drew you abroad?I was lucky enough to have parents who put me in schools where we travelled at a very early age. My business in tourism meant that I travelled a lot. I was away almost every weekend, and I think that these escapes to foreign countries helped me find a personal balance.
Because of my Lebanese origins, my initial idea was to move to Lebanon. So at first I travelled a lot to Lebanon for a project that a friend had told me about, but because of the revolution in 2019, it was no longer the right time to settle down and invest there. With the prospects of going to Lebanon closed, I decided to move to the family holiday home in the South of France near Saint-Tropez for a better quality of life than in Paris. I found a job as a Sales Manager in the south at the Kube Hotel, a 5-star establishment. After two years, I became Deputy General Manager.
The biggest change was becoming an employee again after 20 years as a company director. It's something I was very apprehensive about, but in the end it went rather well. That said, the region has a complicated seasonal pattern and I always had a desire to go elsewhere.How did the Dubai adventure begin?After my disappointment in Lebanon, a Lebanese childhood friend I met again in Saint-Tropez told me I had to go to Dubai. At first, it didn't appeal to me at all, because I thought it was a sort of Disneyland for influencers.
In December 2022, I decided to go and see what Dubai was like anyway, and those eight days gave me the opportunity to break my prejudices. I came back to France won over, and from there I started to get information and to build the project of immigrating to Dubai. I said to myself that at almost 50, it was now or never that I could radically change my life!
At first, I did a few interviews from a distance, but it was complicated, so I finally decided to come and spend a month here, sending my CV in advance and specifying my dates on the spot. The difficulty I faced for this level of position was the lack of experience of the area, or at least the region. The Arabian Boutique Hotel was the most attractive project and offered the chance to take part in the opening. So I agreed to become General Manager at the end of 2023.How have you adapted to your new environment?The thing I found hardest to get used to was the multiculturalism. That's why in all the job offers, one of the skills requested is the ability to work in a multicultural environment. Many people come from different countries or have very different mentalities. Even if some things move faster, there are sometimes slownesses that you have to get used to. So I've had to adapt, because responsiveness is very important, especially with customers. It's one of the keys to success.
So you have to adapt and understand the way everyone works, the level of understanding of requirements, sensitivities, and nuances of language. There is a language barrier and a cultural barrier. When not all employees have a very good command of English, you have to make sure that the information is properly conveyed.You mentioned a lack of formal qualifications. How have you been able to develop your career in just a few years?That's true. Today, a General Manager in a major international group is bound to have attended a reputable hotel school and spent his entire career in the hotel industry. That's why it was important for me to be there to show my determination and to be able to do the interviews, explain my story and still be competitive.
Fortunately for me, I've got a few contacts and therefore a kind of network. To be honest, a lot of the interviews I've had have been through recommendations. These intermediaries have helped my CV to get through certain filters, like that of a school. Given my atypical background and my age, I needed a little help.
In Dubai, 10% of the population are locals, 90% are expatriates, so there's a chance for talent from all over. Admittedly, perhaps more so for a younger population, especially in sales or marketing. On the other hand, there is very strong competition. Hotel employers get a lot of applications.What advice would you give to anyone who wants to come and work in Dubai?At the time, I didn't think it was essential, but now I think that education is necessary for a career in luxury hotels.
Over and above the skills, it's all the network that this brings that will open up many opportunities.
For those who would like to try this adventure, with an observation phase, you also need to set aside a budget to be able to spend one to three months physically on site, even if it means going to the establishments to submit your CV directly. Today, there are algorithms for analysing CVs, and this can rule out an application, putting the human element to one side. That's very regrettable, especially in a sector where attitude is everything.What attracted you to Dubai and is now motivating you to seek a new challenge there?The advantage of Dubai is all the services available to make life more convenient. It's easy to get a plumber, it's easy to get help with moving house, it's easy to get a chauffeur to drive your car after a drunken night out! You can even have petrol delivered to your home. These days, if you want to live a reasonably comfortable life in France, you have to earn a lot of money. But even with a lot of money, the infrastructure isn't necessarily adequate.
For me, Dubai has been a very positive adventure so far. I have a lot of friends who have left Lebanon to come here, so I have a network of friends. In fact, I have more friends here than I had in Saint-Tropez.
There's a gentleness to life in the East that you don't find everywhere.
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