When you aim to be the ‘leading luxury hospitality collection in the world’, you need the very best talent to get you there. That’s the aim of Bulgari Hotels and Resorts, and based on their current five hotels around the world, they’ve definitely achieved it. With a little help from Les Roches.
Cicely Zuo, Director of Human Resources at Bulgari Hotel Beijing, has a big responsibility, she’s in charge of hiring the very best talent for Bulgari’s first hotel in China. “So far we have five properties in Milano, London, Bali, Dubai and Beijing, which we opened at the end of September 2017.”
With a striking presence in the heart of the city, Bulgari Beijing is making a statement of luxury in this ever-expanding east-Asian market. “We were very proud of the opening and we are the first Bulgari property in China.”
As with any ambitious brand, Bulgari is growing into even more exciting cities, bringing the luxury experience to more people around the world. Planned expansion will see Bulgari Hotel and Resort properties in Moscow, Paris and Tokyo
Why did you choose Les Roches students?
Cicely is a long-time Les Roches recruiter and is clear on the value that graduates bring to the table, room, office or wherever their role takes them. “I have recruited Les Roches students before when I worked in the Ritz Carlton. They are very passionate about the hospitality industry and also they have a great positive attitude.”
As well as being a personal favourite of Cicely’s, Les Roches alumni are equally regarded by a colleague at the very top of the hotel chain. “The school was highly recommended by our C.O.O. and President of Ritz Carlton, Mr Herve Humler. He highly recommended students from Les Roches.”
Does Bulgari Hotel Beijing recruit internationally?
Visa restrictions in China make it difficult to hire graduates from international countries. Despite this, Les Roches multinational student base meant Cicely has still been able to hire talented students and is hopeful future changes in the law will make it possible to hire outside of Asia too. “As you may be aware, the working Visa system in China has become more and more strict”, she says.
[quote]For China properties we mainly focus on Chinese, Hong Kong and Taiwanese talent. But if one day we can find a way to obtain an internship or working Visa, we’d be more than happy to open for international candidates.[/quote]
What advice can you give students to stay ahead of the competition?
Cicely has already achieved great success in her own career in a short space of time, she had this advice for Les Roches students and graduates alike. “My personal advice is to stick to your career goals, try to be stable and don’t rush things.” Brilliant advice that we see echoed time and time again by the most successful leaders, both in hospitality and beyond.
Check out more recruiters’ stories in our other blogs in this series:
