32: How Adaptability Contributes to Success with Ivan Artolli

Today, we are delighted to have a gem of a conversation with an icon in the hotel and meetings and events industry! Ivan Artolli is currently the General Manager of the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He is joining us today to talk about his journey and share some stories about Winston Churchill, learning, traveling, champagne, and the importance of good communication. 

Ivan Artolli’s bio

Mr. Ivan Artolli was appointed Managing Director at the Hotel de Paris in July 2016 following his 17 years’ tenure at Rocco Forte Hotels.

Born in Padua, Italy, Mr. Artolli has spent his entire working life in the hotel industry, gaining valuable experience at all levels in various luxury properties in Germany, UK, France, Monaco, Belgium, and Italy. He studied in Abano Terme, obtaining a degree in hospitality, and also attended courses at the Hospitality School of Lausanne and Cornell University in Ithaka, New York, USA.

On graduation from hospitality school, Mr. Artolli worked at the Adriatico Palace in Trieste, where he rapidly climbed the ranks before joining Brenner’s Pak Hotel in Baden-Baden. He joined The Lygon Arms in Broadway for management training and eventually moved to Claridge’s in London at Front Desk. After almost two years at the Ritz in Paris, he moved to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, as Assistant Front Office Manager. Mr. Artolli joined the old Forte Hotels group in 1992 as a Sales Manager at the Beach Plaza in Monaco and later moved back to Paris, where he worked at the Plaza Athénée as S&M Director.  

At the beginning of 1997, he returned to Italy to work at the Villa d’Este Grand Hotel in Cernobbio as S&M Director, before moving to the Grand Hotel in Milan as Resident Manager. He joined the Rocco Forte Hotels in January 2000 as General Manager of Hotel Savoy in Florence. From there, he moved to Hotel Amigo in Brussels in June 2002, where he oversaw the completion of Hotel Amigo’s $22.6 million refurbishments. He built up the hotel’s reputation as the best hotel in Belgium before joining The Balmoral in 2007, where he remained until August 2011 before appointing a new General Manager to allow him to take up the position of Company Operations Director for the UK, Russia, and Belgium. 

In February 2014, Mr. Artolli got appointed MD of Vedura Resort while retaining his Ops Director responsibilities of the Amigo Hotel in Brussels and being part of the Company Executive Committee.

Going to Germany

After completing his studies at hotel school, Ivan soon realized that he needed to learn foreign languages if he was to have any chance of becoming a departmental manager. German was the most difficult of all the languages he learned at school, so he decided to start there and spent the next few years working in various positions in the hospitality industry in Germany. 

English

After mastering German, Ivan wanted to learn English, so he became a management trainee at the Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, England. He spent eighteen months there and then moved to London, where he took a job at Claridge’s and mastered the English language. 

Monte Carlo

Ivan missed being near the sea, so he found himself a job at the Hotel de Paris, in Monte Carlo, where he spent the next six years working in the front office.

Ivan Artolli's need to learn 

The constant need to learn has always led Ivan’s career. If he is not learning anything new, he becomes bored and anxious. He loves to learn new languages, and he also loves traveling and creating opportunities for his children to learn languages.

Intellectual curiosity

Ivan thinks that intellectual curiosity is what keeps the world alive, so he always tries to challenge himself and push the barrier of what he knows.

A unique company

The company that Ivan currently works for is the only company he knows of that turns close to $702,000,000. Everything the company owns is within the area of 1.26 square miles.

Paying back

Ivan has learned a lot, and he has reached the stage in his life where he needs to pay back for all the good things he has learned.

Mentors

Throughout his career, Ivan has worked with many accomplished and influential leaders. Many of them were willing to share their secrets of success with him, and that has helped him in motivating his team to provide exceptional service.

Ivan Artolli's philosophy on adaptability

Adaptability is a must in the hospitality and meetings and events industry. You need to adapt to evolving situations and be comfortable and relaxed when talking to different people from different nationalities. 

A unique selling point

One of the unique selling points of the Hotel de Paris is that almost everyone who has ever been famous in the US has gone through its doors at some point.

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill got invited to stay at the Hotel de Paris. He was the first person to open one of the old port bottles in the hotel that got hidden from the Germans during the German occupation.

A movie clip

The French film director, Claude Lelouch, shot a short movie clip featuring Charles Leclerc driving a Ferrari in front of the Hotel de Paris on the date that the Monaco Grand Prix was supposed to take place. It was a unique event, and Jon Elkin, Mr. Casiraghi, and Prince Albert were on the steps of the Hotel de Paris, watching the shooting of the clip.

Good communication is vital

Good communication is vital now for what we are experiencing. Leaders need to communicate their plans and requirements clearly, and they need to be consistent with the message they send out. In challenging times, if you walk your talk and communicate why you do what you do, your team will be behind you, and they will become your ambassadors. 

Links and resources:

Book mentioned:

Wine and War by Donald Kladstrup and Petie Kladstrup

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