The Brandstorm L’Oréal Competition

Virgile Faury, Clément Ghidini and Clara Muller, MBA in Hospitality Management 2013-2016

As current students of the MBA in Hospitality Management (IMHI) we have the opportunity of taking advantage of ESSEC classes, which enables us to take classes out of the hospitality context.

Attending Mr. Simon Nyeck class in "Anthropology of luxury brands", the final exam work was based on the worldwide L'Oréal competition, the Brandstorm L'Oréal. 

Since 1992, the company has given the opportunity to young students to participate in this unique international business competition. With a reward of 10 000€ as well as a coaching from top L'Oréal executives, the Brandstorm is an exciting way to challenge students in a real business case study.

This year's topic is to find a digital strategy for L'Oréal brand La Roche-Posay, in order to attract 15-25 year old customers. Indeed, this dermocosmetic brand is lacking Millenials customers, and looking at the evolution of digital nowadays, a strategy based on technology is inescapable.

The competition is organised around 4 major steps:

1) The pre-selection to be part of the 12 teams competing for the campus final.

2) The campus final, which will determine the team representing the school against other French schools.

3) The national final regrouping all participating schools and their finalist team, in order to determine the team that will represent France at the international final. 

4) The international final, where countries will finally compete to win the Brandstorm 2016. 

Almost 3300 teams worldwide participate in this challenge, which means that the competition is very tough. We need to be unique, consistent and surprising if we want to access to the international final.

Thanks to the Brandstorm, we are facing a concrete and realistic case study which also enables us to meet managers and executives of La Roche-Posay and L'Oréal. 

With our "Thunderteam", we are proud to have won the ESSEC final, and we will do our best to represent IMHI and ESSEC at the national final and, of course, win !!

It is extremely exciting to be part of this competition. We always want to go further to the next step and push even more our limits. 

Industry Leader Conference: Michel Jauslin Hyatt France

By Daniel Alexandre Portoraro, MBA in Hospitality Management, Canada/Italy, 2014-2016 2nd Year

Last week, IMHI students and alumni had the pleasure of being welcomed to the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome for the third edition of the Industry Leader Conferences, with Michel Jauslin, Area Vice President for Hyatt France.

Welcome back 4L IMHI – ESSEC !!

By Emy Baumgartner, MBA in Hospitality Management IMHI, France, 2014-2016 2nd Year

In February 2016, three teams from IMHI will participate to the 4L Trophy desert Rally. Students from all over Europe will drive 6000km from Biarritz to Marrakesh in old Renault 4L cars, seeking challenges and adventure.

The rally was started in 1997 by a student called Jean-Jacques Rey at ESC Rennes School of Business in France. The first rally was held in 1998 with three teams. That number has grown exponentially each year since the beginning. The 2015′s edition counted 1,159 teams and 2,318 participants from 1,460 schools.

Created 13 years ago by IMHI students, the 4L IMHI-ESSEC is an association supporting team willing to participate to the 4L Trophy. The 4L IMHI-ESSEC organizations gather the students from IMHI and ESSEC willing to participate in the 4L Trophy and helps the teams setting up their projects.  

This year, 3 IMHI teams are starting their preparation for the 19^th edition of the 4L Trophy. We all started our preparation almost 6 months ago in April 2015 by sending our pre-subscription to the organization leader: Desert Tour. Once we received our team number we actively started looking for our 4L cars which became the third team member for each crew. Then started a long journey of preparation. Indeed we are still searching for sponsors, donations, and getting our cars ready.

Team # 1: Svetlana Feodoroff and Camille Monod; The Team “Paris Brest” as they car is based in Bretagne and girls are superstar in the regional newspapers. They are raising money through micro sponsoring offering a picture on their 4L in exchange of a donation.

Team #2: Astrid Cahelo and Blandine Decaux; Both came back from an internship abroad and start the preparation from oversea. Astrid and Blandine also named “Les Marie Chantal” wanted trough the 4L Trophy to be part of a human adventure by bringing school supplies to children in Morocco.

Team #3: Camille Desforges and myself, EmyBaumgartner. Even before joining IMHI, we wanted both join 4L IMHI – ESSEC association. We believe that 4L Trophy is a great adventure and a way to be part of a humanitarian mission and challenging journey.

We are all very excited to take on a solidarity project during our studies at IMHI. We saw a chance to open ourselves to a new challenge, which was not in our core program. The humanitarian actions are coordinated by the French association “Enfant du Désert”,” which collect school supplies for children and builds education facilities.

Industry Leader Conference: Javier Delgado Muerza from Google

Jessica Moses, MBA in Hospitality Management, United Kingdom, 2014-2016 2nd Year

IMHI recently had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Javier Delgado Muerza, Head of Vertical Search at Google and an alumnus of the MBA in Hospitality Management at ESSEC, for the second edition of the Industry Leaders Conference.

Over the course of his presentation, Mr. Delgado Muerza provided his personal insight into life after IMHI, being part of one of the most successful digital companies in the world, and his outlook on the future of travel research behavior. He touched on subjects such as:

• IMHI

As a former student at IMHI, Mr. Delgado Muerza began the session by expressing that the students present were in fact the focus of his presentation. According to him and despite an impressive career in the digital travel industry, the best years of his life were spent at IMHI, building long-lasting relationships. An interesting fact that Mr. Delgado Muerza also shared was that although his strengths did not necessarily lie in academics, his everlasting passion for the travel industry allowed him to be at the position he is in today.

• Google

It is reasonably fair to say that being a part of a digital giant such as Google, especially at a time when technology has embedded itself into our everyday lives, is certainly a sizable accomplishment. In order for us to understand this achievement Mr. Delgado Muerza  spoke about his impressive career in the travel industry starting in Spain, his home country, at Iberia Airlines , followed by successive positions across southern Europe and the UK at one of the digital travel leaders, Expedia. During his time at Expedia Mr. Delgado Muerza was in fact headhunted by Google in order to head a new division, which was dismantled shortly after his arrival at the company, and integrated into Google’s main product, Search. Following this, Muerza was then redirected to the vertical search department of Google, where he is now the department head.

• E-Commerce and Travel

Having witnessed the major changes and evolutions of the travel industry and more specifically the digital travel industry throughout his career, one interesting figure is that during the beginning of his career there were maybe 2 actors on the digital travel market. Today there are over 250!

Mr. Delgado Muerza being extremely passionate about the travel industry, believes that this growth is only logical, as the importance of using the internet and new technology is now a major part of our lives (here’s an example: we unlock our smartphones on average 150 times per day.)

According to Mr. Delgado Muerza, in order to accompany their users in these evolutions, Google strives to optimize their tools on a daily basis. An example of this is in Google headquarters itself, where the Engineers not only drive innovation, but are actually in charge of all aspects of the company; for them, usability and customer satisfaction comes first. This was the case for Google Hotel Finder, which was dismantled in spite of its online success. In relation to Google their travel services, when asked whether or not Google could become a major OTA such as Booking.com or Expedia, Mr. Delgado Muerza confirmed that it was not in the company’s future plans. At least for now.

Lastly, with regards to small independent hotels and their bargaining power in paid search as opposed to large hotel companies, Mr. Delgado Muerza confirmed that the algorithms in terms of search results are not only based on monetary paid search, but also on relevance and other criteria in order to give all hoteliers the best chance at capturing business. Nonetheless, it’s clear, however, that in order to strive within the hospitality sector, hoteliers must gain a thorough knowledge of the online world, and how best utilize it.

Personally, I found it refreshing to have an alumnus at the Industry Leaders Conference who was not purely focused on finance, and worked at a digital vanguard like Google – especially since he was from the sales side. Prior to Mr. Delgado Muerza coming to speak to us, the idea of working for a company like Google within the hospitality industry wasn’t obvious. After Mr. Delgado Muerza’s visit, however, the possibility of looking for career opportunities at Google has opened up, and seems more realistic.

IMHI Forum 2015

One of the characteristics that the ESSEC IMHI Center of Excellence in Hospitality, Food and Travel prides itself on, is its ability to bring together multiple and powerful players in the hospitality industry to initiate debates or prompt industry related discussions. On the 6^th of May, the Center certainly lived up to its reputation. The 2^nd annual IMHI Forum brought together 29 partner companies, instigated three different round table discussions and provided the current MBA in Hospitality Management IMHI students with the opportunity to meet industry leaders and discuss their future career prospects.

Moderated by Professor Peter O’Connor, the first Round Table focused on the topic of ‘Careers in Hospitality Distribution’. Joined on stage by Cynthia Castillo, Head of Customer Program & Relationship Management at Amadeus and two IMHI graduates, Julie Cheneau, Director Market Management at Expedia and Etienne Faisandier Group Director of Revenue Management at Movenpick Hotels , the discussion centered around their passion for the hospitality industry and advice for students interested in a career in revenue management.

As a position in revenue management heavily focuses on numbers, do you need numerical skills to be able to work in this function? Julie mentioned that analytical skills are highly necessary however you also have to have the ability to be critical and find meaning in the numbers. Expedia are looking for people with a vision, who can adapt to the company, want to learn and are motivated. Cynthia expanded on this by mentioning that to be successful in the role, the candidate must have both hard and soft skills to be flexible and be able to make sense out of the information. Etienne emphasized that the ability to think outside of the box and willingness to go the extra mile are attractive attributes to have. The pace of change is speeding up and you have to be able to keep up! Ask yourself the question, what can you bring to the company?

The second Round Table was dedicated to the topic of ‘Luxury Hospitality Management’ and was moderated by Denis Morisset. The guest speakers were Franka Holtmann, General Manager at Hôtel Le Meurice, Jean Faivre, AVP Operations Western and Southern Europe Hilton and Michael Boroian, President at Sterling International. All speakers swiftly agreed that the luxury industry is experiencing a period of transition. The market has changed with more emerging markets being interested in luxury and people becoming more impatient. Franka commented openly that you have to work harder than ever to deserve your guests. Hotels must go back to the basics with an emphasis being put on service. Everything is about the customer, it is that simple said Michael. It is also due to this that people from the luxury hospitality industry succeed when put in charge of other luxury brands. They know the customer as they have met them, spoken to them regularly and have had to solve many problems that have arisen with a smile! They are internationally oriented because they work with people from all over the world and have cultural sensitivity. Jean also stated that luxury customers have shifted their focus on being someone and experiencing things rather than having things. The industry must be agile in order to understand how the retail industry works.

Is it a challenge to find people to work in the luxury hospitality industry? Jean raised a very good point when he mentioned that you do not have to be born into luxury to be able to work in luxury. Hilton Worldwide is interested in people who are warm and passionate. Franka strongly agreed and also noted that she hires people on their passion as luxury is a state of mind. Jean believes that there are many opportunities for ambitious young people and thinks that their success in the company depends on the recruitment policy and how they are integrated into the company. Denis Morisset also offered a very valuable piece of advice to the students, travel and see the world. This will help you know the customer and become culturally sensitive.

The third and final Round Table was on the topic of ‘Innovation and Value Creation’ moderated by Professor Nicolas Graf with Yves Lacheret, Senior Vice President Entrepreneurship Advocacy at Accor, Michael Levie, Board member at SnapShot GmbH & co-founder of CitizenM and Xavier Destribats, President Europe, Executive Operations at Kempinski in the discussion panel. Innovation seems to be the buzzword of today, everyone is talking about it and attempting to inspire their employees to be more innovative. Yves said that innovation is any bright idea that can add value for instance by generating a new product or service. Michael quickly stepped in to add that people tend to confuse innovation with new creation however that is not always the case. Innovation is so important that Kempinski have spent the last 4 years heavily investing in it. Accor are also attempting to boost their innovation by working with companies outside of the group and especially with start-ups to come up with new ideas.

So how can you foster creativity and innovation? According to Xavier, you can’t put people in a room for a couple of hours and expect them to be innovative, this is why having an innovation department will not automatically lead to success. Everyone should be involved in the process and staff should be encouraged to be innovative by being constantly open to new things and experiences. All speakers agree that empowerment is an important factor. Most individuals want to belong to an organization which means having the passion to get up every morning and to do your best. They also want to participate and be recognized for their contribution. Michael stated that the hospitality industry has become very good at following the guests instead of innovating and also at making excuses as to why things have gone wrong. He says that instead of making excuses, you should understand why things went wrong and try to fix them. You can’t innovate and create new services if you can’t get the basics right. Michael also followed on by mentioning that organizations need to share their values when recruiting, training and create an environment where those values live. People will produce better ideas which are more likely to be successful in this way.

Thank you to all the guest speakers, the companies who participated throughout the day, the students, the alumni and staff who organized the event. The day provided everyone with a unique opportunity to get an insight into the current trends of the hospitality industry and what is in stall for the future.

Accor vs Airbnb

By Daniel Lebret, Lecturer in Hospitality Finance
Photos by Les Mardis de l'ESSEC 

The new trend of collaborative consumption has rattled many businesses, particularly in the hospitality and travel industries. With companies such as Bla Bla Car, Airbnb and Uber making waves around the world, how are other existing players reacting to these new competitors? On Tuesday the 24th of March, Les Mardis de l'ESSEC had the privilege of hosting Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the ACCOR group and Olivier Grémillon, Managing Director (EMEA) of Airbnb at ESSEC Business School to gain inside information on what these companies actually think about each other. 

Accor and Airbnb target similar markets however differ substantially in terms of service offerings. Are they truly competitors? Both Bazin and Grémillon unmistakably agree that no, they are not. In fact, they say that both companies complement each other as is evident by the market situation in Paris. Airbnb has over 44,000 apartments in Paris however Accor is also performing exceptionally well. Bazin states that as long as Airbnb users remain true to the initial concept and don’t use the platform for industrial or commercial use, Accor will adapt itself to the changing landscape where the core experience is now the client and its emotional response. Airbnb has even sometimes been an inspiration to Accor.

Bazin comments further that Airbnb’s success can be explained by the 5% annual growth of worldwide travels. Hotels grow at a more modest pace of 2%. One aspect that is fundamentally different between these two companies is their cost of capital. Capital markets seem to value Airbnb based on the volume of travelers and clicks whereas Accor is valued on its earnings and income. Consequently, Airbnb’s market cap is superior to Accor’s even though Airbnb doesn’t own any real estate. This uneven playing field provides Accor with a tremendous challenge as it tries to grow and move as quickly as Airbnb but is held back by its weight.

Moving deeper into the subject of just how different these two products and services are: should they be bound by the same regulation as they are offering virtually the same thing? Once again, Bazin and Grémillon agree that no. As they are different products, they cannot be regulated by the same policies. Airbnb hosts file income taxes whereas hospitality firms pay corporate taxes. Bazin also mentions that he has no interest in fighting Airbnb on taxation grounds as long as the company remains true to its original spirit of providing a local stay at home experiences to travelers. From his perspective Accor is a hospitality firm that is trying to embrace a tech dimension whereas Airbnb is a tech firm trying to improve its lodging experience.

Airbnb is a technology company at its core, with its competencies firmly developed in the digital realm, can Accor catch up? Historically, hospitality firms have focused on product and brand building however since 2005 the sector has experienced rapid change with companies such as Expedia and Orbitz entering the market, replacing distribution

channels and eroding profit margins. Bazin agrees that the industry did not react quickly enough to this change and now Airbnb, unlike Orbitz and Kayak, introduces a true threat to the existing and prevailing model in the hospitality industry by taking advantage of the share economy. There is nothing left for Accor to do but to stop being a spectator and become an actor. Grémillon mentions that Airbnb is a firm focused on design, for example, by spending a lot of money and sending professional photographers to take pictures of upward of 50% of locations in main cities. Airbnb is more reactive, dynamic and lighter relative to companies like Accor and takes advantage of its ability to move fast and create a buzz at any moment and very cost efficiently.

Accor describes a 7 step process to describe the entire traveling experience

1. The dream

2. Selection

3. Booking

4. Planning the trip

5. Traveling/stay

6. Sharing the experience

7. Fidelity

Accor wants to work very hard to be present beyond just step 5 and become part of the dream and beyond. To achieve this, it must stop focusing on the commercial aspect and instead build an emotional relationship with its prospective and existing clients.

So what does the future hold for both companies? For Airbnb, Grémillon says strong growth! He wants to see, for example, up to 900,000 apartments listed in Paris in the near future. The Chinese market is also in sight however poses challenges as they have to rethink their partnership with Google before entering that market. Airbnb also wishes to expand their services to cover more aspects of the travel experience but of course, no details were provided. Bazin sees the future of Accor based on its adaptability.

(Photo from left to right Juliette Hebenstreit (E16), Louis Béal (E15), Alice Boucher (E17), Armand Peugeot (E17), Sébastien Bazin, Olivier Grémillon, Clara Vilarem (E15))

ESSEC Business School and Les Mardis de l'ESSEC would once again like to thank both companies for participating in the evening and for the insightful information that was discussed. Thank you also to the organizers, students, alumni and staff who attended. 

IMHI & Entrepreneurship Part 2: Tiller Systems

By Gabriella de la Torre, MBA in Hospitality Management, Mexico & USA, 2012-2014 2nd Year

As a sequel to the first blog on live entrepreneurship at IMHI, we have the opportunity to learn more about yet anther project that has been created, launched and executed just under our noses: Tiller Systems. Second-year IMHI students, Josef Bovet and Scott Gordon, are at the head of this venture, which “develops and sells innovative point-of-sale systems for bars and restaurants worldwide.” Scott goes on to describe their company as integrating, “the latest technology into a smart and intuitive Point-of-Sale (POS) system to bring mobility, simplicity and efficiency into restaurant operations, [enabling] restaurant owners to boost their security, administer payroll, track inventory, manage reservations and handle CRM.”

Today, Tiller Systems is close to launching the first version of their product, which aims “to provide restaurant owners a turnkey solution that will enable them to manage expenses closely while growing sales and gaining a competitive advantage.” Scott highlights the greatest success that he has experienced thus far with the young company, which was “seeing [the] application run live for the first time and knowing all the work that was behind” the development.

When asked about what motivated them to start this business, Josef focuses on the learning experience he expected to obtain:

“This was my greatest motivation at the beginning of the project and it continues to be so… Entrepreneurship is a great way to ‘learn by doing’ for a large range of skills. With Tiller Systems… I not only to put into practice skills that I was introduced to during my education and my work experience. I was also required to learn new skills that I had not been exposed to before, such as programming. I took some introduction classes in different languages in order to be able to have a conversation with our developers (and eventually) be able to manage them!”

When asked about the biggest takeaways from this entrepreneurial experience and their key advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, both Scott and Josef highlighted the importance of the human aspect of business:

Scott: “Starting an entrepreneurial venture is first of all a great human experience, hence the importance of choosing the right team when you start such an adventure. I’ve quickly learned that if you have a good team that works well together, you can accomplish anything!”

Josef: “My biggest piece of advice for future entrepreneurs would be to join a community. There are plenty of start-up communities that organize events regularly in Paris and virtually every major city. Meet people and talk about your project, and please do not think that your project is too valuable to be kept secret. Without feedback, your idea has no value. Share your idea as much as you can and build it with the feedback you receive. In doing so, you may even have the chance to meet your future partner. Entrepreneurship is a sharing experience. You will not build a company on your own.”

Now, with graduation on the doorstep for both of these second-year students, they have a chance to reflect on how IMHI affected the launch of Tiller Systems. Scott underlines the “important role [that] IMHI and ESSEC have played in the development and growth of [their] idea.”

“Many of the concepts we studied and analyzed in our classes are directly applicable to our day-to-day work at Tiller Systems. We’ve also taken advantage of the impressive cumulative experience of all IMHI students, in particular those with a focus on the restaurant industry. Their insight, obtained through interviews and focus groups, was essential to validating and developing our concept. Our incubation at ESSEC Ventures was also an important moment in the evolution of the company, as the organization provided us not only with an office to work from, but also with the possibility to meet and interact with a huge, diverse network of experts and professionals.”

We wish the best of luck to these two entrepreneurs and hope that they will meet their goal of seeing the company grow in the near future.

For more information on Tiller Systems, please visit: www.tillersystems.com.

IMHI & Entrepreneurship: Mama Street

By Gabriella de la Torre, MBA in Hospitality Management, Mexico & USA, 2012-2014 2nd Year

“To me, entrepreneurship means something different. I think of it as identifying and valuing opportunity.” - Glenn Hubbard

At IMHI, students have the possibility of choosing among four different concentrations—Luxury Services Management, e-Commerce, Real Estate and Development or Entrepreneurship—with the aim of personalizing their educational experience and expertise for the future. The Entrepreneurship specialization focuses on providing students the tools and thinking required to start their own business in the hospitality industry, and this year, there are a number of students who have gone even further than the theory to launch their own businesses while completing their studies.

One of these students is Norman Kolton, who is in the process of raising funds for his restaurant, which is to be the first to offer Bangkok style street food in Paris. He describes Mama Street as a place where customers “will find the flavors, smells and excitement of Bangkok” in a venue with “a style that is deeply inspired by [the city’s] street restaurants with colors, materials and décor that are perfectly blended to create a real feast for the senses.” When asked what was the greatest motivation for launching this business, Norman cited the excitement of creating a project from A to Z, being his own boss and finding a way to truly express all his creativity within the sphere he is most passionate about. And Mama Street is definitely expected to embody this sense of creativity as “an artsy place featuring regular exhibitions from local photographers, graffiti and street artists. Mama is an open space where all dishes are prepared,” before the customers’ eyes, “just as it's done in Bangkok!”

 Norman also mentioned the importance and the role that IMHI and ESSEC played in the development of his concept. From finance classes that helped him “create the financial accounting system” for the restaurant to “ESSEC Ventures, which allowed [him] to meet professionals in all different areas,” the educational environment that surrounded this idea was beneficial in a variety of ways, including the ability to reach out directly to some of his target customers, fellow classmates and students. In addition, Norman cited the advice and feedback of many professors as crucial in his venture and he states, “ESSEC gave me all the confidence needed to create my business.”

Currently working on raising funds through foodraising.com, a crowd funding platform for projects linked to culinary themes, Norman is excited about the possibility of “being involved in all the different aspects of creating a business,” from the design and operational to the legal and financial issues. The first Mama Street restaurant is expected to open in November of this year, and he hopes to have a second and third location in addition to the Kidnap Mama catering service up and running in a year’s time. Thanks to his studies at IMHI, his personal and professional experience and his creative and entrepreneurial spirit, Norman has been able to identify a valuable opportunity in the Parisian marketplace and will hopefully serve as an example to future IMHI students with a passion for creating a unique product or service in hospitality.

For more information about Mama Street or to find out how to contribute to the success of this venture, please visit Mama Street on Facebook.

The IMHI’s at IHIF

By Gabriella de la Torre, MBA in Hospitality Management, Mexico & USA, 2012-2014 2nd Year

“Networking is not just about connecting people. It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.” - Michele Jennae

Each year, ESSEC’s MBA in Hospitality Management Program (IMHI) provides a few fortunate students the opportunity to attend the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, Germany. Focusing on bringing together major players in the world of hotel investment, this forum features a number of speakers and events that highlight key trends in the industry, while providing opportunities to strengthen existing business partnerships and to develop new ones.


This year, 2nd Year student, Elise Jarron; 1 Year Track student, Alex Kudla; and myself traveled to Berlin alongside Professor Nicolas Graf. The three days spent at the Intercontinental, Berlin proved to be a truly unique and valuable experience for the three of us. We had the opportunity to meet countless IMHI alumni, in addition to other industry professionals from around the world, as well as attending the many interesting and provocative conferences on the trends and challenges in hotel investment.

Elise Jarron summarized her experience at Berlin with two words: “exhausting, but rewarding. These few days have been a mix of meeting very interesting people, helping to organize the conference and sleeping very few hours. It is quite intimidating to network with such important people who are there for business, but so exciting. It’s been a great experience to participate in such a unique event, where all people from the hospitality world come together for a few days.”

Indeed, the experience, apart from being eye-opening, was also a lesson in time and energy management. In exchange for attending the conference, we were required to help prepare the event and assist in daily administrative tasks with the event organizers. All of this resulted in very little sleep for the three of us, but it was nevertheless a worthwhile experience.

Alex Kudla, who is making a career change from architecture to hospitality through IMHI, also found special value in attending this conference and believed that it “provided the perfect (and slightly intimidating) opportunity to rub shoulders with the Who's Who of the hospitality industry: from global CEOs to the glitterati of the business such as the fabulous Lara Ritter. For me, as an experienced design professional, the event was the ideal interface to discuss the added value of IMHI's MBA as an essential link for the concerns of the hotel business. Especially memorable moments included a panel that featured a lively exchange between the CEOs of Accor, FRHI, ClubMed and Interstate, as well as Ian Schrager's reflections on the anticipation of customers' desires. Decidedly less glamorous, but of almost pressing interest, was a breakout session that discussed the opportunities and risks for operators and investors who are facing an increasing 'sharing economy' built on the innovating models of companies such as AirBnb.”

Alex highlights another of the main takeaways from this conference: the opportunity to learn about different career paths in hotel investment. As future graduates, speaking to professionals working for diverse organizations and players within this complex world opened our eyes to the various roles that we could aspire to upon graduation. From asset management to development to consulting, we saw the many opportunities that exist and the many ways that we as individuals could provide value in the future.

Ultimately, the three-day conference was all about one thing – networking – and highlighted the value in bringing together people, ideas and opportunities in one place at one time. We are very grateful to have experienced IHIF and with new relationships, new ideas and new aspirations, we return to IMHI to complete the last few months of our academic journey.

4L Trophy – Humanitarian Rally Across the Sahara

By Matthieu Cavelius, MBA in Hospitality Management, France, 2012-2014 2nd Year

4L IMHI - ESSEC is an association that was created 11 years ago by IMHI students. The association forms teams to participate in the 4L Trophy – the largest humanitarian rally open only to students. Every year, this event brings together over 2500 students to participate in a 6000 km race across France, Spain and Morocco to provide school supplies to Moroccan children. The humanitarian actions are coordinated by the French associations “Enfant du Désert” and “Rire Médecin,” which collect school supplies for children and build classrooms. This year, 2 IMHI teams participated in the 4L Trophy. The first one was composed of Caroline Pravongviengkham and Anahita Perineau, and the second one included Pierre-Alexandre Kaouza and myself.

We were told that this project is not one long journey, but three separate journeys: before the race, during the race, and after the race. The necessary qualities for success varied over different stages, but what is sure is that time, hard work, and dedication were needed at all times.

The 4L Trophy project started 7 months before the actual race. This part was probably the most difficult, as we had to find sponsors, gather our 4L team, and prepare for the race. Finding sponsors was tough, but rewarding in terms of developing professional and personal competences. We had to be relentless, convincing, and we often faced rejection, problems, and uncertainty. But in the end, our perseverance and faith in the project are what allowed us to succeed. This is a true preparation for life, as we shall often be confronted with similar obstacles and it goes to show that you should never give up.

On Wednesday, February 12th, after 7 months of preparation, we left for the official departure point at the Parc du Futuroscope in Poitiers. Upon arriving in Poitiers, we had to finalize our registration by validating administrative documents, getting the car inspected, and checking our safety equipment.

This was the beginning of an outstanding journey. We first drove to Algeciras in Spain to take the Ferry for Tangier, Morocco. From there, we were fully immersed in the challenge as we faced sand, rocks, and other 4x4 tracks. The rally of course involved a certain number of difficulties and surprises, such as orientation issues (we got lost in the middle of the desert at night) and a few minor mechanical difficulties. On the other hand, we passed through amazing scenery, sunrises, and sunsets every single day, which made for an unbelievably journey. Throughout the event, we were motivated by the generosity and mutual support that we showed each other, no matter the situation. The grand finale was the marathon challenge during which we were all alone in the desert for 2 days, which made us feel alive and proud. It left us with indescribable good feelings. Throughout the week-long rally, you have to be thoroughly organized, respectful and patient, not only with your team mate, but with all the participants.

The rally was also a great personal development experience. It prepared us to undertake a project from beginning to end, to constantly face the unexpected, and to take quick decisions in “hostile” environments (out of our comfort zones).

We are now beginning the final part of our 4L Trophy 2014 journey; we have to fix up the car, re-sell it, and report our actions to our sponsor.

The 4L Trophy is a once in a lifetime experience that students definitely should participate in. We will remember this journey for the rest of our lives.

Kempinski Career Day

By Jean-Gabriel Personne, MBA in Hospitality Management, France, 2012-2014 2nd Year

Since I plan to go back to working in hotel operations after my MBA, I was very pleased to learn about the Global Kempinski Career Day at Kempinski Hotel Airport Munich. An opportunity to meet General Managers from several Kempinski properties who will answer your questions and assess your future career potential sounded like a great opportunity… And it proved to be so!

More than 30 General Managers in the hotel lobby made a strong first impression on me. The event got off to a great start; my CV, which I had sent a week before, had caught the attention of two GMs and I had been invited for interviews. The General Managers had a very personal approach and were willing to conduct interviews whether or not you had been previously invited, showing a strong interest in each application. The day went by very quickly; within 3 hours I had met 5 General Managers for interviews had been approached by a personnel management team very keen on staying in touch. In the end, it was a very interesting journey and a great networking opportunity.

Away from Cergy, the IMHIs play

By Gabriella de la Torre, MBA in Hospitality Management, Mexico & USA, 2012-2014 2nd Year

“A walk about Paris will provide a lesson in history, beauty, and in the meaning of life.” - Thomas Jefferson 

As a student at ESSEC, there are a multitude of attractions and places to visit just a 40-minute train ride into Paris, and even despite all the deadlines and obligations we have back in Cergy-Pontoise, we are able to find time to explore and enjoy the City of Lights. From museum exhibits to restaurants, IMHI students can benefit from a number of unique experiences that the city has to offer.

Here is a glimpse into a week of exploration for an IMHI student:

Monday

In celebration of the Chinese New Year, the Grand Palais, an exhibition hall located on the Champs-Elysées, hosted “Nuit de Chine.” This international soirée featured performances from a Franco-Chinese DJ and a number of up-and-coming food trucks that shared their Chinese delicacies with attendees. The exhibition hall, originally built for the 1900 Universal Exposition, was magnificently draped in linens that also served as projection screens for videos presenting Chinese landscapes and the everyday lives of Chinese people.

We truly enjoyed this modern perspective on China set in such an emblematic and grandiose venue. Fellow IMHI student, Alexandra Apaclla, who is studying Introduction to Mandarin, also relished the chance to further her interest in this particular language and culture.

Thursday

We embarked on another museum visit, but this time on the other side of the Seine. Particularly known for its collection of works from famous artists including Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet, the Musée d’Orsay extends its opening hours to 9:45 PM every Thursday evening. (This is just one of the many museums that offers free admission to students, a benefit to be taken advantage of!)

Walking through the museum that was once a railway station in the early 1900’s, we saw a multitude of paintings offering a view into different times, places and realities. Along the north side of the building, windows revealed the ebb and flow of the Seine and further beyond, the many lights of the city. After spending some time in the museum, we decided to take a stroll along the river and stumbled upon the Pont des Arts, one of the Seine’s 37 bridges offering yet another unique view of Paris.

Friday

After a long day of Managerial Accounting and Strategic Marketing classes, we were famished. We took the train back into Paris and racked our brains for possible dining options. One of us had recently heard of a trendy new burger place located in the 9th district, and so we made our way there in the rainy Parisian evening.

Upon arrival at Le Big Fernand, we saw a long line of customers waiting to order their hamburgés and fries. We finally sat down at the restaurant’s communal tables, rubbing elbows with people from all over the world. Local Parisians and international visitors alike had flocked to Le Big Fernand to try their delicious burgers.

We walked back out in the night with full stomachs, reveling in the many things the city has to offer and putting aside all thoughts of papers, exams and homework assignments… If only for a few moments.