Michel Goget

General Manager, Ritz-Carlton Sanya (Hainan, China)

Contact Person:                                  Mr. Michel Goget, General Manager

Phone Number:                                   (703) 917-6531

Email:                                                michel.goget@ritzcarlton.com

Michel Goget began his career in the hospitality industry around the age of fourteen when he attended a culinary institute in France. This, in turn, led him to consider a career in the food and beverage aspect of hospitality. His intentions upon graduation were to open a restaurant with his parents; however, those plans were interrupted when the French Navy drafted him for one year. Upon his arrival home, he decided he wanted to be of high ranking in the hospitality industry; therefore, he went back to school to complete his degree. Goget finished school with a Bachelor of Science degree in International Hotel Management from Florida International University.

Michel Goget has served in the hospitality industry for a number of years. He started off in the business as a front desk clerk and has worked his way up to General Manager over a total of thirty-one years. Mr. Goget has been with the Ritz-Carlton for a total of six years, and has served as a General Manager at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner for about four years. He recently took the General Manager position at the new Sanya location. He loves what he does and wakes up each day ready to tackle any the obstacles that he may encounter.

To be a successful General Manager, Mr. Goget believes the most useful skill is the ability to connect with people. His position revolves around people. Mr. Goget speaks on many different occasions, ranging from public speaking to one-on-one communication. This is such a vital aspect of his job because his position includes influencing people, as well as speaking on various aspects of the hotel. Because communication is such a major part of his job, he wishes he had taken theater at school. In a way, he is an actor on stage addressing his audience; a theater class might have better prepared him for this aspect of his job.

An average day in the life of Mr. Goget consists of waking up at 6:15 and exercising for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. He emphasizes that this is one of the most important parts of his day. He arrives at work between 7:15-7:30 a.m. Upon arrival, he takes a quick walk through the hotel to confirm that everything is in place and in working order. On his daily walk through, he meets and greets various guests to ensure their stay is to their satisfaction. After his typical walk through, he comes back to his office to check emails, work on projects, and to take care of other office priorities. Mr. Goget gets about 100 e-mails a day, so he spends a lot of time reading and responding to them. Some days, around 6:00-7:00 p.m., he will leave his office and meet up with the VIP guests. He leaves when he feels he has accomplished what needs to be done for that particular day.

In preparing to enter the hospitality field, Mr. Goget recommends students have three important traits. They need to be curious, aggressive, and passionate about what they are doing. This field can be very demanding and without these traits, the job will seem much harder. He also believes that you will get farther in this business if you try to learn and take in as much as possible about the industry. He believes that someone new to the business needs to take the initiative to identify what the business needs and work on fulfilling that duty.

When asked if Mr. Goget enjoys his career, his immediate answer was "absolutely." He agreed that the job, at times, can be stressful, though at the same time it is very fun. His role as General Manager consists of being a leader of people. He is in charge of 600 employees and 17 managers. About 90% of his job is dedicated to dealing with people. Mr. Goget feels that the most satisfying part of the job is seeing the initiatives one has pay off.

Michel Goget has been an advisory board member since 2003.

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