And Vatel did the rest, we could say, summing up a bit rapidly Isabelle Boutteville’s career path. A Vatel Paris 1996 alumnus, she worked for fifteen years in the most beautiful hotels in Paris and London before starting her own company, Excel Place.
“New requirements in luxury hospitality have shaped our know-how,” Isabelle, whose company has become the French leader in quantifying quality in upmarket hotels, tells us.She proposes three types of services: mystery shoppers and guests, training and consultancy. The majority of her clientbase is composed of prestigious hotels and restaurants, though little by little she has expanded to include otherfields of activity. Whether it is the Relais & Chateaux Academy or other sectors, excellent service and the value of customer experience ensure success. Champagne houses, luxury goods and cosmetics are full of examples.
“Our jobs are continuously changing, and we have to reinvent ourselves, that’s what makes things interesting. Themotivation of our team members has become essential andcan be measured in the content of our interventions. What remains the same in this service-based industry focusedon the quality of customer relations, is the importance ofpeople and ethics; the more technology there is, the moreyou have to listen to your clients.”Human values in the heart of services! “To succeed, I believethat you must focus on hospitality’s values: active listeningto begin with, a strong sense of serving others, loving workas a team, and the modesty of never wanting to skip anysteps. Communicating, sharing, designing unforgettablemoments, all of that is the essence of our vocations!” sheconcludes.
ISABELLE BOUTTEVILLE
FOUNDER OF EXCEL PLACE - SPECIALIST IN CLIENT EXPERIENCE AND QUALITY EXPERTISE
VALEDICTORIAN OF THE VATEL CLASS OF 1996
