Francois Laran

Q: Describe your responsibilities in under 10 words. A: Ensuring the hotel is operating at its best at all times.

Q: What makes a typical day?

A: Aside from team meetings at all levels and copious emails, I spend a lot of time walking around the property interacting with guests and colleagues so that I keep my finger on the pulse of what's happening. This means I can immediately take action or provide a response where needed and have immediate feedback from both guests and colleagues.

Q: What’s the toughest part of your job?

A: Keeping all the stakeholders involved in our hotel happy, that's not only our guests and our colleagues, but also our owners and our management company.

Q: What do you find most satisfying in your job?

A: Being able to deliver outstanding service and create great memories for our guests. Receiving positive feedback is the most gratifying part of our industry.

Q: Who has been the most influential figure in your career? A: Probably my first manager, whose motto was there are no problems but only solutions. This is a really good perspective to have when working in a high-pressure environment such as hospitality, where quick solutions are often essential. He also shared and communicated his passion for product excellence and the satisfying part of getting the job done right.

Q: Name one really special thing about your hotel.

A: Our service. Raffles is renowned for its exemplary service and the high level of attentiveness provided by our teams.

Q: How do you unwind?

A: I enjoy playing tennis, it keeps me fit and I have to focus on the game, so it gives me a break from thinking about work.

Q: If you hadn’t taken this career path, what would have chosen?

A: I have always wanted to travel the world so if not hospitality, I would probably have been a reporter or a diplomat. raffles.com