As the head of Le Meridien Moscow Country Club, John Wood has his hands full. But for someone who was born in a hotel room and has worked in the hotel industry for as long as he can remember, that’s nothing unusual.

John Wood has lived and breathed hotels from the day he was born. His 55-year career in the hotel industry has spanned the globe, given him the opportunity to learn four languages and the privilege of living in some of the worlds most exotic locations. He recently took up a new position as general manager of Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
He took time out of his busy schedule to speak with The Leader about his career and what it takes to be a successful hotelier.

What does it take to succeed as hotelier?

You have to be crazy. And when I say crazy, I mean it in the nice sense of the word. You have to be able to make sacrifices. You work on holidays. You work morning, noon and night and whenever the clients want you around. So, it does wreak havoc in your social life. But it gives me a lot of pleasure, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. If I were born again, I would do the same thing without question. The satisfaction of when the guests are smiling and you know you’ve done a good job makes all the organizational effort worthwhile.

Was there a defining moment when you decided upon your career path?

I suppose you could say it was the second I was born. I was born in a hotel room. And I’m a fourth-generation hotelier: My father, grandfather and great-grandfather were hoteliers. I’ve lived and dreamed hotels all my life. Having said that, my two brothers said they wouldn’t go into the business, and my sister did and got out. So, I’m the only one left. But I was never forced. My father and mother encouraged me, but I decided on my own.

Did you have any special training or education for your career?

I had the best education money could buy. I went to Rugby School, one of England’s finest public schools with a very long tradition, and then onto the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne, one of the top hospitality schools in the world. If you look at who is running the leading hotels in the world, you’ll note that a large number of their directors are Lausanne graduates, so I think the proof is in the pudding. At the end of the day, Lausanne will get you into the interview, but after that it’s up to you and how you prove yourself.

What specifically was useful about your education?

First of all, you learn languages. Besides English, I speak French and German fairly fluently, my Greek is not too bad, and I have a knowledge of Italian. I’m now struggling to learn Russian 4 1/2 hours a week!
It also taught you to be hands-on. Lausanne puts a heavy emphasis on learning how to do everything — for example, I spent five months learning to cook and then five more cooking at a restaurant in Geneva. I learned all aspects of the business. I worked as a waiter, and we even learned to marry food with wine.
Also, they taught us how to manage people. I believe in leadership. I’ll never ask anybody to do anything I am ready to do myself. Maybe I’m right, and a lot of people say I’m wrong, but I’m generally the first person here in the morning, and on big events I’ll be here until two or three o’clock in the morning. It’s tough. That’s why I say you have to be a little bit crazy.

Has your experience overseas affected your management style?

Of course, I’ve learned to deal with different cultures, different religions, different people.

What matters more, education or work experience?

Well, I think you need a good education, but I think at the end of the day work experience is what matters. There are people who’ve been highly successful with no education and people with great educations who’ve been a complete disaster when it comes to business.

How should a good manager interact with his employees?

Well, we have one situation here that I’m trying to correct. We have four types of employees here: management, staff, expatriates and Russians, and I don’t like that at all. We are one big team, and we need to work together. There should be no "them and us" situations.

Is there any quality that expatriates have that Russian managers lack?

The one thing most expatriates have is experience working in another country, and they’ve been exposed to doing things in a different way. In the past, not too many Russians have been overseas for exposure training. But we’re trying to change that.
We’ve introduced an exchange program here at Le Meridien and we’re planning, over a period of time, to phase out the expatriates. However, the expatriates work substantially longer hours. A 16-hour day for them is not out of the ordinary on this property. But it’s very important in the hotel industry to move around. Every hotel is totally different.

Do you have any advice for anyone looking for a career in hotel management?

Be ready to make a lot of sacrifices. And particularly early on, as you have to demonstrate to your bosses that you are top-management material; someone who can focus on getting results and lead a team.