Mövenpick creates Gen Y committee to target millennials

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has created a new committee to advise it how to attract millennial guests and staff.

The new team comprises “Generation Y” employees and entrepreneurs, which will now collaborate with the Swiss hotel group’s executive team as it steps up its efforts to target the millennial market.

The hand-selected “ExCom-Y Committee” consists of 10 people, including six company employees and four young business leaders. They include Jessica Houlgrave, who spent six years working for global financial institutions and is now studying for an Art Business Master’s degree at Sotheby’s Institute of Art.

“I am honoured to have been selected to take part in this ground-breaking initiative, which I believe sets Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts apart as a forward-thinking hospitality company that puts guest and talent needs first,” said Ms Houlgrave. “In the context of the ExCom-Y committee it means analysing the millennial mindset and lifestyle to help future-proof company strategy and I’m excited to be able to contribute my thoughts as part of this collaborative effort.”

Ms Houlgrave is joined on the committee by a group of entrepreneurs and business executives from Germany, France and the US, who are proficient in several disciplines including technology and hospitality.

They will work alongside a talented group of “Mövenpick Millennials” who have been selected from hotels in Dubai, Pattaya, Karachi and Switzerland, covering a range of departments including front office, sales & marketing, F&B, digital, brand and quality assurance. They were all born in the 1980s and 1990s.

“As we embark on an unprecedented growth phase, expanding our portfolio at a rapid rate, it’s paramount we seek input and insights from our colleagues, particularly our young talent, who possess an intimate understanding of Generation Y trends,” said Craig Cochrane, Mövenpick’s senior vice president of HR. “As millennials become a more influential demographic and contribute significantly to our overall guest profile, it is imperative we incorporate their needs and wishes into our hospitality offering.

“To be successful, we must listen to our team members and to our guests, and the ExCom-Y Committee is integral to our human resources and development strategies as we seek progressive methods to evolve our brand and meet future guest and talent demands,” he added.

Mövenpick noted that more than 30% of its guests are now considered “millennial”. This demographic group is considered to be constantly connected via mobile devices, and demand more in-depth travel experiences that introduce them to new cultures and activities. They also tend to combine business trips with personal vacations.

“We must not only recognise their needs as the customers of the future, but also as potential talent that we can engage and employ,” said Olivier Chavy, CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts.

The ExCom-Y Committee will be called on around five times a year to attend and contribute to executive meetings.