Hotelier Of The World Winner: Roland Fasel, Continuous Learner

The global nature of Roland Fasel’s hotel career, he said, has been a big key to his success, and his route didn’t come by accident. Early on in his career, the Swiss-born global hotelier recognized the importance of being exposed to different ownership groups and cultures, which required quick pivots on leadership styles, communication strategies and business models. In fact, he is certain that working on three continents gave him a cohesive set of leadership skills and a competitive advantage to get ahead, which eventually led him to today’s role as COO of the ultra-luxury Aman group of hotels.

What was, perhaps, more fortuitous was an early career opportunity that gave him a taste of luxury hotelkeeping, which he quickly embraced, astutely understanding that further narrowing his niche would give him a more certain trajectory.

The son of a small town, 15-room innkeeper, who first apprenticed as a chef and then studied at École hôtelière de Lausanne, received his first taste of branded luxury in 1983 when he earned an internship at the Four Seasons hotel in Ottawa, Canada. It also served to expose Fasel to organizational and cultural excellence, which he says truly opened his eyes and helped him further map out a plan that would eventually lead him to his current role and the recognition by his peers as HOTELS 2022 Corporate Hotelier of the World award winner.