Mankarios To Define St. Regis Culture

WHITE PLAINS, NY — Atef Mankarios, newly appointed president of Starwood’s St. Regis brand, is planning a corporate culture for the flag that will evolve from the property level up, he told HOTEL BUSINESS®. “I refuse to sit in the corporate office and issue edicts,” said the former CEO of Foresthills and Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. And while plans call for there to be a “St. Regis credo” of sorts, one that spells out what the brand stands for and how it delivers luxury service to guests, “it will come from the GMs and their teams,” he said. Mankarios, while on the new job just a few weeks, has already toured most of the nine St. Regis properties, and is set, along with the executive team he took from a luxury hotel management firm Foresthills Hotels & Resorts, to grow St. Regis via conversions of existing hotels, acquisitions and management contracts, as well as new developments. “This is a once in a lifetime experience,” said Mankarios, of joining Starwood. Ultimately, St. Regis could grow to as many as 40 hotels, he said. “It will be a significant company,” said Mankarios. When asked of Foresthills’ fate, since the management company’s staff effectively became the St. Regis team overnight, Mankarios said, “We have decided to move on and join St. Regis.” Mankarios said he is resigning the management contracts he had signed while at Foresthills, and that it is up to ownership of the properties he had signed with to decide if they wish to join Starwood. He did point out, however, that “we also have to determine if they are a good match for us under the St. Regis brand.” How will Mankarios develop St. Regis into a force that is able to contend with the likes of Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and other luxury brands? The newly named president said that with St. Regis he will “create a package of services and amenities that separate St. Regis from the competition. “We will define luxury as we understand it and as our customer base recognizes it,” he said. “We will make sure we create a product that can separate us. We can do this by creating a great location, a great building, great interior design, great food and beverage, great service and great amenities,” he said. But moreover, he said, St. Regis will focus on selling a great experience, which it aims to vary from property to property, depending on the setting. “I envision selling an experience. Everyone can sell beds and meals, but there is a difference between luxury and ultra luxury,” he said, noting that he had created that same style while at Rosewood several years earlier, which is also known for creating luxury experiences for its guests based upon the locale in which the hotel is based. “You cannot repeat that [luxury]experience from property to property,” he said. “I would like to have every St. Regis look different, act different and deliver a different product,” said Mankarios. “But what there will be in common is when you enter our buildings you will receive the highest level of service.” Admitting that the luxury end of the market is a crowded one, Mankarios said the decision as to which brand is the best will be made simply enough. “At the end of the day the guest is the judge,” he said.