Jennifer Cronin’s rise to president of Marco Polo Hotels effective February 1 – within just over a year of joining the Hong Kong-based group as vice president of sales and marketing – is seen by some as nothing short of meteoric.
In her first interview since the announcement, HOTELS asked Cronin how she did it, what advice she has for those aspiring for the top job and whether she’s ready to let go of the apron springs of her mentor, current President Eric Waldburger, who is retiring after 40 years in the industry.
HOTELS: Why such a meteoric rise?
Jennifer Cronin: I’m not sure it’s ‘meteoric’ when you consider I have been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. Nevertheless, one of the reasons that I joined Marco Polo Hotels last year was the potential to be considered for the role of president when Eric Waldburger stepped down.
H: How did it come about?
JC: I joined Marco Polo Hotels at the beginning of a very exciting new chapter for the company. In 2014 we launched the company’s new luxury brand, Niccolo by Marco Polo. The first property opened in Chengdu in April and is exceeding our budget projections. I have been involved at all levels of the brand launch, including the hotel’s pre- and post-opening marketing and operations, which has allowed me to assess the company’s abilities, as they in turn have been able to assess my competencies and commitment.
We are one of the more unique hotel management companies with almost half of our hotels being owner-operated, so we are proud to say that we are a hotel management company with the commitment of an owner. It’s this commitment of thinking like an owner that has guided the group’s success – an operating philosophy that mirrors my own personal values.
Marco Polo Hotels also has a strong culture for promoting from within, while developing succession plans throughout the company. With the pipeline ahead of us and the ever-changing competitive environment, an internal appointment was considered as the first priority by our chairman. This was to ensure a candidate who would understand Marco Polo Hotels’ culture, values and management philosophies, so we could build on our successes to-date.
H: When you joined the industry, did you plan to be president? How did you figure out the path, the years it would take?
JC: My life long quest since I can remember is to be the best that I can be in whatever role I undertake; ‘if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well’ and ‘life’s short, make the most of it’ are some of my mantras.
I have had many great mentors and role models along the way and have learned from each of them so that I’m constantly improving. I have always thrived on learning and sharing best practices with colleagues. Having been appointed president-designate has been the ideal succession strategy for the company and for me so that I can transition seamlessly into the role under Eric Waldburger’s tutelage.
I haven’t had a specific time frame for this role, but having taken three years out of the industry for my PhD research between 2011 and 2014, I sometimes feel I delayed this career goal, but on the other hand it has added to my management tool kit and leadership value.
I have certainly set goals in the past, such as attaining an MBA by 30 and a GM position by 35, and I have been very focused on these goals. The PhD was definitely a deviation and one that has re-energized me for the future of our industry.
H: What got you to this post as so few take the sales route?
JC: Actually my first job in hotels was as a room service attendant straight after completing a BA majoring in Japanese and economics. I was fortunate to fast track my early hospitality career through restaurant positions to rooms division front office and then to reservations supervisor in my first two years. I then held a number of operational roles, including conventions services before my first sales manager’s role. My success in the sales arena is definitely attributable to having a strong sense of the operational requirements and I highly recommend this route for future sales and marketing professionals.
To take the next leap into sales and marketing leadership and a place on the hotel’s executive committee, I decided to pursue an MBA and studied full time at Bond University, graduating in 1990. At the time, MBAs were a new phenomena but I knew that I could fine tune my entrepreneurial skills and strengthen my skill set for the hospitality business by learning from my classmates who came from a diverse range of industries and management levels. It gave me an entirely new business outlook, even before Blue Ocean strategies were mooted, and it inspired me to pursue an international business career.
H: Why do chiefs who come from the sales and marketing route make better presidents?
JC: An interesting question – I didn’t know they made better presidents, or if there is any scientific data to support such a statement. However, a successful marketing specialist understands the importance of the brand promise, and matches the hardware and software to communicate that promise. The sales and marketing stream is also focused on growing profitable business, therefore the transition to president and setting the company up for sustainable business growth feels like a natural progression to me.
H: What is your advice to others with similar aspirations?
JC: Continual learning and upgrading your skill levels at every opportunity is vital to achieving movement up the career ladder. Don’t expect the jobs to be handed to you; you need to prepare and plan at every level of your career for the next step. Furthermore, it is important to help, support and develop your colleagues as our industry is a team based one, and you cannot be successful without great teamwork. I am a true believer in paying it forward in both my personal and work spheres; life is full of many positive and fulfilling experiences and we should share success rather than focus on the negatives.
H: What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses currently in assuming this role?
JC: A strength is that I have had an intensive year of immersing myself into the Marco Polo Hotels culture, living and breathing our DNA, learning and experiencing the USPs of each property and already involved in the strategic planning process for the company’s next chapter. We have also re-energized the Spirit of Marco Polo and believe that our newest properties in Manila and Changzhou reflect this new Marco Polo evolution.
As far as areas for improvement, I believe the transition period will address some of these areas and since I practice consultative management with a strong belief in empowering our teams, I will encourage feedback and recommendations from the relevant specialists in our management team and involve the field even more through our soon to be established Council of Innovators and Leaders.
H: How will you be using the time between now and February 2016, when you become president of Marco Polo Hotels?
JC: I am extremely grateful to have this time to learn from Eric Waldburger to understand the possible pitfalls and build on the successes. We have already established a critical path plan that commenced on August 1 incorporating the new hotel pipeline and developments, meeting owners and discussing the short- and long-term goals to strengthen our partnerships, leadership rotational and succession plans, associate learning and growth initiatives, to name just a few, while still driving the marketing amplification of our brands in my current role.
This is truly a unique opportunity to have a significant handover period that creates a smooth transition. Firstly, Eric is able to ensure that key projects and initiatives that he started are completed and, secondly, our senior leadership and I can prepare the company for 2016 and beyond. It is also a perfect opportunity for me to have an onsite mentor to bounce off new ideas and concepts with transparent, open and honest debate on their feasibility, with his knowledge base and well-traversed business world views.