A Vatel alumnus, Raphael Roques was hired for his first job as the restaurant services manager in the Le Chatelain Hotel in Brussels.

Three years later, he decided to come back to his home town: “I wanted to go back to Paris and work in a field that differs a lot from business tourism, which is what we have in Brussels.

By targeting Paris, I wanted to work with a more diversified client mix, and consequently, broaden my professional scope.”

The Hotel Regina Paris’ offer, a hotel which recently won its fifth star, immediately caught his eye: “This legendary hotel, with its great reputation and its manager’s ambitious project was just what I had been hoping for.” One job application and job interview later, he was hired.

Raphael, who has been working there since September, 2016, has already settled in: “Depending on the season, I manage between 25 and 35 staff members. You don’t learn how to manage teams by reading a book; you learn this by having progressively taken on more and more responsibilities as you’ve climbed the corporate ladder.

I’m surrounded by team members in charge of the operational management of their zones: the restaurant, bar, wine cellars, etc.  My role consists in supporting them in the organization, the management and the improvement of the quality of service and turnover, by setting goals and short and long-term strategies.”

The Vatel Spirit

“Why did I choose Vatel? Because of its reputation and the Vatelien network! Some people feel inferior to the recent graduates from Swiss hotel management schools, but believe me, I’ve work with some of them and this is not justified at all.”

Deeply affected by the great atmosphere at Vatel when he was studying there, Raphael remembers the solidarity in the school: “Our classmates were all very close to one another and we all really loved our professors.

Also, all the friends that I made at school were really important to me as they still are very present, both in my personal life as well as in my professional life.”