In the green room at Phocuswright with... Maud Bailly

Why isn't the travel startup survival rate higher than it is?

Because the competition is already very aggressive, with a lot of consolidation amongst powerful players.

What are you like outside of work?

Pretty like the same I am at work.

What was your childhood aspiration?

Becoming a surgeon.

Who is the person you most admire within the industry?

My boss. But I can’t say it because everybody will think I am obsequious!

Nonetheless, it is the truth: Sebastien’s (Bazin) vision is the reason for which I joined AccorHotels.

What travel industry development or brand do you wish you'd thought of first?

The 21C Museum Hotels brand. I love the idea to combine hospitality and culture.

I am very glad that we recently acquired this brand, which combines contemporary art museum, boutique hotels and chef-driven restaurants.

What is your proudest professional achievement?

IMPACT, i.e. the transformation – both digital and cultural – we are currently driving at AccorHotels, at the headquarter level, but also in the regions and in all our hotels, to serve our "augmented hospitality" ambition.

This also relies on a new organization, new ways of working, and… people: looking at my teams - their talent, their diversity, their passion - is one of my biggest prides.

What book do you recommend to others and why?

I’d recommend two books:

• The Virtues of Failure, by the French philosopher Charles Pépin. Because learning to fail, to reinvent ourselves, to be resilient, is key in our constantly challenged and disrupted environment.
• The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, by Eckhart Tolle. Because happiness is now, and only now. And we have to learn how to seize it.

What do you do to alleviate stress?

I turn on the music and I dance!

What can be done to make the travel industry more diverse in terms of race and gender in senior positions?

A lot.

This is why I accepted to become one of the WAAG’s (Women At Accorhotels Generation) Ambassadors, our network of women – but also men (35% of our members) - dedicated to promote diversity as a key lever of collective performance.

Our ambition is also to encourage mentoring, solidarity, transmission, equal treatment (including pay), fight against stereotypes and sexual harassment.

Hybrid teams, mixing skills, genders, generations and different cultural profiles are the most powerful ones: this is one of my deep convictions.

What's your morning routine?

Trying to postpone wake-up call/taking a quick shower and a warm green tea/kissing my family.

I tried several times to save five minutes to meditate every morning, but I never really succeeded to do it… I’ll try again.

What would you tell your 20-year-old self?

Run to your risk. It won’t always be easy but it will be worth it.

What’s the most interesting thing about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone?

A six-months internship at the French Embassy to the Holy See, at the Vatican.

What gives you energy?

• Spending time with my family and friends.
• Teaching.
• Dancing.
• Revealing people’s potential.
• Creating collective dynamics, and seeing them becoming stronger than anything.

Describe your desk and working environment

It is an open space, amongst my teams, with a glass "bubble" where I spent most of my meetings. Some chocolate. Books.

Dashboards and roadmaps pinned up on the walls.

Ideas, questions, diagrams, scribbles on a dry erase board.

And a "wall of fame" with pictures of travels, events, and great moments shared with my teams.

How do you adapt to your environment when traveling?

I have one rule: systematically dedicate time to visit the hotels in the field and meet their local teams - understanding their product, listening to their needs, questions, expectations, frustrations.

Trying to speak their language each time I can. And preparing each travel to fully understand where I am going, the regional specificities, the projects we could deliver for them, the historical background, the legacy, the trends of the market.

In our digital era, one size does not fit all: you need to adapt your vision.