Relais & Chateaux – the ultimate benchmark for quality hotels?

Jacques-Olivier Chauvin, CEO of Relais & Chateaux chatted to The Mole over a coffee (of course!) at Indaba 2007.  Chauvin began by going through the association’s ‘Quality Charter’, in an almost mantra-like manner:

** Courtesy

** Charm

** Character

** Calm

** Cuisine

It is clear that he strongly believes in the ‘Five Cs’ that make up this charter, and that these are not only the heart and soul of Relais & Chateaux, they have made Relais & Chateaux “The finest association in the world.”

According to Chauvin, the Five Cs are not simply something written up in a charter and left to gather dust on the shelf in pursuit of the dollar (or euro!), they are a philosophy and attitude that must exist (and be maintained) in each hotel that is part of the Relais & Chateaux association.

Interestingly, Chauvin goes on to say that Relais & Chateaux is a non-profit association, they are not looking for quantity of business, rather, they are totally focused on quality, and they have remained faithful to this ideal (expressed by the Five Cs) for over fifty years.

Chauvin says that there are strict requirements applied when they recruit new properties into the association. If one of the Cs is missing then they are not offered membership, no compromises ever.

There are now over 20 Relais & Chateaux hotel members in South Africa.  Chauvin enthuses about Southern Africa as a whole, and he regards South Africa as “The world in one country, with so many different experiences on offer.”

We were joined by Annie-Claude Bergonzoli, who is responsible for the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean membership, who went into some more detail.  The Relais & Chateaux focus is not on big cities, and every member has a stake in Relais & Chateaux through the holding entity being an association.

Properties do their own marketing, while the association focuses on the destination.  In the case of Indaba, a number of members took up the opportunity to be part of the Relais & Chateaux stand – one of the larger ones at Indaba.

Bergonzoli re-iterated the exclusivity and high level of quality demanded from association members. With that typical French accent she said “Zometimes, a hotel can be of high quality, but it haz no charm, er.. or no character, zo we must say non!”

Co-incidentally, Relais & Chateaux are also interested in developing their presence in the Australian market so you may like to check out www.relaischateaux.com .

Over the years the services provided by the Association to its members have been considerably extended, from the guide and the website with world-wide recognition to a central reservation office, a collection of gift certificates and special offers, and worldwide offices.

Both Chauvin and Bergonzoli are very happy with the game lodges, country houses and boutique hotels that comprise the Southern African membership and they are actively looking to expand that membership.  Currently the UK is the number one market for South African members, but they would like to build new international markets for South Africa, including Australia.

The Mole was also able to speak with Liz McGrath, who has the distinction of being the only woman who owns three Relais hotels.  McGrath has always been an addicted builder, gardener and foodie, and after her husband passed away and a period of re-assessment, she turned those passions into developing an old building into a true quality hotel.

Along came Relais and she has never looked back, eventually being invited to join the board of Relais & Chateaux. McGrath loves the new South Africa and how the country is marching forward, with staff now developing into real partners in her businesses.

All Relais & Chateaux members, says McGrath, recognise that attitude is by far the single most sought-after attribute when hiring staff. Skills and qualifications can be taught.  Experience can be provided, but what matters most is attitude.  Finding the right staff is a key success factor for all Relais hotels.

From a member’s point of view, the two core benefits of belonging to Relais & Chateaux are the brand image (which they themselves uphold) and though members are in effect competing with each other, they consider themselves part of an exclusive family that provides a great support network.

McGraths message is “Come see how well we are doing in South Africa!”  The Mole would certainly like to experience the Five Cs on his next African visit so he may just have to brush up his schoolboy French and say “Zo… Annie-Claude, ze Moel he is interested in ze Five sees…!”

Report by The Mole on location at Indaba 2007