Birthday parties in Tuscany, cocktail evenings with an open-air cinema on the Maldives and posh car rallies in Spain: the least you can say about Carolina Mulier’s job is that it fires your imagination. As Senior Sales Manager for the Benelux at The Leading Hotels of the World, she is responsible for the sales and marketing of the world's most luxurious hotels. "This job gives me the privilege to visit some of the most wonderful places in the world", she says.
What is Leading Hotels of the World?
“We are not a chain of hotels like Four Seasons or Mandarin, but a collection of individual five-star hotels. They are often still in family hands and they all have a certain authenticity that is in line with the local culture and environment. To become a member, they don’t have to meet specific standards, but they do have to meet 800 quality criteria that represent the actual client experience. We represent those hotels on the local markets, I am their sales and marketing representative in the Benelux. Our clients are individuals who are looking for a hotel with an authentic atmosphere that offers a unique gastronomic experience, but also companies, MICE experts such as SEAUTON and travel agencies.”
So if SEAUTON plans a special event, there’s a good chance they will contact you.
“Exactly. They give me a list of specific criteria for the location of their meeting, incentive or event and I look for hotels that meet these criteria. It’s very nice working with them, as they understand our hotels and the way we work very well. I love this job because it allows me to meet different cultures and hotels with a fascinating history. We have a collection of 430 hotels in 80 different countries. I have visited 120 of them in the past five years. It’s a real privilege to be able to visit wonderful places such as Buenos Aires, or spend the night in Winston Churchill’s suite in Biarritz.”
I can imagine that clients in the luxury segment are very demanding. What do you do to convince them?
“It isn’t always easy, but being able to distinguish yourself with an excellent service certainly helps. People value a personal approach very highly and that’s exactly what we’re good at. All our hotels are very authentic places, where you can actually experience the local culture. It’s something we focus on as well. That’s why I concentrate exclusively on the Benelux market. Being Dutch myself, I know the market very well and I speak Dutch, French and English. I also work from the office in Paris, in the same time zone as my clients. That is all part of the service we offer.”
Did you ever experience problems with clients?
“Once clients arrive at the hotel I don't have much contact with them anymore though it does happen that the hotel contacts me whenever there are problems. For instance, last summer I organised a hotel for a group from The Netherlands. They had been drinking a lot of cocktails at the hotel and had started a pool party. The other guests were not amused: they couldn't sleep because of the noise. Apparently, the hotel had even called the police in order to make them end the party. The day after I received a phone call from the hotel, informing me about the incident, so that I could have a word with my contact person." (laughs)
Which project did you most enjoy working on?
"I've worked on many great projects in the past five years, so it's hard to pick just one. For a famous family from The Netherlands – unfortunately, I can't tell you their name – I had to buy out a complete hotel in Rome, where they would have dinner in the Sistine Chapel. For another lady's fiftieth birthday, I had to find a hotel in Tuscany. Her personal coach was travelling with her because every day she wanted to have her fifteen minutes training. What that poor coach would be doing there for the rest of the day is still a complete mystery to me. (laughs) I also organised a trip to the Maldives once, for a group of dentists. They wanted a place at the beach where they would be able to have an open-air cinema with cocktails. For a posh car rally in Spain – in one week’s time participants would be driving from Madrid to Marbella – I booked a different Leading Hotel for each night of their trip. As you can see, it’s a very long list.”
Impressive indeed. Is there anything you still dream of: a project, a destination?
“When you’re a Sales Manager like me, your job ends as soon as the hotel is booked. So I’m never there during any of those client events. I would love to be there once: at the beach on the Maldives, with a cocktail in my hand …” (Laughs)
