INTERVIEW: Jean-François Colloud, Human Resources Director, Ultima Collection group

Two years ago, Jean-François Colloud, Human Resources Director for group Ultima Collection, gave us the pleasure to present the completely innovative and atypical concept of the collection venues. Now that the crisis is coming to an end, it was only natural for us to inquire about the state of play of these sublime locations. In this regard, we had the opportunity to discuss with him the dynamics adopted by the group during this period, its future objectives, as well as the factors that made it possible for the collection to continue its rise at a time when most destinations had to wait in the wings.

Ultima Gstaad

Vendom.jobs – Could you present us Ultima Collection?

Jean-François Colloud – Ultima Collection is a rather young group. Created in 2016, its eponymous location is Ultima Gstaad. The collection draws its roots from high-end five-star hotel standards, but the founders wanted to stand out by creating a hotel concept dedicated to residences, villas, and private chalets.

For the time being, our venues are mainly seasonal mountain and seaside resorts, centered on Switzerland (Gstaad, Crans-Montana, Geneva), on France (Megève, Courchevel and soon Cannes), and on Greece, where Ultima Corfu opened its doors a year ago.

Our model consists in offering very fortunate customers an alternative to high-end five-star hotels accommodation in exceptional environments and private venues. Of course, we provide all the basic services of a superior five-star hotel (butler, chef, spa expert…), but also – on request – a range of other à la carte services (renowned chef, yoga teacher, nurse, etc.). Thanks to these amenities, our hosts experience home-like comfort.

V.J. – Since our last discussion, there have been dazzling developments. Could you tell us more about these?

J.-F. C. – As I was saying, a new seaside location opened in Corfu. The group also made the splendid acquisition of Sainte-Marguerite Island, just opposite the bay of Cannes, which will hopefully open next year.

Our projects include the diversification of the collection in urban locations – Geneva being a facet of this objective – possibly developing in other main European cities, like Paris or London…

Ultima Corfu

V.J. – In the time of uncertainty that we just experienced, many resorts had to reconsider their positioning. Was it also the case for you?

J.-F. C. – Because of the health crisis, customers are increasingly seeking wider spaces and more intimate accommodations, with limited, or even nonexistent interactions with other travellers. This is precisely the concept developed by Ultima Collection. Unlike others, we were lucky enough to perform excellently during the 2020-2021 Winter season in Gstaad and Crans-Montana.

Despite the closing of ski runs, Megève also performed quite well, with the help of our marketing campaign “There is more to Megève than skiing”. In fact, destinations like these offer many Winter activities which do not require ski lifts – like ski skins, cross countrying, snowshoe hiking, etc. What our customers want is to enjoy the outsides, nature and the setting, even though many of them seek the wellbeing and cocooning side of the chalets and villas to enjoy moments of relax. In this regard, they were happy to spend time to unwind in this prestigious chalet.

Because ski runs did not open, our French addresses remained closed. The opening of Courchevel will be postponed to the next season.

To answer your question, in this regard, the answer is no. We did not have to reorientate our approach – on the contrary, our model allowed us to assert our presence and stand out on the market of ultra-luxury accommodation. The Ultima group managed to create, from the very beginning, private and protected spaces, within extremely sought-after natural environments. Our standards perfectly meet the post-crisis expectations, with the reinforcement of a few sanitary measures and the creation of others. All our employees are tested before the arrival of our hosts. Actually, the only limits we were imposed last year were governmental decisions: ski run closures, border controls, etc.

Ultima Megève

V.J. – How did you keep a relationship with your collaborators during the past year, with venues that are almost all seasonal?

J.-F. C. – The seasonality that defines us is also our force as far as collaborators are concerned. We have a very low turnover. In Switzerland, 80% of our teams work during the Winter and come back in the Summer. Obviously, it was easier to retain them in Switzerland, but in France – where we had anticipated intensive recruitment for the Courchevel opening – our collaborators had the possibility to benefit from short-time working. Our French human resources department perfectly managed to keep good contact with the teams, who are impatiently waiting to start work again, as their position is guaranteed. Some collaborators were also offered very interesting alternatives for their evolution, like punctual missions in our Swiss venues.

V.J. – Did you take advantage from this period to create (or reconsider) training or career plans?

J.-F. C. – We do not have a training programme in the strict sense of the term, other than compulsory basic training (safety, spa care, etc.). We rather focus on growth and on the promotion of our collaborators based on mobility. In seasonal resorts, we lack the time to elaborate long training plans, but our teams have the possibility to work elsewhere off-season. For example, this year, we delegated the Cannes project to one of our Megève collaborators. This mission gave him the opportunity to evolve, to add new tasks to his curriculum, and to discover other venues of the collection.

V.J. – In your view, what are the new stakes of recruitment in the ultra-luxury sector, and in particular for Ultima Collection?

J.-F. C. – Unfortunately, many people have left the profession because of the crisis, as they did not see a profitable future in it anymore. If the Ultima Collection model is atypical, our profiles are too. Our collaborators are absolutely not limited to one task – we promote talent transversality. To some extent, they are very skilled hoteliers who can change their position according to the needs. Our resorts are very intimate and we promote great flexibility in the achievement of tasks. As far as I am concerned, my main priority is not to seek competences, but talents and personalities that are open to this flexibility. We are very close to the world of yachting in this regard, where a crew has to be able to do everything. Our customers must always be unaware of all the attention and care that is given to them.

Ultima Geneva

In this view, Ultima Collection has been a pioneer: it never offered candidates a single position consisting of fixed tasks. I believe that the world of hospitality – and of luxury in general – is increasingly tending towards this type of extremely multipurpose profiles.

V.J. – Was this vision of targeted profiles a wish of Ultima Collection from the very beginning?

J.-F. C. – To be honest, that was not really our expressed intention. I come from a traditional five-star hotel background and I quickly realized that these models could only be applied to private residences. Our venues can only be organized according to a strict hierarchy supported by executives and their teams.

This organisation is based on the fact that the customer experience – and the collaborator experience as well – is very different. Our collaborators spend every day with our hosts, they have a great proximity with them. Our customers decide what they want and when they want it. They are not subject to any hotel service rule or schedule. This is why we are more interested in versatile hybrid profiles. For example, in Geneva, one of our butlers is a former cook and he switches very easily from one function to the other, according to our clients’ requests.

Ultima Courchevel

V. J. – What atmosphere dominates the reopening of the Ultima Collection resorts?

J.-F. C. – We are very optimistic! For next season, we already have a very high booking rate in Gstaad. We are prepared for the opening of Courchevel for the 2021-2022 season, and the project is still in its initial form. The same can be said for Cannes in 2022. Also, our urban development remains topical. Two new destinations will also open their doors in German-speaking Switzerland in 2022 and 2023.

Our management keeps the same dynamics, because we are aware that there will be an increasing demand from international customers for the model offered by the Ultima Collection. Although we had to rethink the organization and the structure of our teams, we are not planning any changes in our course. I would even dare say that we are in full swing!

Ultima Collection