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LEADER - VINCENT BILLIARD, GENERAL MANAGER OF THE HÔTEL DE CRILLON - A ROSEWOOD HOTEL, AND REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT OF ROSEWOOD HOTELS & RESORTS: 'EVERYTHING HAPPENS AT THE RIGHT TIME, IN THE RIGHT PLACE.’ (France)
Vincent Billiard shares his vision of contemporary luxury, hands-on management and leadership inspired by his international experience.
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Category: Europe - France - Interviews and portraits
- Interviews - Industry leaders
Interview made by Romane Le Royer on Thursday 14 july 2025
 Vincent Billiard, General Manager of the Hôtel de Crillon and Regional Vice President of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts
Photo credit © Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel
During his first internship at the Ritz-Carlton in Dearborn, USA, he discovered a corporate culture deeply focused on people, attention to detail and personalised service, principles that would become the foundation of his career. Upon graduating from EHL, he joined the brand and quickly rose through the ranks, taking on responsibilities at various properties in North America and the Caribbean, where he participated in the opening of the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, then in Asia. There, he learned how to manage complex points of sale, launch new restaurant concepts and supervise multicultural teams in sometimes tense social contexts. Over the years, he refined a management approach based on listening, operational rigour and adapting to the needs of a demanding international clientele. This gradual immersion in the world of the Ritz-Carlton gave him both technical and people skills in the luxury hotel industry.
In 2013, he was appointed general manager of his first hotel, the Ritz-Carlton Tianjin in China, where he oversaw the entire opening of the property. After this first general management role, he chose to remain in China. He then took charge of the pre-opening of the Bulgari Hotel in Shanghai, which he managed for a year.
In 2018, he briefly joined the St. Régis Singapore, before being approached by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts to take over the management of the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris. Attracted by the prestige of the location and the promise of a return to his roots, he accepted this new position in 2019. After several years at the helm of the Hôtel de Crillon, in 2024, he was given an expanded role within the group as Regional Vice President for Europe. In this capacity, he now oversees several properties in the Rosewood portfolio on the continent, where he directs strategic operations, supports the general managers and coordinates pre-opening phases.
Le Journal des Palaces met with Vincent Billiard at his Michelin-starred restaurant, L'Écrin. He looks back on his international career, the lessons he has learned from his experiences around the world, his vision of management and leadership, and the challenges and innovations that are shaping the future of a historic palace hotel today.
What do you still remember today from your training at EHL?
EHL was the school I absolutely wanted to attend, long before I joined in 1999. When I was 13, I ordered the VHS presentation of the school, which quickly became a real source of motivation throughout my schooling.
It's a school of life. I left my family to move to Switzerland when I was very young and alone, and found myself on a campus with hundreds of students who wanted to do the same thing, of course, but who also all wanted to be the best in a very competitive environment. I learned discipline at an age when it is not always seen as a priority, but the school already imposed the codes of luxury hospitality: suits, neat appearance, daily high standards. I also learned humility by doing all the things that are part of real life.
EHL also helped me gain self-confidence, a confidence that is visible and projected, and which is an asset every day, as is my interpersonal skills, whether with classmates, teachers, partners or hotel chains. Even today, as an alumnus, I still have this precious legacy that allows me to maintain strong ties with former students and those who are still at the school. It is a strong professional network, of course, but above all it is a network of friendship and brotherhood.
You returned to Paris almost six years ago after a wealth of international experience. What lessons have you learned?
Having moved around a lot and lived in many countries, what I have brought back with me is above all a respect for other cultures. I am often asked whether I manage differently depending on the country, and the answer is that my leadership values and management style remain the same regardless of the country, but with an understanding of local traditions and values.
I have also developed the ability to adapt and be flexible, which is necessary when you move every two years. In the United States and China, there was a greater focus on business and performance, on wanting to be the best hotel and working very hard to achieve your goals, which was exciting. In Indonesia, I learned to work with extremely warm people who are always in a good mood, which has taught me a great deal.
During my career, I have also learned how to open hotels, which is particularly useful in my work within the group. It's a way to grow faster professionally and personally, by promoting greater open-mindedness.
How does your role as Regional Vice President of the Rosewood Group influence your management of the Hôtel de Crillon?
I felt that this appointment within the group was linked to the work we were doing for the hotel, which continued to shine after so many years. Today, I try to build bridges between the different properties. This cross-functional approach feeds into my thinking in Paris and at the regional level.
Thanks to this role, I can lead my peers, who are experienced general managers, while drawing on my own experience in the field. Each of them brings something of their own leadership style to the table, which helps me to complement what I do at the Hôtel de Crillon.
Employee development is the most interesting aspect of management. I often send employees to support local teams during openings in Europe, such as in Austria a year ago, in Amsterdam in the spring, or on one-off assignments in one of the eight Rosewood hotels in Europe (editor's note: Paris, London, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Amsterdam, Madrid, Tuscany) or around the world. It's very important to me to be able to help them grow, so that they can develop and learn for themselves and one day reach a position like mine.
Does this dual role allow you to maintain your connection with your Paris teams?
Inevitably, the regional role takes up a lot of my time, which is perfectly normal. I try to maximise my time in the field, in contact with our guests, greeting them as much as possible, because that's the aspect of my job that I love. I like to sit in the hotel lobby to soak up the atmosphere, which is very intimate, like a private mansion, and where you can easily feel the buzz.
I also try to be close to my colleagues, to meet them, get to know them and be very accessible, so that they feel comfortable coming to see me and telling me what's going on in the hotel. I'm learning to delegate, particularly to Cédric Waterkeyn, who holds the valuable position of second in command at Le Crillon as Hotel Manager.
I also have to understand that I can't know everything. I naturally tend to want to control everything, but I've learned to accept that this isn't always possible. I know I can count on my teams to implement the vision I inspire. It's a delicate balance between the details and the big picture.
What are the highlights of your day?
For me, there are two crucial meetings that kick off the day and that I particularly enjoy. The 8:30 a.m. morning briefing brings together the operational and administrative teams, during which we discuss the day's schedule and any events from the previous day. I then continue with a smaller meeting with the management committee. Although it requires a certain amount of discipline, we hold a round-table discussion every morning to get a clear picture of the day's challenges.
These two meetings allow me to see everyone and find out what's going on in the hotel, which makes my job even more interesting. I like to practise ‘Management by Walking Around’.
But I also regularly talk to the operational teams on the ground, from the floors to the dishwashing area, to make sure that everything is running smoothly and that everyone has the right conditions to work efficiently.
I trust my employees to make decisions. If they are good decisions, we become more efficient, and if they are not, it doesn't matter: we learn and improve for next time.
The Hôtel de Crillon is an institution in Europe and around the world. How do you still find opportunities to innovate and continue to develop?
When we renovated the hotel over a four-year period, the vision was one of conservation, certainly, but also of transformation. We had to preserve the hotel's heritage and history, its unique location, but also transform a hotel that has evolved into the 21st century and has a fairly contemporary design.
Here, we're not talking about modern, but contemporary. Modern refers to a concept that can quickly fade or become outdated. Contemporary refers to a hotel that lives with the times, and that's what we strive to achieve.
In recent years, we've opened new restaurants, such as Nonos and Comestibles by Paul Pairet, as well as the Butterfly Pâtisserie.
Our approach to service is also contemporary, with a team of butlers who are constantly connected on WhatsApp to communicate with guests.
Our Clés d'Or concierge desk is very young, with each member specialising in a different field, from street art to music, hip-hop to modern art... This allows us to connect with our guests.
Our teams want to get up in the morning and come to work in a world of ambition. Innovation is one of our values, and we often talk about this desire not to be afraid of it.
The Hôtel de Crillon has a strong history with gastronomy. How can you continue to innovate with catering in a multi-starred city like Paris?
After Covid, we took a turn towards innovation with our restaurant L'Écrin, which offers a dining concept where you choose your drink, alcoholic or non-alcoholic, first, and the menu is created around that choice, combining the expertise of our head sommelier Xavier Thuizat and our executive chef Boris Campanella. We are the only luxury hotel to have adopted this concept, which is as surprising as it is appealing.
Three years ago, we also wanted to work with the excellent Paul Pairet, who is a chef with very innovative ideas. At Nonos, each dish, simple in appearance, stands out for its exceptional execution, reflecting the chef's expertise and creativity. The Butterfly Pâtisserie also gives us a retail outlet accessible from Rue Boissy d'Anglas, something few luxury hotels offer. It's a way of attracting Parisian customers who work or live near the hotel and offering them a piece of the Hôtel de Crillon to take away.
In keeping with this desire for accessibility, the Les Ambassadeurs bar is located at the entrance to the hotel, just a few steps away. It is a lively place, with a musical programme every evening, both informal and refined, and is one of the most popular areas of the property.
Through our dining offering, our goal is to open our doors to Parisians and non-residents of the hotel. We want guests staying at the Hôtel de Crillon to feel that they have chosen the right property, because it is a place that is loved by locals.
So your philosophy on catering is more focused on creating concepts than chasing stars?
One often leads to the other. If we do a very good job, consistently, our restaurants will be recognised by various guides, such as the Michelin Guide. But that's not the main objective, except for the gourmet restaurant, which has had a star since 2018. We would obviously like to raise it, to get a second and, why not, one day, a third.
Today, our ambition is to be able to welcome guests, ensure they have a memorable experience and want to come back. The idea is to have a restaurant where you can come several times a week, like Nonos or the Butterfly Pâtisserie.
What are the key dates for the Hôtel de Crillon in the coming months and years?
At the beginning of April, we were awarded the renewal of our Palace distinction, which we had held since 2018, a few months after our reopening. We are very proud of this, as it represents a considerable amount of work for our teams.
In the future, I would like to continue positioning Les Ambassadeurs bar among the best bars in the world. It is a central pillar of our offering. We also want to continue improving the moments our guests experience at the hotel by helping them discover Parisian experiences. Why do travellers come to Paris? We need to anticipate what motivates their visit and then initiate new experiences with designers, artists, chefs, our sommelier or the bar, or even offer our international guests a different way of discovering the place, the city and France.
This is something we discuss with our concierges, butlers and marketing team. Together, we look for ways to enrich each guest's discovery of the Parisian experience. At the Hôtel de Crillon, as in the Rosewood group, we talk about the concept of ‘Sense of place’, which is reflected, for example, in our location on the Place de la Concorde, the largest and oldest square in Paris. We have a responsibility and a privilege to bear the weight of history that comes with the hotel. We must repay this heritage through experiences. This is the case, for example, with our Marie-Antoinette and Duc de Crillon Signature Suites.
Have there been any encounters that have marked your career and influenced your vision of the profession?
It's difficult to name one person over another in a career. When I was younger, someone who worked in the Paris hotel industry in the late 1990s advised me to join the EHL, which reinforced my decision to pursue this career path.
Later on, three general managers at the Ritz Carlton and Bulgari guided me in my career, without deliberately taking on the role of ‘mentor’. They were people I could call for advice at key decision-making moments. They encouraged me to take action, pushed me to try new things, to step outside my comfort zone, and to accept positions that didn't exactly match my dreams. Sometimes they also tempered my enthusiasm, urging me not to rush into things, to be patient, and reminding me that the right job would come along at the right time and in the right place.
Even today, at Rosewood, I have a few people with whom I am in regular contact, who teach me a lot and who are starting to become mentors.
Are you yourself a mentor to your teams?
I hope so, while remaining very humble. I hope that my management style influences some of my colleagues and makes them want to do my job, with the same values. For my part, if I can help or guide them, I'm happy to do so. I welcome many colleagues who mention students, interns, young people who are wondering about their future, and they ask me for advice, which I am happy to give. It's not necessarily the right or the only advice to give, but I try to help as often as possible.
What advice would you give to a young person starting out in the luxury hotel industry?
The main advice I would give is to have a vision and a roadmap, to know where you want to go. At 18, I already wanted to become the general manager of one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Not everyone has this vision from the outset, but it can be built up gradually. In my opinion, this is one of the keys to moving forward.
Next, how do you continue along this path? I mentioned patience earlier. You mustn't rush things. Everything happens at the right time. On the other hand, you have to be flexible and curious. In my opinion, you have to travel. This is a profession where you welcome people from all over the world, so it's essential to go and see what's happening elsewhere. You have to be eager to learn, to keep reading and to stay informed. That's perhaps something I didn't do enough of myself at the beginning of my career: learning more about the groups and hotels.
I also think it's important to remain humble. Luxury hospitality is an industry where you deal with fascinating people, so you need to have your head screwed on.
My final piece of advice would be to find one or more mentors. You won't find them by turning over stones in a garden; you have to create experiences for yourself by being curious, travelling, moving around, meeting people and finding the one who gives you the right advice. A mentor isn't necessarily there every moment, but they know how to be there at the right time to guide you, helping you make the right choices and avoid mistakes.
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