James Bermingham, GM
An Interview with a distinguished hotelier...
AI: Please tell us about your background and how you came to choose the hospitality industry as your career.
JB: When I was growing up in Ireland, I was one of 13 children and learned very early in life what it means to form relationships and the power of family bonds. From the very beginning, family has been the cornerstone of my life. With two of my older siblings both working in the hospitality industry, my brother an executive chef and my older sister studying front of the house management, I was bound to give the industry a shot. After high school I took a summer job in my brother’s kitchen where he was Executive Chef of a large hotel in London. I began in stewarding and later worked as an apprentice chef. I was very impressed with the people I met in the hotel especially the managers who seemed to enjoy the daily challenges of operating a large London hotel. Their energy and passion truly impressed me and I decided working in a hotel would be a great career choice.
AI: Please share the highlights of your career and the different positions you have previously held.
JB: I was fortunate to serve as a management apprentice early in my career in busy hotels in Dublin, Ireland and later in London, England. I had the opportunity to work in almost all departments at every level over three years. I soon learned the value that every staff member brings to the success of a hotel and how hard every position works. After completing my apprenticeship I focused on a career in food & beverage working my way up the ladder to assistant F&B director at the age of 21 for Thistle Hotels in London and a pending promotion would have meant that I would be amongst the youngest F&B directors in the company. My general manager recommended a transfer to Rooms Division so I could learn another major department before taking an executive committee position and this proved to be great advice. I spent the next four years in the Front Office where I learned room operations and the skills to maximize hotel occupancy and rate. Most of this time was with ITT Sheraton at The Sheraton Skyline Hotel in London. This award-winning hotel enjoyed incredible demand from corporate group and individual corporate and leisure travel and because of its proximity to Heathrow Airport it also had the opportunity to accommodate distressed first and business class passengers. This strong demand from multiple market segments taught me how to maximize revenue by managing the mix of business.
My General Manager encouraged me to transfer into sales and marketing and I spent the next four years learning account management and selling. This proved to be an invaluable experience as I learned the importance of building lasting relationships with clients based on respect and integrity. I also began to appreciate the power of branding and what connects guests and clients to specific hotels. I learned this from the strong loyalty my clients had with my hotel but also from how they felt about my competitors. The combination of experience in operations and sales made me realize you can sell the experience but the reality is its the experience that sells.
One of the great things about working in our business is that you meet and get know great people. I have been so fortunate to work with many great professionals over the years that were so generous with their time and knowledge.
After six years in London, I transferred with ITT Sheraton to North America where I served time as hotel manager at what is now the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas, Texas and from there to Houston, Texas where I was general manager of the St. Regis Hotel. I opened Beau Rivage, an 1800 room casino resort in Biloxi, MS for Mirage Resorts and later managed two boutique hotels in Georgetown, Washington DC.
In 2002 I joined Alan Fuerstman Founder and CEO of Montage Hotels & Resorts and became his first general manager at Montage Laguna Beach, CA which opened in 2003. This was the kind of opportunity every hotelier dreams of. We had the opportunity to create a new ultra luxury hotel brand, a new experience for associates and build an incredible team of pioneering hoteliers. Montage Laguna Beach has become an amazing success, which is a tribute to the talent and passion of the people that work there. Over the next five years the company will open new hotels in Beverly Hills, CA, Deer Valley UT, Los Cabos, Mexico, and another two in California.
AI: If there is a ‘typical day at the office’ what would it be like?
JB: When I find one I will let you know. There are no two days that are ever the same.
AI: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
JB: What I enjoy most about my job is building relationships. Getting to know our guests, their families and passions and finding how we can exceed their expectations is always a pleasure. Every time they visit I want to take their experience to another level.
Community relations are a strong focus for us as we believe to become a world-class resort you first must become world class within your community. At Montage we enjoy volunteering and making a difference within the community.
I also enjoy being part of creating a great experience for the people that work at Montage. We know how hard everyone works so we want to make it as enjoyable and rewarding as possible. Hiring great people is only the beginning and it is critical that once prepared, people are empowered to be the best that they can be.
AI: What are your greatest strengths?
JB: I think my greatest strength is culture building. I learned very early in my career how important every team member is in creating a great guest experience and that experience is delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. I also learned that our guests come in contact with the brand whenever they taste, touch, hear or see your product. When building a luxury brand with so many touch points delivered by so many people, you need to build a brand culture rather than just focusing on brand standards.
AI: How do you consistently maintain the high levels of guest service in your hotel?
JB: As a hotelier, you are limited to the number of guest experiences you can personally touch. What we have at Montage is an absolute commitment to a service culture that prepares and empowers our associates to always do the right thing. We view every position and individual of equal importance, therefore equally empowered. The Montage culture allows our associates to provide our guests with extraordinary experiences that keep them coming back time and time again.
AI: What advice would you give to the young hoteliers entering this dynamic industry? Are there some specific skills they should develop in order to ensure a successful hospitality career?
JB: My advice to young hoteliers is to learn the importance of relationship building from the beginning. Understand the importance of each person to the success of the hotel. To do this successfully you need to learn how to understand and respect individuality and personalize each experience for that guest, associate, colleague or owner. Learning the art of hotel-keeping is a continuing education. Every person you interact with you can learn from and the better the relationship, the richer the education. A hotel is a family in many respects, especially in terms of how we learn and grow our associates and business. Do not be deterred from making bold career moves especially when you are comfortable with the job you currently hold. Find a position where you are fortunate to have a great mentor to look over your personal and professional growth.
AI: Apart from your own hotel, do you have any other favorite hotels?
JB: Apart from Montage, my favorite hotel is Horai, in Atami-shi, Japan. This 16 room traditional Japanese Ryokan has been owned and operated by the same family for over 150 years. The owner, Seiyu Furutani, is sixth generation and she is in the process of grooming the next generation. When I stayed there I could almost feel the tradition and history as I experienced their highly personalized traditional Japanese service in the most tranquil of settings.