Sofia L. Vandaele: from parental billiards pub to international hotel business

Over the course of more than 20 years, Sofia Vandaele has worked her way up to become a leading figure in the world of the hotel industry. Her - mainly international - career path reflects a deep commitment to luxury, hospitality and innovation within the industry. But for the general manager of the InterContinental New York Barclay, it all started in Roeselare.

Sofia L. Vandaele, General Manager - The Barclay & Regional Director of Operations, NYC: "I was brought up on hospitality. My parents owned a banquet hall, restaurant, café with billiards, ... and I grew up - almost literally - in my father's kitchen. So I learnt at a very young age how communication takes place between all those characters and how service and hospitality exactly fit together. From childhood I got the #BarclayService feeling."

"Both my brother and I chose to stay in the industry. I myself went to Hotel School Spermalie and continued my studies with the hotel management course. That's how the ball got rolling. First, I went to work for Starwood Hotels & Resorts - now the Marriott hotel group - in Brussels before moving to the UK. After five years in London, I moved to New York (W Hotels/The London NYC) for the first time. From there, I returned to Europe, more specifically Paris. To 'land' in New York City after a few years, at the head of the prestigious InterContinental New York Barclay." 

"You might think that my career is defined by the spectacular locations and achievements I have achieved," Sofia continues. "But I rather let this be defined by who was and is with me, during that journey. Passion and focus are super-important for me to be able to push the envelope. Especially in the hyper-competitive world that (international) hospitality is anyway." 

"You grow as a stronger leader because you have to deal with a lot of different teams. Everyone approaches life differently and has a different background. Working together - with inclusiveness at the forefront - guarantees that you can constantly develop and fine-tune your skills as a people manager. My leadership style can be called open, honest and strict. I have very high expectations of myself and my teams. My focus on the triangle between guests, our team and the stakeholders (owners, competition, community) must always be and remain balanced. Moreover, New York as a city, but also as expectations towards hospitality, is very intense. That can either encourage you or weaken you. Because this is a big business. I run a team of about 1,200 employees, spread across four different hotels, and that obviously comes with its specific challenges, at all levels. Honestly? My West Flemish roots still come in very handy. West Flemish people are modest, hard workers and, besides, Belgium is a country of compromises. Adaptability, empathy and understanding are traits that I still apply to this day."

"Some of my biggest challenges and subsequent achievements were driven by external factors. I went through the bus-bombings in London, the Bataclan shooting and the Paris attacks, the 2008 financial crisis in New York and then more recently the covid pandemic. It cannot fail to mark you and have a big impact. Not only professionally, but also personally. You learn to use your resilience and pivot to what matters most. A crucial lesson from the pandemic? If you are not your best self, both physically and mentally, you cannot possibly be at your best as a professional. And that's a lesson that has been drawn in other sectors too, by the way. I come into contact with a lot of 'captains of industry', they all tell me the same thing: first yourself, then the business."

"This is partly why the term 'bleisure' is still a hot topic. A business trip is no longer just that, but increasingly a piece of 'leisure' (free time) is added to it. The partner travels along, because time is luxury these days. So everything is combined. A desk to work at in the room has to be there, but all local fringe events are also becoming increasingly important. Think wellness, fitness equipment, ... but also a jazz concert in one of the suites. As long as everything stays on location, because losing time to go from one place to another is often an extra challenge for the busy professional."

"I also believe hard in investing in the future of this industry. To this end, I work with a number of hotel schools and students/trainees from all kinds of international management schools. I make a lot of time for them and try to encourage them to resolutely choose a career in this wonderful industry. I dare say I am very proud of the fact that I can and may inspire others by what I, as a West Flemish woman, have achieved in the international hotel sector."

"We don't stand still in terms of technology either. Everything is of the highest quality and we don't shy away from the latest gadgets. The new smart televisions we installed last year are a good example of this. But of course we go much further. Example? People no longer want to make phone calls. So we introduced 'Perle', our digital concierge. That comes from Perle Mesta, a 'socialite' who spent much of her life in our hotel in the 1920s. The famous 'hostess with the mostess'. Now our guests can ask pretty much anything via a text service to our digital concierge."

"AI is also taking off. Speaking at a recent industry conference was Matthew D. Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, the world's largest travel network. He had a good quote about automation, and by extension AI, in the hospitality sector: 'Automate the predictable, so you can humanise the exceptional'. Which actually sums up pretty much everything it's about. Because personalisation in the luxury segment of our industry will never lose importance. If you can then use technology to support and increase efficiency for the more ordinary things, then you have more time for the hyper-personalised approach."

Vandaele's leadership at the InterContinental New York Barclay is also notable for its focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. Located in a city often associated with rampant consumption and the challenges of urban pollution, the hotel, under her leadership, has committed to reducing its carbon footprint. This is reflected in a number of green initiatives, including a rooftop garden and beehive that provide hyper-local ingredients for the hotel bar, the use of energy-efficient lighting, heating and water systems, and extensive waste management programmes. These initiatives are part of the Journey to Tomorrow initiative, which aims to have a positive impact on people and the planet. These goals reflect the responsibilities the hotel industry has not only towards its guests but also towards the community and the world at large.

How to succeed as a hotelier
Making it in this business requires a number of traits that can support and help aspiring hoteliers move forward. Sofia L. Vandaele provides some of them from her own rich experience. 
- Focus and refocus: is there still a ready view of what you want to achieve? Just like a camera, sometimes you need to refocus.
- Channel your passion: focus your passion on things that pay off, that give you something in return. Return-on-investment (ROI) and return-on-effort (ROE) are both important.
- Hard work pays off: this goes without saying. 
- Dare to jump: for example, if you get the chance to do an international internship, do it. The experience you gain that way is priceless. Seize that opportunity.
- Build your foundation: already dare to take a step sideways instead of higher and higher. The solidity of your foundations that you thus realise will create a firmer foundation for the future.