Leadership series: Corine Palierse

Could you briefly introduce yourself, your role, and the core mission of your organization within the hospitality landscape?

My name is Corine Palierse and I am a Housekeeping expert consultant.

Coming from the private sector as a Site Manager in Hospitality and Account Manager in Makeup, with six years' experience in the arts as a porcelain decorator, I have always been drawn to the world of hospitality. I returned to my studies and in 2018, I obtained my degree in International Hotel Accommodation Services Management. I took my first steps at the Ritz Place Vendôme in the Housekeeping department for one year before holding positions as General Housekeeper in various Michelin-starred establishments, aparthotels and luxury hotels in Paris and Switzerland.

In 2023, I created HK by CP, a consulting, auditing and diagnostic company based on corporate social responsibility, with a particular focus on the SOCIAL pillar. In order to quantify SOCIAL actions, i.e. those of teams, quantified indicators are essential. To maintain a high level of training, tools and methods are necessary. With the use of a mobile application that integrates individualised reports and training modules on "Propriety and Knowledge", HK by CP enables management to ensure that teams always have an active understanding of their responsibilities and that teams feel a sense of belonging to the hotel's competitiveness with a personalised mark of recognition. HK by CP is a fusion of my previous knowledge and the result of my experiences in the hotel industry. In addition, HK by CP is a sponsor of the Phoenix & Orchidaceae Association, which aims to transform Madagascar's weaknesses into exploitable resources.

HK by CP is involved in sustainable tourism with the management of « Home Gaia », sustainable home.

What motivates you in your work and what do you find most fulfilling about being a business leader?

My father was President of the Rotary Club and Lions International in Madagascar, and hospitality and receptions at the Club are part of my childhood memories. Hospitality is an internationally oriented field, with many professions opening up possibilities for curious minds. It is also the luxury sector in terms of « Savoir-faire and Savoir recevoir, Knowing How to Be and Knowing How to Receive

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing the landscape where you are and how should/will a business like yours respond?

Creativity plays a fundamental role in my life. I am a wholehearted person, and I invest myself fully in everything I do. I created a structure that reflected my personal experience and prioritised team buy-in to ensure tasks ran smoothly: creating clear processes, providing informative briefings, and delivering mini training sessions. I get double the satisfaction when my teams develop new skills, allowing me to focus on improving the efficiency of the service.

What do you see as the biggest challenges currently facing the landscape where you are and how should/will a business like yours respond?

My career in the world of luxury and hospitality has allowed me to meet wonderful people from different countries and cultures. In the vast majority of establishments I have visited, I have noticed a lack of cohesion in the way they operate, a lack of clear information, a lack of recognition and fairness, and above all, a great deal of frustration among the teams. of operational teams. The SOCIAL pillar, in all its complexity, must be taken into account.

HK by CP has many strings to its bow, but its objective is singular: recognition of the work of teams through the implementation of quantified indicators and continuous training. HK by CP offers services in Creation, Opening and Restructuring and encourages hotels to use digital applications linked to their PMS. Some hotels still use paper for room distribution, which makes traceability difficult and inefficient because transferring data to Excel is time-consuming. With applications, data extraction makes it possible to quantify and refine team tasks, enabling reliable reporting and monitoring of activity.

HK by CP can carry out, independently of a start-up or launch service, housekeeping reports for several hotels as soon as it has access to the necessary data.

In addition, HK by CP offers and has its own application. Integrated into the hotel's PMS, this application is configured to inform employees through individualised reports that appear in their accounts. Similarly, the "Etiquette and Knowledge" training modules allow employees to measure their level of learning on general questions related to their activity through questions and scores. 

Thinking about the (current) macro-economic and social environment (cost pressures, labor market, changing customer expectations, sustainability), what shifts do you believe will redefine “success” for our sector in the coming year or years?

The success of any project is based on motivation influenced by its environment. This environment must be healthy, and to achieve this, basic rules of conduct must be respected by all. Labour requirements must not be minimised for cost reasons. Success will depend on striking a balance between profit and the well-being of teams and customers.

If you could influence one thing about the future of hospitality (policy, regulation, social trend, business model…) what would it be, and why?

Today, there are labels that recognise the hotel's international reputation and its commitment to environmental protection through waste sorting and energy management, but there is no label recognising actions taken at the SOCIAL level, i.e. by the teams. This should also be standardised.

What is or are your biggest career achievement(s)?

Having supported management in changing the status of their establishment from a senior residence to an aparthotel and having implemented the necessary tools, processes and partnerships.

What’s the most important leadership lesson you’ve learned?

Observing sports coaches, they are leaders, it's real life. Then there's the one I've always applied instinctively, being on the field to legitimise your place and experiencing reality to understand and make improvements.

Sustainability is a growing priority. How are you embedding meaningful, long-term sustainability practices into your business?

Sustainability and responsibility can only be achieved with participation and consideration for the human factor. In the housekeeping ecosystem, HK by CP focuses on the environment and the parameters for team intervention, the place of housekeeping within the hotel, and activity monitoring.

Looking back, what has been the most pivotal moment in your career, a turning point that shaped how you lead today?

My experiences have allowed me to work with several different management profiles. Management is a position, and I believe that the position does not belong to anyone. It is the personality of the person occupying the position that gives it its aura, or not. A lack of free will, a lack of knowledge of a situation, a lack of fairness or transparency are things that I condemn and do not correspond to my authentic personality. These attitudes destabilise teams and create tensions.

Who or what has had a major influence on your approach to leadership?

Prince Fazza's example in Dubai inspires me and reinforces my approach, albeit on a much smaller scale, but the process remains the same. Prince Fazza has remained faithful to his fathers' visions while enriching their wishes through his dedication and work ethic. He is close to and honours all the sectors that enable Dubai to prosper. He participates in sporting activities, bringing him closer to residents and expatriates alike. He travels to the borders to break the Ramadan fast with soldiers. He is a leader who

inspires confidence in his decisions and actions. The establishment of Dubai Camp demonstrates that he works in cohesion with all the people he has placed in positions to support him.

I stand by my statement that when the locomotive is reliable, the rest of the carriages follow.

If you could change one policy, trend, or misconception about the sector, what would it be?

The hotel industry is a grand theatre. Spectacular, bright, magical. I wouldn't call it a misconception, but rather a bad habit of thinking that the hotel industry is not a business. But it is, with a huge number of people and professions involved. It is these people who enable the hotel industry to exist. uses maintenance contractors, i.e. external teams, for cost reasons and to avoid this payroll expense. This is why HK by CP focuses on the SOCIAL aspect of housekeeping, so that these behind-the-scenes people are recognised for their work and rewarded. The application or integration of the "Bienséance et Connaissance" application into the hotel's PMS is an indicator that can help management congratulate its teams in a fair manner.

What is your long-term vision for your organization, and what legacy would you like to leave within the industry?

HK by CP collaborates with various partners specialising in housekeeping-related professions. Ideally, we would like to have the same type of partners in different countries, depending on HK by CP's operations.

Create a Value Keys Label integrated into CSR, specifically for housekeeping.

What advice would you give emerging leaders who want to shape the future of hospitality?

To deeply respect human values. The importance of Being over Appearing. It's a beautiful costume to wear.