BBJ: Can you share some highlights from your career?

András Lakézi: Being a hotelier is one of the most rewarding jobs. It opens up the world, provides endless opportunities to meet new cultures, and grants experiences that provide lifelong memories. Early on, I gained thorough training in a hotel chain of top resorts across Cyprus and Greece. Following graduation, I was offered a promotion with the same company to get my first taste of five-star hotel management.

Fast forward a few years, and I experienced opening and operating a stunning hotel in Budapest. My ambition to develop in an industry-leading setting brought me to the United Kingdom and one of the most prestigious addresses for a Hotelier: Park Lane, London. Then, I grabbed a huge opportunity and moved on to tick off another career dream, opening a stunning five-star property in London.

Highlights from this period include being selected for a diploma program, then to an ultra-prestigious scholarship program by the U.K. Master Innholders Association, to attend a development program at Cranfield University. I was also honored to receive the President’s Award from the U.K. Gastronomes Association.

In recent years, under the umbrella of a U.K.-based ultra-luxury members club, I operated several luxury properties across Europe, working with some incredibly talented people. Joining Unione Hotel Management and taking on operating Hotel Clark, alongside some unique pipeline projects, was a dream come true. I believe that Hotel Clark has the potential to become an industry-leading luxury boutique hotel known across Europe.

BBJ: What qualities make for an effective hotel manager, especially in a boutique setting like Hotel Clark?

AL: In my view, our’s is a people industry. This is equally true of the relationships, communication and shared values within our team and how we anticipate guests’ needs. Our team is built from exceptionally talented people, whom I need to be able to motivate, challenge and develop them to continue striving for the best guest experience and also for them to have a clear path for the long term.

As a hotel GM, you need to be able to oversee and control the overall functionality of the hotel and remain one step ahead in terms of planning and executing the overall strategy whilst actively being present for the team and guests alike. To get the best out of the hotel, we need to treat each guest as an opportunity to show them the best hospitality they ever encountered.

BBJ: The hotel has earned the TripAdvisor Best of the Best accolade. It is also listed in the Michelin Guide. What do you think sets Hotel Clark apart in terms of providing a truly five-star experience?

AL: I believe the most important element for every organization is its people. The main thing that truly sets Hotel Clark apart is a shared culture that puts our guests at the center of attention. The team has hospitality in their hearts, combined, of course, with very detailed ways of working, communication flow, and personalized service. This mirrors the ambition of our owners and wouldn’t be possible to achieve without their support in our day-to-day operation, as well as to have a clear vision ahead of us, bringing the group and Hotel Clark to a level that is recognized as industry-leading across the region.

BBJ: Hotel Clark is known for its Art Corner initiative, which supports local culture and arts. Could you tell us more about this program?

AL: We brought to life our unique Art Corner by Clark & Leo cultural event series in 2021 to promote contemporary art by bringing it closer to the audience in special venues. One of the essential brand essences of Hotel Clark Budapest is actively preserving traditions while combining modernity and historical values of urban life. We believe that contemporary art has the power to form society; it can create bonds between people of different ages, backgrounds and nationalities, and it inspires cultural development and acceptance of cultural diversity. The biannual event organized in the hotel is part of a tradition, as the legendary Lánchíd Café, a meeting place for intellectuals, once stood in the location of Hotel Clark.

BBJ: What are some examples of how the hotel engages in social responsibility?

AL: We take great pride in developing the next generations of hoteliers and have a close relationship with several hospitality schools. I also believe that we provide an industry-leading training platform for all our interns, many of whom we had a chance to employ and thus launch their careers. We also work with a number of local contractors at every level, believing that their products and services can match or even surpass the international competition.

BBJ: What are your goals for the future of Hotel Clark, and how do you plan to continue evolving the guest experience while staying true to the hotel’s values?

AL: The ethos will always be the same: what can we do to enhance our guest experience further? What can we do to better anticipate their needs? What can we do to personalize their stay?

No day passes without us trying to find ways to make small but meaningful marginal improvements. Our core value is that we start all actions by looking at the guest experience, which serves as the basis of all future planning. On a more strategic level, we have a firm plan to install an array of technical improvements that not only provide cutting-edge tech for guests but also bring improvements that will enable our team to work more effectively.

Regarding the asset, we treat the hotel as a living and breathing unit; we take utmost care of the continued maintenance and improvement of the hotel and all its facilities and have tremendous support from our owners for doing so. The various new projects of Unione Hotel Management and the upcoming opening of a new hotel that we are all heavily involved in with my team will also open doors to Hotel Clark to further enhance our guest experience and be able to offer more options and facilities.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of September 20, 2024.