1,908 views | Aug 26, 2018, 11:58am

4 Secrets To Stir Passion In The Heart

Of Travel: Leah Marshall Of Le Bristol
Paris
Laura Manske Contributor
Travel
Falling in love with travel every day.

Welcome to "The Heart of Travel," a new interview series that goes behind the scenes of
the hospitality business to shine a spotlight on accomplished pros who bring polished
skills and a passionate will to well-loved places. Personable, whip-smart, funny and
elegantly stylish, Leah Marshall — hotel manager of the award-winning, iconic Le Bristol
Paris — is an extraordinary leader for nurturing the heart of travel. What are her secrets
for launching a life well-lived?
Leah Marshall of Le Bristol Paris. © ROMÉO BALANCOURT / LE BRISTOL PARIS

"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic
in it," wrote German poet, playwright and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in the
19th century. That stirring quote aptly describes the life-force that is Leah Marshall. Born
and raised in Canada, 15-year-old Marshall jumped at the opportunity for a summer job
assisting the general manager of a British Columbia inn with administrative work. And
then she stayed on full-time during the next two years of high school, operating the front
desk from 3 to 11pm. "At the same time, I was very inspired by my high school French
teacher," Marshall says. "I longed to travel to Paris." After graduation, 18-year-old
Marshall moved to the City of Light — initially without a safety net, but with a determined
work ethic and can-do attitude. She was hired as an au pair, taking care of a family's
children, while attending Sorbonne University, where she studied French civilization.
Once graduated, she dove again into the hospitality field, taking a seven-days-per-week
job from 7am until late night at a Florence, Italy hotel — with only a three-hour break on
Saturdays to study at an art institute. "I did everything at that small hotel," explains
Marshall. "I worked in the housekeeping department, made pasta in the kitchen, served
food in the restaurant. It was exhausting, but I learned a lot." Two years later, she leapt
back to Canada, joining the reservations department of Westin's Hotel Bonaventure
Montréal, climbing the career ladder and soon making hospitality history by becoming
Westin's first female hotel manager at 27 years old, relocating to Southern California in a
new job at The Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. "It was a major accomplishment
— for myself and for others in the business," she says. "I was one of the youngest hotel
managers in the entire industry, plus a woman!"

For more than a dozen years, Southern California was her focus, running hotels and
hospitality projects. Then Disney sparkled on her horizon with European opportunity, so
Marshall alighted again to Paris, orchestrating its new Festival Disney (now Disney
Village), an approximately 190,000-square-foot entertainment, shopping and dining
extravaganza with an international staff within Euro Disney (now Disneyland
Paris). Lifting that huge, dazzling showcase off the ground required mighty
commitment, bright ideas and people-steering skills. Marshall maneuvered among many
teams of high-profile contractors, including those from architecture firms, such as Frank
Gehry; culinary crews, such as Wolfgang Puck; and interior design companies, such as
Morris Nathanson. After six years at Disney, Marshall excelled for a decade
of management at Four Seasons George V in Paris and then was transported to Asia,
working for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. Seven years ago, she returned to her heartfelt
home: Paris. Here, her 4 keys for navigating a career that matters:

Today In: Lifestyle

1 KNOW YOURSELF

"Whether one is 16 or 60 years old, understand what makes you tick and feel happy about
yourself. Think carefully about your passions, your talents, your interests — and be aware
about the choices you need to make to drive in the direction that you want to go. Take
active steps to move toward your goals. I have been very fortunate to have found this
business. It makes me feel good. I often ask myself: 'What can I do for others?' I love to
share, to impart information, to increase knowledge and skills with hotel colleagues and
with guests. I love to create positive opportunities and experiences for everyone."

2 GIVE GOOD ENERGY

"This is hard for some people to understand — but it is essential. In hospitality and many
other service industries, it is important to consistently be up, to give good energy. At Le
Bristol Paris, we have staff who come from all over the world. It is a melting pot. Guests,
too, are often from faraway. Being on the floor, interacting with guests — one is in the
service business. The best workers in our business are well-tuned into servicing people.
They love to find solutions, to take care of others."

3 NURTURE RELATIONSHIPS

"A successful career is so much about building successful relationships. A successful life,
too. Ties to your past can affect your future. It is a values point of view. I am happy to
make people happy. Guests are like my extended family — for a day, for a week or more.
This is particularly important with returning hotel guests — to pay attention to those
relationships. Some workers in the hospitality business in general may talk the talk, but
they don’t walk the walk and follow through. Set aside your ego. Accept change. Nurture
your relationships. For me, it is a privileged feeling to help others enjoy this hotel as we
know it."

4 NEVER REST ON LAURELS

"Do not take anything for granted. Wake up thankful each day and think about how you
can do better. Be ready to learn and grow. I do not ever count my working hours. I look at
my profession as a passion. So much is mindset! It is all about kindness and creativity and
working hard and making positive memories at the end of the day — for ourselves and for
others."

For an inviting, more in-depth look at this historic hotel, go to Forbes' 8 Reasons
to Fall in Love With a French Treasure: Le Bristol Paris.
Le Jardin Français within Le Bristol Paris. © ROMÉO BALANCOURT / LE BRISTOL PARIS

There are ten luxury hotels under the umbrella of the Oetker Collection: Le Bristol
Paris; L'Apogée Courchevel in the French Alps; Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-
Baden, Germany; Château Saint-Martin & Spa, overlooking the Mediterranean on the
French Riviera; captivating Eden Rock - St. Barths in the French Caribbean; Fregate
Island Private, a conservation oasis with villas in the Indian Ocean's Seychelles off East
Africa; Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, a famed resort at the tip of Cap d'Antibes on the French
Riviera; Antigua's Jumby Bay Island, a heavenly hideaway in the Caribbean's West Indies;
London's The Lanesborough, a quintessentially posh and beloved British hotel with 24-
hour butler service for every guest room; and Palácio Tangará, a vibrant and stately urban
hotel in São Paulo, Brazil.

Le Bristol Paris is also a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

To enjoy additional vacation tips, go to Paris Info and France Tourism.

Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn.

 Laura Manske

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Based in NYC, Manske has been an on-staff editor at many top magazines, as well as a freelance
journalist. She has been called a trend-spotter, culture connoisseur and ... Read More