BEHIND THE SCENES: THIERRY VERMEIREN
Assistant Hotel Manager - Director Sales & Marketing,
PARK PLAZA ASTRID ANTWERP

By Viviane Vogels

Although originally a lawyer by training, Thierry Vermeiren (34) on a trip to Singapore fell in love with Raffles and decided to try his hand at hotel business. Having travelled extensively with his parents, he already had the ‘international’ bug, now it was the ‘hotel bug’ that captivated him and his father agreed to let him pursue this vocation under the condition that he would work his way through the different levels of Horeca whilst pursuing his study at the Lausanne Hotel school.

THIERRY VERMEIREN, THE NEW GENERATION
He did keep to his promise and after finishing Lausanne went on stage to a private resort in Florida and later on to Bali. In 2001 Thierry returned to Switzerland where he participated as Front Manager in the setting up of a brand new hotel in Neufchatel fronting the Lake. As Thierry puts it, Switzerland is a very cosy place to live and work and therefore he decided he needed to move on before settling too well in a Swiss routine.
He returned to Belgium to work in Brussels at the Méridien in the Sales Department under his ‘coach’ Yvo van der Tol. After a while he moved on to the Best Western Group, still in Sales & Marketing to end up in 2005 at the Park Plaza Astrid Antwerp.

Thierry is a man who likes challenges. His goals: conquer the market position the hotel deserves and re-vitalize the MICE business.

He started by rebuilding the Sales Team, organising Reservations & Banqueting, profiling the new attraction Aquatopia , basically set up a whole new structure.

His approach has certainly had its results as the occupancy increased by 7%, but more importantly, because of the changed market mix his average rate rose by more than EUR 30!!

Thierry is well on his way to conquer that coveted position in the Antwerp Market but he has also not neglected that other market segment that his hotel has been famous for, for quite a while: hotel to the Stars…the close collaboration with the organizers of the Nights of the Proms at the Sportpaleis who continue their collaboration with Park Plaza Astrid.

By joining Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Thierry has a clear ambition to continue his career on an international level as the group is fast growing and offers many career opportunities. And although Sales has a special attraction for him, his ultimate dream is to return to the Operations side of things and to become a General Manager before he turns 35!

THIERRY VERMEIREN ON ….

FAMILY
Thierry and his Dutch wife whom he met in Lausanne at the hotel school have three children: a 2-year old daughter and 8 months old twins, a boy and girl to keep them busy. Once the children are older his wife is definitely looking at returning to the industry…Definitely a family of hoteliers!

TRAVEL
Without hesitation: Ko Samui (Thailand), divers’ paradise! Every holiday in the Vermeiren household is geared towards diving or golfing; a holiday trip will include a minimum of 2 days diving and 2 days golfing as far as Thierry is concerned.

Switzerland with its pure air is of course another destination close to his heart, he goes as far as to say that he feels more Swiss than Belgian. It is therefore also his ultimate dream to own a small hotel in the Alps (+/- 50 rooms) that he can totally put his own mark on and will leave as a proud legacy.

SPORT
Deep-sea diving is top of the list; he is well on his way to become a dive master.
Thierry would like to have more time to practise his golf and is currently stuck at a 36 handicap.

FOOD
Thierry loves cooking, especially Thai and Japanese cuisine: he makes his own sushi, tempura and sashimi!
When asked for his favourite restaurants he talks about “Het Notarishuis” in Asse. the atmosphere, the traditional Belgian cuisine are the major attraction points.
And as far as Thierry is concerned restaurant De Oosthoek in Knokke-Zoute is the best in Belgium…quite an accolade!
Outside our country he recalls excellent meals at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant at Claridges, the Japanese restaurant of the Marriott hotel in Frankfurt  and “La Croix d’Ouchy” in Lausanne and the incredibly nice terrace of the Hotel Beau Rivage in Lausanne – a delightful place I discovered with pleasure earlier this year.

MUSIC
He confesses to a general liking of music, gentle prodding brings up the name of the Police. Jazz is another music style that Thierry can make time for.

BOOKS
I am not a book reader but I love newspapers, the crackling of the paper, even the inky fingers! Understandably with three small children in the house there is not much time for reading anything other than the daily papers and trade magazines. Thierry reads mainly in French and English, language in which he read Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

FILM
Again the last 2 years there has not been a lot of time for film. Thierry loves the modern, innovative French films, actress Amélie Poulain is a favourite, he actually named his daughter after her.
He can also enjoy a good James Bond but is no fan of the Die Hard type of movies.

HOBBIES
Not surprising that a hotelier cites wine as his favorite hobby….Bordeaux is his preferred wine region and Thierry organizes regular wine tasting sessions for friends. He started his own wine cellar which grows steadily with bottles from as far back as 1971…mmmm…worth a visit I think!

To sum up Thierry in a few words I will use his own words: a working, social man who likes to enjoy life to the fullest, loves his children and can totally relax on a park bench and watch the world go by.

Thierry Vermeiren
Park Plaza Astrid Antwerp & Aquatopia
Koningin Astridplein 7
2018 Antwerp
Tel +32 3 203 12 93
Mobile: +32 473 83 01 27
Fax +32 3 203 12 75
tvermeiren@pphe.com

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