H·SMALLLUXURY
crash”, and it was Kerr’s job to deal with the problems that arose. As you can imagine, he had his work cut out for him. Slowly but surely, his name within the circles of the luxury hotel business began to reach new heights. Falling under
“Our brand offers a completely different experience than the international chains you mentioned trying to get a ‘piece of the boutique pie’” the recently formed prevue of the non-profit “semi-governing body”, “Small Luxury Hotels”, meant there was a vested interest in Paul Kerr’s comings, goings, and doings. It wasn’t long before some keen eyes within SLH began to take notice of Paul’s talents. Thus beginning Kerr’s meteoric march up the ladder and cementing his position within the company.
Paul Kerr’s leadership has allowed the Small Luxury Hotels organization to experience a rather
large expansion, one that has not been since the creation of the non-profit in the eighties. Kerr has presided over the inclusion of over 520 hotels in more than 70 countries, all of which qualify as luxury. This is an impressive feet even if you don’t consider the fact that SLH was responsible for only 70 hotels in 12 countries when Mr. Kerr first started working as CEO of the company. Quoting Mr. Kerr, “Our brand offers a completely different experience than the international chains you mentioned trying to get a ‘piece of the boutique pie’”. The company has turned into a veritable United Nations of luxury hotels. “One of the biggest changes in the industry is the introduction of executive floors - this is an attempt by the big hotels to offer a more personalized service. A small hotel in a big hotel”, says Paul Kerr as he demonstrates his acumen for trends. All this was possible thanks to Paul Kerr’s philosophy of constantly learning, always improving, and doing whatever it takes to get the job done. A skill he picked up in his youth when he was trying to become an accountant.
So with that I return you to the original question. Would all this be possible if Mr. Paul Kerr did not struggle to reach where he is today, and learn what it means to work hard? Would he have done as much if he was just merely smart? That is really the eternal question of the human condition.
Are we the product of our environment? Or are we, not to quote a Lady Gaga song, just born this way? We may never know