Name: Carlo Olejniczak
Title: Senior vice president, global sales
Company, city: Accor; Paris, France
Number of employees: 170,000 worldwide
Recent project: Migrating Accor’s global sales division to the Salesforce platform, enabling 700 sales professionals worldwide to connect, share best practices and consolidate customer intelligence.
First job: Creating opinion polls and serving as a TV stand-in
Little-known fact about you: I only tease the people I like.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: To achieve sustainable, profitable growth by hiring the right people and investing in their development.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Listen to customers and adapt services to meet their changing needs.
Yardstick of success: Growth in guest retention; retaining guests is more cost-effective than constantly acquiring new ones.
Carlo Olejniczak as a Traveler
What is the most important item you take when traveling? Three things: my music, my tennis shoes and the devices that keep me connected.
How do you spend your time on board? I use flights for a mix of work and rest. While I typically sleep four to five hours a night, on planes I often sleep six or seven hours.
What is your favorite restaurant in the world? L’Ami Jean in Paris
What is your favorite destination in the world? Biarritz, in the French Basque country
About Accor
Which of Accor’s brands most appeal to business travelers?
All of Accor’s brands serve business travelers, spanning economy to luxury to match different needs. For extended stays, Adagio (hotel/apartment concept) provides the comforts of home. Ibis offers a practical, budget-friendly option. Pullman blends business and leisure, appealing to younger executives with strong connectivity and social features. Sofitel represents the luxury end, delivering an upscale experience tailored to business guests seeking refined services.
Tell our readers more about Sofitel’s French luxury concept.
Sofitel embodies French-inspired luxury: elegant hospitality infused with local culture in food, design and décor. The brand places a strong emphasis on the arts—curated exhibitions, exclusive collections and cultural programming are central to the Sofitel experience. Properties often collaborate with notable fashion designers and architects to create distinctive environments. The aim is to offer guests culturally rich, design-led and gourmet experiences that are unique to each location.
What are the expansion plans for Accor brands in 2015?
Accor planned to open 150 hotels over the following five years, focusing on growth in emerging markets across Latin America, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with particular development of the Pullman, Sofitel and Ibis brands.