Name: Guillaume Epinette
Title: General manager
Company, city: InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa; Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Number of employees: 160
First job: Head waiter
Little-known fact about you: I enjoy scuba diving in French Polynesia and photography with a drone.
Guillaume Epinette’s Business
Essential business philosophy: Create a unique experience for our guests; make their stay as memorable as possible and give them the opportunity to tell their friends a fantastic story. One focus: product and service.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Continually ask our guests what we can do to make their stay even more memorable. Keep well informed of the latest resort amenities and offerings. Think “different” and out of the box.
Yardstick of success: Comments from our guests, awards we receive and sales
Guillaume Epinette as a Traveler
What is the most important item you take when traveling? My iPad
How do you spend your time on board? Reading
What is your favorite restaurant in the world? L’Auberge de l’Ill, Illhaeusern, France (Chef Marc Haeberlin)
What is your favorite destination in the world? Japan
About The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa
The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa recently won Global Traveler’s Best Resort in Asia and the Pacific award in our Leisure Travel Awards. What gives the resort an edge over the competition? The InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa fits in perfectly with the natural surroundings in Bora Bora, with great importance placed on protecting the environment and local traditions. Located on a virgin beach on Motu Piti Aau with breathtaking views of Bora Bora’s majestic Mount Otemanu, the resort is known for its exemplary service to its guests and features a number of unique attributes, including 80 luxurious overwater villas, each with a split-level terrace and sundeck for easy access to the turquoise waters of the lagoon; one of the finest culinary experiences in French Polynesia at its restaurant, Reef; and the first overwater wedding chapel with a glass-bottom floor in French Polynesia.
The resort’s Deep Ocean Spa by Algotherm is the first spa to utilize the benefits of deep-sea water and minerals extracted from the Pacific Ocean in its signature spa treatments. It is also the first resort in the world that produces its own air-conditioning from water extracted from the ocean. A 7,874-foot pipe (the deepest ocean pipe in the world, at a depth of 3,000 feet off the reef of Bora Bora) pumps ice-cold, deep-sea water through a titanium heat exchanger, powering air-conditioning throughout the resort.
Other than its exotic location, what makes this resort and other IHG resorts unique? InterContinental Hotels Group resorts are known to be luxurious and are located in the best destinations in the world. Each property offers its own distinctive style, from heritage elegance to urban and chic to resorts on tropical shores. Guests feel unique and enjoy a memorable experience at our resorts.
What are the future plans for the resort? The resort opened in 2006, and we continually make enhancements to our offerings. Romance, weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals and special celebrations are popular. Recently, we launched Bora Bora Wedding Romance Experiences, a Facebook site showcasing weddings, vow renewals, blessing ceremonies, romantic dinners and activities by resort guests.
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