Martin Leclerc, who guided the Fairmont Empress Hotel through one of the most trying economic periods in its 104-year history and played key roles in downtown and tourism improvement organizations, is leaving the landmark hotel to open a new Fairmont property in China.
"I look forward to a new challenge in a new country, but I have mixed emotions about Victoria. The life of a hotelier is a transient one, but I've become quite attached here ... it's a difficult not to, because it's a wonderful city," Leclerc said in an interview Thursday. He is expected to leave for the new Nanjing Fairmont this month.
Leclerc, 44, became the youngest manager in Empress history - and the first not of British descent - when he was named to the high-profile post in November 2009 as the financial meltdown was spreading over the globe and hitting tourism particularly hard.
Unlike other big hotels, Leclerc resisted discounting rooms to boost occupancy, saying he wanted to preserve the Empress brand and quality, and instead improved other areas of the hotel such as food and beverage services, the Willowstream Spa and conference business.
Revenue per available room - a key indicator of economic health in the hotel industry - increased on those initiatives, despite having fewer heads on the hotel pillows.
Leclerc also streamlined staffing and was credited with creating a tight-knit, efficient employee group dedicated to a high level of service. "It's pretty hard to beat someone who never gives up - and that best describes the staff I have here," said Leclerc. "They are hard-working and enthusiastic and enthusiasm is contagious in every area of the hotel."
When the province cut tourism marketing funds, Leclerc was instrumental in developing the Victoria Hotel Destination Marketing Association. The group added one per cent to room costs and funnelled the money through Tourism Victoria to market the city. He was also chairman of the Downtown Victoria Business Association and on the city manager's advisory board.
Dave Cowen, general manager of Butchart Gardens and Leclerc's replacement as vice-chairman of Tourism Victoria, said the Empress boss will be missed. "It's hard to find external time to invest in community and the overall industry, but Martin invested a lot," said Cowen. "He's a critical thinker and contributed much to our industry in a short period. His concern was that a healthy destination overall not only helps the hotel, but all the businesses."
Cowen noted Leclerc was also "outside of the box" with a lot of internal initiatives, including an artist-in-residence program featuring local painters at the hotel and installing bee hives on the Empress property. Last year, the bees produced 1,700 pounds of honey that was used in he hotel's famous afternoon tea, in dining rooms and restaurants and in the hotel's own beer brand produced by a local brewer.
Leclerc admits he might have ruffled some feathers by cutting back on discounted use of ballrooms and facilities to some local groups. But the hotel did manage to accommodate many non-profits under his tenure. "People have a sense of ownership of the Empress and that's understandable," he said, but added "it is a business."
A replacement for Leclerc is expected in early September.
Leclerc noted the Empress property owners, Rio Can, will continue a multi-million-dollar improvement plan likely this winter that will include room renovations and restaurant improvements. The company started last year with structural work, a roof replacement program and turning the closed Kipling's restaurant into the new Ivy Ballroom.
Leclerc's new post is in Nanjing, a city of eight million on the Yangtze River. The Fairmont Nanjing will start on the 29th floor of a 50-storey tower and contain 371 rooms, eight restaurants and bars, an 1,800square-metre spa, pool and fitness facility, and 2,500 square metres of function and meeting space.
It will be the most exotic post yet for Leclerc, his artist wife, Annie Pelletier, and three sons. The Quebec City native has worked in the industry across Canada, mostly with Fairmont.
