Myanmar Investment Review via CCI France Myanmar
As part of its Leader Talks series, CCI France Myanmar sat down with Julien A. Péchey, General Manager of Novotel Yangon Max, at a defining moment for one of Yangon’s most recognised business and hospitality landmarks. Now celebrating its tenth year of operations, the hotel is preparing for a new chapter aimed at strengthening its position as a premier destination for corporate events, conferences, and business travel in Myanmar.
Under Julien A. Péchey’s leadership, Novotel Yangon Max is advancing a strategy built around upgraded facilities, refreshed service standards, deeper collaboration with the local business community, and a renewed focus on delivering seamless experiences for both domestic and international travellers. Drawing on his experience leading the next-generation Novotel model in Cambodia, PECHEY is now adapting that approach to Yangon through innovation, local cultural integration, and a sharper focus on the growing corporate events ecosystem in the city.
Q: What is your vision for Novotel Yangon Max under your leadership, and how do you see the hotel evolving in the next year within Myanmar’s hospitality landscape?
A: My vision is to firmly establish Novotel Yangon Max as the city’s premier dynamic hub for business and leisure, renowned for its authentic local connection. A key element of our evolution is preparing for the full return of international leisure travellers, a segment whose energy we are currently missing. As our hotel celebrates its first decade, we are proactively embarking on a comprehensive journey to upgrade our product and revitalize our service approach, ensuring we are perfectly positioned for this anticipated growth.
This involves a deep integration within the local ecosystem through strategic partnerships. We are tailoring our offerings by curating unique, locally-inspired Food & Beverage experiences and developing agile event solutions that resonate with both domestic and international guests. By harmonising Novotel’s vibrant, contemporary spirit with the unique character of Yangon, we will create a compelling destination. Our goal is to ensure that when international travel fully rebounds, we are the undisputed choice, offering a genuine and seamless experience that not only strengthens our market position but also contributes to the growth of Myanmar’s hospitality landscape.
Adapting To The Unique Context Of Yangon
Q: Having previously led Novotel Phnom Penh BKK1, how do you plan to adapt that experience and success to the Yangon market?
A: My experience leading the new-generation of Novotel in Cambodia provided an invaluable blueprint for modern, dynamic hospitality, which I am now meticulously adapting to the unique context of Yangon. A central pillar of our evolution here is the full implementation of Novotel’s latest 2025 brand standards. As our hotel celebrates its first decade, this comprehensive refresh is crucial to elevating our guest experience and sharpening our competitive edge for the future.
A key focus of this evolution is leveraging new technology to enhance every touchpoint. We are integrating advanced digital marketing tools to precisely target and engage potential guests, telling our story in more compelling ways across social media and digital platforms. Furthermore, we are investing in new in-house technologies to foster a stronger connection with guests during their stay, using tools that provide personalized service and curated local experiences.
Ultimately, our success will be driven by our team’s deep understanding that Novotel is a dynamic brand that never sleeps on pending ideas. We have fostered a culture where we actively discuss new concepts, test them proactively, and adjust based on results. This agile mindset, combined with a deep and respectful integration into the local market—from tailoring our commercial strategies to infusing our culinary offerings with authentic local flavours—ensures we create a perfect harmony between Novotel’s vibrant spirit and the rich character of Yangon, consistently exceeding the expectations of the modern traveller.
Q: Yangon has its unique context in terms of tourism dynamics, infrastructure, and local business ecosystems. What key challenges do you foresee here, and how do you plan to navigate them?
A: Navigating Myanmar’s unique context presents distinct challenges. A primary issue is talent acquisition and retention, particularly for specialized roles in Reception and Food & Beverage, where finding skilled, service-oriented professionals is intensely competitive. Compounding this, we face the risk of losing talented team members to opportunities overseas. Economically, rampant inflation is aggressively squeezing our operational margins, as market realities limit our ability to fully reflect rising costs in our direct selling prices. Furthermore, our entire operational framework must be prepared to rapidly re-adapt to a potential boom in international demand—a volume and pace of service our teams have not operated at for nearly five years.
Our strategy to navigate this is multi-faceted. We are investing heavily in creating compelling, long-term career paths and a vibrant work culture to attract and, most importantly, retain our invaluable local talent. Operationally, we are implementing rigorous cost-optimization, diversifying our local and international supplier base to mitigate food import issues, and launching intensive, cross-functional training programs. This ensures our team is not only resilient but fully prepared to scale our service excellence seamlessly when market demand returns, safeguarding both our guest experience and our financial sustainability.
Q: In your previous role, you mentioned sustainability: energy, water, food-waste targets. Which sustainability initiatives are you planning or implementing here in Yangon?
A: Our commitment to sustainability is a strategic pillar of our broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) framework, formally guided by our goal to achieve Green Key certification in 2026. This is a key KPI for our team, with our audit targeted for Q2 2026. Our current, measurable actions are foundational to this goal.
We meticulously track water consumption per occupied room and successfully implemented a “Water Week” initiative. This project went beyond operations; it was a vital internal campaign to engage our Heartists. Through various interactive activities and games, supported by informative posters, we educated our entire team on the critical importance of water conservation, empowering every employee to become a water steward.
We are also actively reducing our energy footprint by installing air curtains and sensor lighting in key areas. This directly saves electricity and prevents cooled air from escaping through frequently opened doors.
In our F&B operations, we rigorously measure buffet waste in our main restaurant, Le Square, targeting under 40 grams per guest. To analyze this waste, we use an AI assistant that monitors leftovers from plates, the buffet, and food preparation. Our trash bins are scanned, and our chefs receive data-driven recommendations on dish popularity, associated costs, and insights to guide menu changes.
These focused initiatives on energy, water, and waste are integral to our ESG strategy, ensuring we minimize our environmental impact and operate as a certified, responsible leader in the Yangon community.
Q: Talent development is a big topic in hospitality. How do you plan to motivate and empower your team here at Novotel Yangon Max?
A: At Novotel Yangon Max, we believe that proactive and structured talent development is the cornerstone of both team motivation and guest satisfaction. We recognize that a lack of learning and growth is one of the top three reasons employees leave a workplace. Therefore, my personal philosophy and a key operational focus are rooted in the relentless sharing of knowledge through a general training system built on discipline, a clear plan, and the involvement of every Heartist from any department.
I believe that every individual, from front desk to back-of-house, must have a deep understanding of our product to foster a truly unified guest experience. To translate this into action, we have launched a comprehensive, mandatory training curriculum. This initiative requires every employee to complete 16 core modules within their first six months, covering foundational topics from brand standards to safety procedures.
This commitment intensifies for our leadership team, who must master a minimum of 20 additional, advanced topics. Crucially, the entire management team, including myself as General Manager, are active trainers. We are personally delivering sessions to demonstrate our investment in every team member’s journey. This hands-on approach builds profound trust, fosters a culture of excellence, and creates clear visibility for internal career progression. By empowering our team with recognized skills and a shared purpose, we solidify Novotel Yangon Max as a place where passionate professionals can build a rewarding and fulfilling career.
Evolving Needs Of Both Local & International Businesses
Q: Many local and international companies in Yangon host their key events at Novotel. How do you see the hotel contributing to the growth of Yangon’s corporate community in the coming year?
A: As a dedicated member of eight chambers, including the FMCCI, our commitment to Yangon’s corporate community is fundamental to our identity. We position ourselves as strategic growth partners, and our key contribution is operational agility. By proactively listening to market demand, we adeptly adapt our services, F&B offerings, and event solutions to precisely meet the evolving needs of both local and international businesses.
Our role extends beyond providing a venue; we aim to be a dynamic catalyst for business growth. This means creating purpose-built environments in our meeting spaces and rooftop restaurant that are designed to foster valuable connections, knowledge-sharing, and productive deal-making. We will actively collaborate with the chambers and their members to co-create forums, seminars, and networking events that address key industry topics.
Our goal is to provide more than just a service; we provide a platform. By offering the flexibility, infrastructure, and partnership necessary for business to flourish, we become an integral part of the ecosystem, directly contributing to the collective, sustainable success and elevated profile of Yangon’s corporate landscape.
Q: How do you aim to reflect Myanmar’s local culture and community while maintaining Novotel’s global brand standards?
A: At Novotel Yangon Max, we meticulously blend Novotel’s international standards with an authentic Myanmar soul. Our philosophy is to create a guest experience that is both globally consistent and deeply local. This is reflected in deliberate, tangible choices across our operations, from art to cuisine.
We celebrate Myanmar’s vibrant arts scene by displaying local paintings throughout our public areas, featuring a dedicated gallery on the 5th floor, and showcasing artists in our rooftop restaurant. Culinarily, we are committed to hyper-local sourcing. We are replacing standard coffee sachets in guest rooms with premium coffee from Shan State, and our culinary team is pioneering homemade cold cuts and local cheeses. For the upcoming festive season, we will source 100% of our turkey from local farms, supporting regional agriculture and reducing our carbon footprint.
These initiatives—from the art on our walls to the food on our plates—ensure our guests enjoy Novotel’s renowned comfort while experiencing the authentic taste and creative character of our community.
Q: As a member of CCI France Myanmar, how do you envision potential collaborations or shared initiatives between Novotel Yangon Max and FMCCI?
A: Our membership with the FMCCI is a strategic partnership we deeply value, and we are committed to moving beyond a simple affiliation to become a proactive, integral resource for the Franco-Myanmar business community. We envision this collaboration unfolding through several key initiatives.
A flagship project for 2026 is to launch an exclusive, co-branded series of regular Food & Beverage events, designed to foster networking and become a premier staple within the chamber’s calendar. To provide everyday value, we will extend special commercial benefits to all FMCCI members, including preferred rates on hotel accommodations, dedicated discounts on Food & Beverage across our outlets, and tailored meeting room packages for corporate events.
Furthermore, we are keen to support the chamber’s foundational work by offering our venue for broader community initiatives, such as hosting sponsored meeting spaces for key functions and providing the ideal setting for annual FMCCI events. By blending Novotel Yangon Max’s full suite of facilities and culinary expertise with the chamber’s dynamic network, we are dedicated to a partnership that delivers tangible benefits and drives collective growth.
Q: Finally, from your perspective as General Manager, what kind of advice would you like to give to the next generation of hoteliers, especially Gen Z who aspire to take on leadership roles in the hospitality industry?
A: My advice is to be relentlessly curious. Master your craft with passion, but never stop learning about people, technology, and business. Embrace empathy as your greatest leadership tool, and don’t shy away from sharing innovative ideas. True hospitality leadership is about connecting genuinely with both guests and your team to create memorable, human-centered experiences. Stay authentic, be patient, and lead with heart.
