Elizabeth GlimenakiGeneral Manager - Le St-James Hotel Profile of Elizabeth Glimenaki
Career PathElizabeth Glimenaki has one of the most coveted gigs in Montreal's hospitality industry. As general manager of the exclusive Le St-James Hotel, Elizabeth Glimenaki plays host to Hollywood celebrities, heads of state and even royalty.
It's the perfect fit for the glamourous and elegant Elizabeth Glimenaki, who loves entertaining and pampering her friends when they visit her home. Her role at the five-star Le St-James is to pamper the hotel's guests.
Studied arts: Elizabeth Glimenaki has made her career in the hotel industry without studying hotel management. Her university degree is in art history.
"My mother used to worry about how I would make a living with a fine arts degree," she said, adding that her parents instilled a strong work ethic in her.
"My parents immigrated from Greece 45 years ago and they bought apartment buildings and worked seven days a week. As a child, I used to collect rents and paint closets before the July 1 moving day. I saw my parents work really hard - plumbing, painting, renovating."
Elizabeth Glimenaki had a couple of part-time jobs during her university years that would ultimately lead to the position she holds now.
Leased cars part time: While she was employed leasing luxury cars, she recalls, she was in a restaurant one day with a friend.
"Two men were seated at the table next to us," she said. "One of them struck up a conversation with me and I tried to lease him a car. He was so impressed that he asked me to work for him and he gave me his phone number."
Offered job at a hotel: As it happened, the man owned Senneville Hotels, a hotel management company that ran half a dozen Quebec properties. "Although I was still in school, I was offered a full-time job as sales manager," Elizabeth Glimenaki said. "I arranged to take all of my classes one day a week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. And I worked a four- day schedule for the company."
She was only 21 years old. "I pretended at work that I was older because no one had held that position at such a young age," she said.
After graduation, Elizabeth Glimenaki continued to work for the company where she won an award as best sales manager of the year. During her six-year stint at Senneville Hotels, she was promoted to the position of sales director.
Moved up and over to other hotel chains: Her next job was as director of sales and marketing at the Baccarat Hotel, now the Sheraton Four Points on Sherbrooke St. It was followed by a similar position with Tidan Construction, a Montreal-based real-estate development company that owned nine hotels.
"I had six sales reps working for me," she said. "We would sell conventions and group business meetings and promote the hotels on our website. I used to travel a lot to sell the destination to companies outside of Montreal. I did that for almost six years." Elizabeth Glimenaki heard about Hotel Le St-James when it opened during the summer of 2002.
"I came to check it out," she said, adding that she was impressed with the elegant five-star boutique hotel, which is in a 19th century Old Montreal building that once housed the Merchants Bank.
In the four years it's been open, the 61-room facility, where per- night prices range from $400 for a room to $5,000 for a spectacular terrace apartment, has been host to a stream of celebrities and ultra-wealthy visitors.
Hired as head of marketing for Le St-James: In early 2003, Elizabeth Glimenaki landed a position as director of marketing and sales at Le St-James.
"I was working out of head office on St. Paul St. for nine months." Promoted: Two years ago, she was appointed to the position of general manager. She runs a staff of 113 employees, takes care of all human resources functions and sets budgets for the hotel.
"I try to lead the pack as humanely as possible," she said. The hotel's high-profile guests are assured that their stay at the hotel is treated with discretion. All employees must sign a confidentiality agreement before they're hired.
While it's no secret that Madonna and the Rolling Stones have called Le St-James home while visiting Montreal, Elizabeth Glimenaki is circumspect about the other celebrities who stay there.
One of the manager's many jobs is to pamper them.
"I've gone shopping for carpets with rock stars while we were followed by their security people in cars," she said. "I order flowers and chocolates. Sometimes, I find wines that are not sold in Montreal. If someone wants a helicopter or a luxury car for a few days, I find it." Elizabeth Glimenaki also markets Le St-James in such cities as New York and Los Angeles.
"I speak to road managers who book acts, for instance," she said.
She clocks long days: "I'm in at 8 a.m. and I'm not usually gone before 6:30 p.m.," she said. "It's important that I understand about diversity and different cultures, particularly when we have heads of state here because I get to meet so many different people. My art background has helped me to do that."
But it's her personality that makes Elizabeth Glimenaki the most congenial host any Hollywood actor, head of state or rock star would want to stay with. Her Advice
While it's not essential to study hotel administration to do the kind of work that Elizabeth Glimenaki does, it's a good education for anyone who wants to work in the hotel industry and rise through the ranks to general manager.
"If you want to be a chef or a sommelier, you should study at hotel school," she said. "But you can also get to that position by starting on the front desk or in accounting. It depends on the breaks you get."
Get a university education if you want to be a manager in a five-star hotel, she said.
"You should be able to address clients in a professional way. You should also be bilingual."
It's also advisable to be fearless.
"You have to be open to learning. Every day in this position is different. You're constantly meeting different people and they all have different requests."
STEPHANIE WHITTAKER
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