Kurt Ritter has spent more than two decades as president and chief executive of The Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates such brands as the Radisson Blu, Hotel Missoni and Regent. The Swiss-born executive took a break during the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai last week to talk about why even hard-boiled executives sometimes need their beauty sleep.
About 5.45am
I'm an early riser. I live in Brussels, but last year my wife calculated I spent only 78 nights in our home. She said: "Should we stay in a hotel? It's probably cheaper." You know, we reduced our corporate staff in 2009, in the downturn, and that meant everybody had to work more - and that included me, of course. So I had to travel more. This year it's still a bit crazy, but it's getting back to normal.
Between 6.45 and 7.45
I look forward to the first hour at work to have a little quietness to check e-mails. I must admit I have two e-mails. They're filtered through my personal assistant then she shuffles over to me what I need. I get a lot of people who want to sell something.
Morning
Usually I try to keep my time flexible. If you look at my agenda, it doesn't look like an agenda of a CEO. Most are booked, booked, booked. This is not because I couldn't fill it. It's because I don't want to fill it. We are very reactive on things that happen on the market, and if we want to keep that, you cannot book up fixed meetings that you can do any time. An opportunity comes up and an owner calls me up and says: "Kurt, I just saw a fantastic property and I will go for it if you take the management." There is a window of opportunity.
Lunch
Lunch for me is a waste of time. I don't eat lunch.
Afternoon
Sometimes I travel to a place and take a chance [one of our hotels] has a room for me. Because if I [pre-book my stay], of course they check and re-check and re-re-check the room - and put another two or three polished bananas and apples, and a bottle of something. Of course there is nothing to complain about, and I don't go there to complain, but I go there to see it like how Joe Blow sees it when he checks in.
About 7pm
I close the e-mail. I shut off the light because we are a responsible company. I work out four or five times a week - half an hour on the cross-trainer. Nothing else. No weights. My wife says I have enough muscles.
Dinner
I go out for dinner with my wife, or she has dinner at home. I don't have favourite dishes. I have favourite styles. My favourite is probably Mediterranean: olive oils, a lot of fish and vegetables. I'm not so much into the modern, new concept restaurants which are hip. Coming from the business - I was a cook in my younger years - it's really about the quality of food.
10.30pm
I'm quite done when I come home. I just like to have a glass of wine and some dinner then go to bed because I need my beauty sleep.