Chris Knable
Name: Chris Knable
Age: 36
Job title: President and managing director, the Regent Wall Street
Location: New York, USA
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?> First job in hospitality: At 13 Knable started as a dishwasher in a Greek diner in Cleveland, Ohio.
Route to job: Knable began by waiting tables and spending time as a commis chef until, at 16, he was a banquet captain in his first hotel job. A stint as restaurant manager in Austin, Texas convinced him it was time to head to bigger things and, at 19, he became the assistant restaurant manager at the Pierre hotel in New York City.
After a year and a half he wanted experience elsewhere in the hotel and so took on the role of assistant front office manager for a year. This gave him his first experience of hotel life outside the food and beverage department and taught him how to deal with the reservations and customer relations. From the Pierre, he moved to do a short stint of seven months as front office manager at a small hotel called the Doral Park Avenue.
From the Doral Park Avenue he moved again to be front service manager at New York's famous Plaza hotel. Working at the five-star end of the market appealed and after two years at the Plaza his next move was to the Peninsula in New York where he was front office manager for a year and a half.
Like most working in the international five-star market he knew a stint overseas would be vital for his future CV and in 1993 he took on the challenge of taking a two-year contract as rooms division manager at the Peninsula's hotel in Beijing, China. Then, in 1995 he went to Manila as executive assistant manager for Peninsula Manila.
Knable returned to New York in 1997. At 30 he was the youngest general manager of a luxury property in the city, in charge of the 351-bedroom Regency hotel. He spent three years there before starting 2001 with a change of job and moving to the 144-bedroom Regent Wall Street as general manager. In October 2001 he was appointed president and managing director of the hotel.
Main responsibilities: Knable's main role is directing and overseeing all day-to-day operations of the Regent Wall Street and his primary focus is on marketing the hotel and ensuring financial performance.
What attributes do you need to do your job?: "You need to be a people person, to enjoy them and to genuinely want to make them feel good. Flexibility is a good attribute and it helps if you can compromise when you need to. You have to be able and willing to make difficult decisions and patience is also quite important. A good work ethic and determination are vital. It also helps to hire the best people for the jobs within your organisation and ensure they have the tools, the motivation and the environment to do their job well."
What's your next move? "I'm still settling into my new role at the Regent Wall Street so we'll have to wait and see."
What's your ultimate career goal? "My career goal changes every day, right now I'm happy doing what I'm doing."
