Five countries, one hotel group and a career full of unexpected choices
An international hotel career spanning five countries and more than 25 years with the same hotel group has been the common thread throughout Roderick Smith’s career. Five diamonds on a Radisson Hotel Group pin mark this special milestone, recognising a quarter of a century with Radisson Hotel Group. What began with an internship at Radisson Hotel Group in Brussels grew into a career in which he held various commercial and operational roles before eventually progressing to General Manager.
He worked in France, Ireland, England, Russia and the Netherlands, managed both small and large hotels, and witnessed first-hand how the hospitality industry has changed over the past decades. Within Radisson Hotel Group, he was repeatedly given the opportunity to take the next step, whether in a different role, a new country or a hotel with a completely different dynamic.
In this interview, he talks about his international career, moving to Russia, his views on leadership and why working for the same hotel group has never felt like standing still.
Stepping outside my comfort zone to become a General Manager
My career started in sales. After internships in Brussels and Cannes, I worked in Meetings & Events and then moved to Manchester, where I progressed from Regional Sales Coordinator to Sales Manager. However, I soon realised that my ambition lay elsewhere: I wanted to become a General Manager.
To achieve that, I needed more than commercial experience. I wanted to understand how a hotel operates as a whole, from housekeeping and food & beverage to finance and engineering. That is why I deliberately made the switch to operations. I was given that opportunity in Dundalk, Ireland, where I progressed to become the hotel’s number two. It was there that I discovered how much energy I get from building an organisation together with a team.
My first role as General Manager followed at Radisson Shannon Airport in Ireland. My career then took me to England, where I managed several hotels, including properties in Southend and Birmingham. Every location brought new challenges, but the biggest step was still to come.
The move that changed everything
One day, I was asked whether I would consider moving to Russia. I had never been there, did not speak the language and barely knew what to expect. Still, my wife and I decided to embrace the adventure.
Many people thought it was a surprising choice. Looking back, I can understand why, but that was exactly why it felt like an opportunity I could not pass up. Some decisions are not made because you know exactly how they will turn out, but because you feel they will help you grow, both personally and professionally.
At Radisson Kaliningrad, I started as General Manager. Everything was different from what I was used to: the culture, the way people worked together and employees’ expectations. Precisely because of those differences, I may have learned more there than during all the years before.
Together with the team, we improved quality, increased revenue and raised both guest and employee satisfaction. In 2015, the hotel was named Hotel of the Year within the EMEA region. I am still proud of that recognition because it was truly a team achievement.
Leadership means something different in every country
The results at Radisson Kaliningrad led to my promotion to Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovskaya Hotel & Conference Centre (St.Petersburg), where I became responsible for 842 rooms. Later, a second hotel Park Inn by Radisson Pulkovo Airport was added to my responsibilities. Suddenly, I was leading hundreds of employees.
At that scale, your role naturally shifts. You spend less time on day-to-day operations and more on strategy, culture and developing managers. At the same time, I discovered just how strongly leadership is influenced by the environment in which you work. The theory behind hotel management may be the same everywhere, but the reality differs enormously.
In Russia, hierarchy is much stronger than in many Western European countries. When a General Manager makes a decision there, it is usually not questioned. In the Netherlands, England and Ireland, employees are more accustomed to asking questions, contributing ideas and challenging decisions. It was in Russia that I learned that the same leadership style does not have the same effect everywhere. That is an insight I still carry with me today.
An experience that shaped me forever
When the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022, we eventually decided to return to the Netherlands. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one. Still, I look back on my years in Russia with great appreciation.
I learned how important it is to remain open to other cultures and how significant the impact of leadership can be. Above all, I discovered that you often grow the most when you dare to step outside your comfort zone.
Why I am still with Radisson Hotel Group after 25 years
At Radisson Hotel Group, I have never felt as though I was standing still. When I started, Radisson Hotel Group was a relatively small Scandinavian hotel group with a strong family feel.
That culture has always been important to me. Of course, the organisation has since become much larger and more international, but I can still feel that strong sense of connection.
I have also continually been given new opportunities within Radisson Hotel Group. Every role felt like a new chapter, with different teams, guests and challenges. It allowed me to keep developing without constantly having to change employers. Today, I also try to pass those opportunities on to young colleagues and interns. It is rewarding to see people progress and build their own careers.
Hospitality is changing, but people still make the difference
Over the past 25 years, technology has perhaps been the biggest change. Where we once mainly worked with paper and fixed reservation systems, BI tools, dashboards, self check-in kiosks and AI now drive a large part of hotel operations.
These developments offer enormous benefits. We can predict occupancy much more accurately, plan more efficiently and make faster adjustments based on data. Yet I do not believe numbers will ever replace experience.
After all these years, I can walk into a hotel and often immediately sense whether the staffing levels are right. That is something you can only develop after spending years on the hotel floor. Data helps support decisions, but ultimately hospitality remains a people business. Technology supports us; employees make the difference.
No two days are the same
It is precisely this variety that makes the role of General Manager so appealing to me. Almost every morning, I start by walking through the hotel. I visit different departments, speak with colleagues and try to get a sense of what is happening. During the morning meeting, we then discuss occupancy, events and any particular issues for the day. From that point onwards, anything can happen.
My schedule includes meetings about revenue, finance, HR, engineering, operations and sales, while investments, maintenance, marketing and partnerships with hotel schools are also ongoing. Because many commercial roles are organised regionally, I also have regular contact with colleagues in other countries.
Freedom only works with responsibility
The way we work has changed too. I work from home one day a week, and department heads are given the same opportunity when their role allows it. For me, leadership is not about checking whether someone is physically present, but about trust and responsibility.
I often say that I am not paid for my presence, but for my responsibility. I try to apply that same philosophy within my team. People are given the freedom to organise their own work and make decisions, as long as they take ownership in return. This encourages colleagues to take initiative and feel responsible for the outcome. Ultimately, that is exactly what a hotel needs.
Running it as if it were your own hotel
Even after all these years, I still never get bored with the profession. No two hotels are the same, and every team brings new challenges. Perhaps what gives me the greatest satisfaction is seeing people grow. When colleagues develop and progress in their careers, it almost feels as rewarding as receiving a promotion myself.
An important lesson I learned early in my career was: treat it like your own business. If you approach every euro, every guest and every decision with that mindset, you naturally make different choices. To me, it feels like being an entrepreneur, just without it being my own money.
Leadership starts with trust
Trust is perhaps the most important principle in leadership. I do not believe people should first have to prove themselves for years before being given responsibility. By giving people trust, you give them the opportunity to develop. Of course, things will occasionally go wrong, but nobody grows without being given room to do so. I have experienced that myself.
Three leaders who shaped my career
I have learned something from every manager I have worked with, but three mentors have played an important role in my career: Gerard Kelly, Michel Schutzbach and Christian Gartmann. Each of them contributed to my development as a hotelier and leader in a different way.
Gerard Kelly taught me to treat a hotel as if it were my own business: treat it like your own business. Michel Schutzbach gave me the confidence and opportunity to become a General Manager without first having to complete an extensive management programme. Those experiences taught me how important it is to give people responsibility and trust. That is something I now try to pass on to the people I work with.
Continuing to grow by embracing opportunities
For now, my future is in the Netherlands at Park Inn by Radisson Hotel Group Amsterdam City West and Amsterdam Congress Center. With a family, it feels good to continue building my life here, and I still enjoy my current role every day. I do want to continue developing myself, particularly in data analysis, and in the longer term I would like to support multiple hotels. I recently started coaching a new General Manager at Brussels Airport, and I have realised how much energy I get from passing on my experience.
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