Chief Executive Officer, Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
Teague Talks with Jolyon Bulley, CEO, Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts
Steps away from IHG’s Atlanta headquarters, Teague sits down for an exclusive conversation with Jolyon Bulley, CEO of the Americas. From his start behind the front desk in Melbourne to becoming the CEO for one of the world’s largest hotel brands, Jolyon shares his passion for international hospitality, his microscope into global travel trends, and what’s on the horizon for IHG.
Transcript (27 segments)
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Jolyon Bulley0:00
It's funny—taking care of our own health has been a new big thing, and then family is part of that. My daughter's graduating high school right now, so I've locked down for no travel, which on one hand gets me stir crazy, but on the other hand I've loved it.
T
Teague Hunter0:15
It's great when you have those weeks. And congratulations to your daughter—I'm really thrilled for you.
J
Jolyon Bulley0:18
Thank you. We just lost our championship lacrosse game, but we're getting over it.
T
Teague Hunter0:22
All right, but they worked hard to get to the championship.
Welcome to Teague Talks. I'm your host, Teague Hunter. What makes your industry so special is the individuals and their stories. Today we're sitting down with Jolyon Bulley, CEO of IHG Americas. We're going to learn about what it's like growing up in Australia, his 20-year IHG career, and what he brings from his global experiences to the States. Jolyon, thanks for being here.
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Jolyon Bulley1:10
Thank you, Te. Thanks for taking the time to have the conversation.
T
Teague Hunter1:13
So this is going to be fun. You've been in the position now a year—just on a year. Big expectations for you, by the way.
J
Jolyon Bulley1:24
Yeah, big, and big boots to fill. My former role guard is now the global CEO of IHG, so you know, following his footsteps.
T
Teague Hunter1:34
Yeah, what are we—giving Ellie big props? Or that's what he's got you for, right? Come handle Americas.
J
Jolyon Bulley1:40
Well, he's handling the globe. Yeah, I'm hoping that's the case.
T
Teague Hunter1:43
Okay, so I want to get to IHG and your role and everything, but first, as always, we got to get to who you are. So who is Jolyon Bulley, and how did he end up in this crazy industry?
J
Jolyon Bulley1:55
Well, as you can tell by my deep southern accent, you know, I grew up in Australia.
T
Teague Hunter2:00
What's it like growing up in Australia? I'm picturing an eight-year-old Jolyon in Australia—what's he doing?
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Jolyon Bulley2:06
Lots of time outdoors, there's no question about that. Played Aussie Rules Football, which is very foreign over here but still dear to my heart. I played it through school and through college but never really at the A-grade level. I played as a running forward, which is sort of like the glamour role, but I was no good on the defense side. I played cricket—another foreign sport—but really loved cricket, still do today. And then I was a swimmer. Australia's got such a great climate, spent a lot of time in the ocean and in the pool, but never was a surfer.
T
Teague Hunter2:46
Someday I'll get you to explain the difference between Aussie Rules Football and rugby. But I digress.
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Jolyon Bulley2:51
Yeah, it's complicated. But best way to do it: throw a shrimp on the barbie, have a couple of beers, and I'll teach you the sport.
T
Teague Hunter2:58
You're Crocodile Dundee coming out. All right, so I need to hear more about growing up.
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Jolyon Bulley3:05
You know, my grandparents were hotel keepers back in the UK many years ago, and then it skipped a generation. I grew up in Melbourne, finished school, but I always wanted to get into the hospitality industry. I used to take holidays with my parents and would be fascinated by staying in a hotel and watching what would happen in reception. So it was a fascination from day one. My natural course after school was to go to hospitality school in Melbourne at a college called William Angliss. After graduating, I joined the Hilton on the Park in Melbourne—it was the leading hotel in Melbourne at the time. I joined them to be part of the Hilton Graduate Management Program, so I took the learning from college into application at that hotel.
T
Teague Hunter3:58
So you think you always wanted to be in the hotel business, watching Grandma and Granddad own and operate?
J
Jolyon Bulley4:04
There was no question in my mind. Neither of my parents were in the industry.
T
Teague Hunter4:09
What did Mom and Dad do?
J
Jolyon Bulley4:11
Well, Dad was in the finance industry. My mother was a great mother, but she was also an actress—she used to do a lot of stage and television commercials. And I took a deviation from that, went back to the generation before, so that's what got me into the game.
T
Teague Hunter4:27
That's where it comes from. The actor in you comes from Mom's side, possibly.
J
Jolyon Bulley4:32
Yeah, I guess we're all on stage in this industry, there's no question about that. My daughter's getting into that space, so I'll have to ask your mom for some advice.
T
Teague Hunter4:42
Well, she's 91 now, so she knows. She still knows. Okay, so we graduated college, we go work for the Hilton—what was our first job?
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Jolyon Bulley4:51
Front desk, of course, at the Hilton. I did the shift work for about 18 months, and then I was fortunate to get into their graduate program. That was a two-and-a-half-year program, doing every job around the hotel—initially as one of the workers and then in supervisory and management level. I finished that, moved into food and beverage.
T
Teague Hunter5:15
And hang on—do you recommend that program for people? In general, these management programs, if you can get into them?