The Gold Standard in Global Hospitality
The young and dynamic Artashes Avetisyan has single handedly put Armenia on the global tourism map with his sublime hospitality services. Founder-Director of the Top 2 hotels in the picturesque capital city of Yerevan – Golden Palace Hotel and Radisson Blu Hotel, Artashes symbolizes the gold standard in global hospitality. In addition, he is the Group CEO of Golden Group Armenia and President of 3A Management Company.
Born in 1990 and just 34 years old today, Artashes’s success can be traced to his early foray in the industry. He completed school in 2005; obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Yerevan State University in 2009; served in the Army from 2010-2012; and graduated with a Master’s degree in PAARA (Public Administration Academy of Republic of Armenia) in 2014 as a Public Administrator.
However, raring to go, he started working in 2005 regardless of age and education. Unbeknown to his family, he joined the family hotel as a Purchaser. They came to know about it only one year later by which time Artashes was already an expert at scouring the markets for products for the hotel. With dogged determination, he soon became a F&B Coordinator, then M&E Supervisor, and eventually, Assistant to the General Manager.
In 2013, his family established a new hotel in Tsakhkadzor, Armenia. Owing to his young age, they didn’t entrust him the business regardless of his certifications and online studies. Once again, Artashes proved himself capable when he became the General Manager of the hotel in 2015 and the growth during his first year touched 740%.
In the next couple of years, Artashes cemented his leadership with foresight and expansion. In 2016, they rebranded the old hotel as Radisson Blu Hotel Yerevan. In 2017, they opened a third hotel in Downtown with 36 rooms. In 2018, Artashes became CEO and Cluster General Manager of the group, and took it to the very top.
Artashes’s ascend in luxury hospitality played a part in opening the global doors to Armenia. He tells us, “In hindsight, I think me and my team have done a lot of things which increase the tourism of Armenia. We attend various workshops across the world. We cooperate directly with tour operators from other countries. And we invested in Hot Tours in Armenia as early as 2016.”
Be it Covid 19 or the political situation in Armenia, Artashes’s hotels didn’t close for even a single day. A call well taken, for after the pandemic they generated 3 times more money that other hotels which were closed or sold for quarantine. An analysis of 2020-21 showed an actual revenue increase of 12%.
Today, 90% of foreign delegations, sports teams, and artists visiting Armenia opt to stay with them. Recognised for their exemplary services and attention to detail, all the hotels under Artashes’s management have emerged as award-winners.
- Radisson Blu Hotel Yerevan became the Best Business Hotel in Armenia in 2021.
- Golden Palace Hotel Yerevan became the Best Downtown Hotel in Armenia in 2022.
- Artashes himself was included in 30 Hospitality Heavyweighters in 2022.
The business strategy that makes Artashes stand out is collaboration and teamwork. “Our vision is very futuristic and we all move forward in the same direction. Our strong team is what makes us No. 1 in strategy, connections, and service,” he says.
There are few challenges too, especially with regard to work-life balance. “To be honest, I am not spending enough time with my family, which is bad. On the other hand, I have to grow my business, which has rusted me. However, I work hard with the purpose of spending more quality time with my family in the near future,” he adds.
Still in expansion mode, Artashes relays two messages for people who have no place for failure in their lives: “First, always set high goals, and second, don’t be scared to choose the difficult path for you will never meet your competitors there.”
