Jean-Christophe Gras has been appointed General Manager at Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square
With 14 years of leadership experience with Sofitel North America, Jean-Christophe Gras is a promising choice to guide Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square. He arrived in the nation's capital from the Canadian province of Quebec, where he spent the last 12 years as General Manager of the five-star Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile. Indeed, Gras was integral to the opening team in Montreal, which became the newest flagship for Sofitel's parent company, Accor, in 2001. In the course of his tenure in Montreal, Gras also spent two years as Regional Vice President, where he supervised all General Managers and led four Sofitel North America addresses. Prior to his appointment in Montreal, Gras got his start with Sofitel as Director of Operations at Sofitel New York, where he helped oversee the pre-opening and opening of the 398-room hotel. His first experience as a General Manager was at Riverfront Residence, a Novotel property in Bangkok, Thailand. He was also Hotel Manager of Académie ACCOR in Évry, France; Food and Beverage Director and Hotel Manager of Novotel Saclay in France; and Quality Controller in the Consumerism and Quality Department of ACCOR in Évry. Gras got his start in the hotel industry as Banquet Manager at Sofitel Miami back in 1987. A native of Nevers, France, Gras was educated at hotel and catering schools in St. Quentin- en-Yvelines, Bourges and Blois. Fluent in French and English, he was honored as General Manager of the year for Accor North America in 2006 and for Sofitel Americas in 2008, and earned Sofitel Montreal Golden Mile's accolade as Hotel of the Year by Accor North America in 2007.
