Pascal’s professional background is inclusive of big names such as Hyatt and Levy. His decision to leave Levy and join the Areas family came from listening to a friend and colleague talk about Areas’ culture, work ethic, and direction the growing company is headed. Pascal shares his thoughts on working with Areas since starting at ORD on December 19th. “What I enjoy the most so far, has been the warm welcome and support I have received.” Pascal’s 22-year career shows a track record of his ability to successfully operate and elevate hospitality to higher levels of service expectations.
To better understand the drive behind Pascal’s successful career, it is important to know where his passion comes from. He proudly explains, “I grew up in hospitality. It’s in my blood,” he says. Pascal reminisces on a time in his youth when he lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for six years while his father was a chef running a restaurant that featured French cuisine.
Adding to his worldly attributes was his 12-year stint as a competitive soccer player in Belgium where he also held leadership positions in hospitality management at the Crown Plaza and Club Burges. It is no surprise that Pascal is multilingual, fluent in English, French, and Dutch, and proficient in German.
As a General Manager, Pascal is responsible for overseeing several elements at ORD including hiring staff, overseeing budgets, increasing revenue, and directing operations. His initial days have been spent getting to know his team members and observing their day-to-day task structure. He places high importance on creating a positive work culture within the current operations. The next steps in his operating plan: “We are in a full hiring process to expand hours of the operation as quickly as possible, in order to accommodate the uptick in volume from the additional flights that are now coming in.” By the end of 2023, Pascal’s goal is to increase revenues from ORD’s seven concepts by 25-30% and ultimately to expand Areas’ presence to multiple terminals at O’Hare.