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MARKUS PLATZER
GENERAL MANAGER, WILLARD INTERCONTINENTAL WASHINGTON, D.C.
Becoming the GM of a historic hotel is an exciting accomplishment for any manager-but when that hotel is about to enter its second century and it's a manager's first property in the U.S., it's even more exhilarating. That's the case for Markus Platzer, who has spent nearly three decades overseeing properties around the world, and was tapped to lead the 199-year-old Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C., in August.
Growing up in Austria, Platzer traveled around the country with his father, who was a salesman. "I discovered this wish to see more and explore more," he said. During summer vacations, he sought jobs abroad, and ultimately earned bachelor's degrees in international tourism and hotel management at Austria's Tourism School Bad Gleichenberg and business and commerce at Handelsakademie Feldbach.
After earning his degrees, he said, he was "always thinking, 'out, out, out!" The best way to do that, he decided, was to work with an international hotel company, and he spent four years at Hilton properties-two years in Munich, and then two years in Vienna.
Looking to broaden his horizons and explore different cultures, Platzer set his sights on the Middle East and moved to Abu Dhabi, joining InterContinental Hotels Group-the company with which he has spent his career ever since. At the time, he said, hardly anyone was aware of the United Arab...