Bert Fol: Hotel boss started at Tontine and now runs Radisson Africa

But despite living and working all over the globe, high-profile international businessman Bert Fol says the view from Greenock's Lyle Hill is 'still the best in the world'.

Bert, who has been appointed the Radisson Hotel Group's managing director for Africa, started out at the Tontine after leaving school in 1983 and says Greenock gave him his grounding.

Since those early days he has climbed the ladder in the industry, taking on managerial and directorial jobs for huge hotel groups in many different countries. 

But the 58-year-old says growing up in Greenock equipped him with a very particular set of skills which have helped him succeed in his vocation. 

Bert told the Tele: "You learn common sense and pragmatism in Greenock. 

"My family always taught me to treat other people the way you would want to be treated yourself.

"The main thing in Greenock was always the people." 

Paris-born Bert attended Greenock Academy from 1970 to 1983 and grew up in a house across from Glenpark cricket ground. 

He says he had a 'very happy' childhood and had a fantastic family and great friends. 

Bert's first job was at Greenock's most iconic hotel. 

He said: "I was very lucky. 

"I just walked in and asked for a job. 

"The general manager came out and spoke to me and told me he was going to create a position for me. 

"It was a fantastic grounding for my career. 

"I got the chance to experience working in all of the different departments."

Bert started as trainee manager and worked his way up to junior assistant manager, then assistant manager, before leaving in December 1985. 

He studied at Glasgow College of Food Technology from 1984 to 1986, and worked at the Crest Hotel in Erskine from January 1986 to February 1990, first as food and beverage manager and then conference and banqueting manager. 

Bert worked in managerial positions at Forte Crest hotels in Runcorn and Liverpool from May 1990 to April 1995, and started working for Hilton in May 1995, first in Bath then Swindon. 

His international career started when he became manager of Hilton in Athens in February 1998. 

Bert went on to manage Hilton hotels in Egypt, Greece, Romania and Poland for 10 years before taking on a role as general manager at the Marriott Moscow Royal Aurora in November 2008. 

The businessman left Russia in June 2014 to go back to Romania, this time as general manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel and Park Inn Hotel in Bucharest.

He was district director for Turkey and general manager of the Radisson Blu Bosphorus Hotel, Istanbul from March 2016 until July 2017, and then worked in regional director roles across Africa, the Arabian peninsula, and Turkey for around five years. 

In his current role, Bert looks after 27 hotels spread across eight or nine countries in Africa. 

He says the best part of the job is meeting people from all over the world, and says there was one country he particularly loved. 

Bert, who is living in Dubai at the moment, added: "I've met so many people. You should see my photo album!

"I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to live and work in so many countries all over the world. 

"I've enjoyed the vast majority of aspects of living everywhere so it's really hard to say that I've enjoyed any place more than others. 

"I did really love running the fabulous hotels in Romania from 2003 to 2005 and then again from  2014 to 2016.

"It's been great to work with a lot of different general managers in the early stages of my career. 

"All showed some tremendous skills I was able to learn from."

Bert and his sister try to get back to Inverclyde a few times a year.

He says he was very impressed by the developments in Greenock and Port Glasgow the last time he visited. 

He told the Tele that he was 'honoured' knowing that he would be in the paper, as it was a favourite read of his family when he was growing up. 

Bert added: "My grandparents and my mum and uncle loved the Tele.

"I have very happy memories of Inverclyde and I still call Greenock home."