My Impact
10.03.2025
2 min read
Repat Story
Hospitality in the Midst of Chaos
-webp(85)-o(jpg).webp?token=2e131fc2766e03885ea638d2c1ad5850 "Hospitality in the Midst of Chaos")
It's inspiring to see people who graduate from the University of Life and do as well as Vatché Yergatian has done, it’s even more inspiring to see them want to lend their talents and wisdom to Armenia.
At Repat Armenia, we believe telling these stories will inspire more people to find their purpose in Armenia.
Who is Vatché Yergatian?
By all accounts, Vatché Yergatian is an expert in Tourism and Hospitality and can be considered among the world’s experts on hotel management. Born in Amman and raised in Jerusalem, Vatché was set to become a dentist, but after his father lost his business in the 6-Day War in 1967, Vatché had to find a job, so he became an accounting clerk for the InterContinental Hotel in Jerusalem.
After 10 years, Vatché outgrew his role and joined Marriott and soon became the hotel manager. Over the next 20 years, Vatché would go on to manage some of the most prominent hotels in some of the most volatile environments.
A Professional of Sorts
Vatché was sent to Poland after the fall of communism and refined his expertise in hospitality in an atmosphere that had to step into a more enlightened age. Later, he would be sent to Lebanon after the civil war to manage the Marriott there. Throughout his career, we would routinely have to create a place of hospitality in the midst of chaos.
Eventually, he would be called to Washington D.C to Marriott Headquarters and would help expand Marriott as a global entity. After 30+ years of hotel management experience and living in several countries around the world, Vatché finally retired.
From the World, Back to Armenia
Today Vatché is doing everything he can to bring his expertise to the hospitality industry in Armenia. Ever since he was present at the opening of the Marriott hotel in Republic Square in 2004, Vatché has been a pivotal component in the growth of Armenia’s hospitality enterprise and strives to continue to help to this day.
His goal is more to guide the new generation of Tourism and Hospitality professionals in Armenia. Whether it is coming to Armenia as an iGorts fellow, partnering with the Armenian Tourism Committee, or giving lectures at the American University of Armenia free of charge, Vatché has been an inspiring example of dedication to Armenia time and time again.
As he says, “I need to help my motherland, but I don’t want to be a general manager, let the young people do that, I want to help Armenia with education and training with a passion for developing people.”
Often people get the idea that repatriation is for the young and inexperienced, and while Vatché is still as vibrant as he has ever been, he is in a position where he can help grow Armenia from a place of expertise and mentorship. In many ways, Vatché Yergatian is living proof that repatriation can happen at any point in one’s life and even when one has almost entirely lived outside of Armenia’s borders, there still remains a desire to “help the motherland.”
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