Laurent Herschbach will become general manager of Hotel Metropole Monte-Carlo on 1st October, stepping into the role after almost three decades at the Ritz Paris. He succeeds Klaus Kabelitz, who ran the property on an interim basis through the peak summer season and now returns to London.

Herschbach joined the Ritz Paris in 1997, starting at the front desk and working his way up through almost every operational department. He went on to hold the posts of duty manager, front of house manager, room division director, director of food and beverage, director of operations and hotel director, before being appointed general manager of the Paris palace in March 2023. He led the hotel for close to three years, until Arnaud de Saint-Exupéry took over in October 2025, after which he moved into independent hotel management consulting.

That long tenure at a single address has given him a working knowledge of nearly every discipline in luxury hospitality, from the reception desk to the boardroom. He trained at the École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme du Luxembourg and later studied hotel management at Cornell University in the United States, adding further training in finance at HEC Paris.

A run of change at the Metropole

Herschbach arrives after a series of leadership changes at the Belle Époque hotel. Serge Ethuin stepped down in April 2026 following more than a decade at the helm and a career of over 40 years with the group. Kabelitz, who had been running The Kensington in London, was appointed to succeed him before taking on the interim role over the summer.

The hotel, which opened in 1886 in Monaco’s Carré d’Or district, a short walk from the Casino de Monte-Carlo, has been through a period of renovation in recent years. Forty-five rooms and suites have been redesigned by Jacques Garcia, and the Spa Metropole by Guerlain opened in July 2025. Its dining includes the two-Michelin-starred Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac, and the property forms part of The Leading Hotels of the World.

The task ahead

In his new position, Herschbach will oversee the hotel’s operations and its teams as it works to strengthen its standing among the world’s leading luxury properties while holding on to its Monégasque character. His appointment brings a period of settled leadership to one of the Principality’s landmark addresses after a year of movement at the top.

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