Leading hotel executives advocate sustainability and technology as the primary objectives of the hospitality industry.

• Leading hotel executives support technology and sustainability as major industry objectives. Madrid is quickly rising to the top of Europe's most sought-after luxury travel destinations. In order to explore how to further innovate and enhance the guest experience in the luxury hospitality sector, Les Roches brings together students, professionals, and experts. 

Madrid, May 11, 2023.  

On May 3, Les Roches organized a discussion about the new issues facing the luxury, innovative, and sustainable hospitality sector at Madrid's renowned Mandarin Oriental Ritz in collaboration with The Vendôm Company, the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers (AEDH), and the Glion Institute of Higher Education. The Madrid Luxury & Hospitality Summit, intended for prospective postgraduate and master's students, featured the knowledgeable perspectives of Greg Liddell of Mandarin Oriental Ritz, Stéphane Le Fort of The Vendôm Company, Jaime Hervas of Les Roches, and Frédéric Martinez and Rosario Laso of Group Paraguas. Attendees had the opportunity to enjoy the event, which was presented by Andreu Ore, Director of Masters, Postgraduate, and Executive Education Admissions at Les Roches and Glion Institute of Higher Education.

The role of technology in new hotel management: 

Greg Liddell, general manager of Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid, began his speech by highlighting sustainability as the sector's main challenge. “We are getting better; technology is making life easier, as long as we don't eliminate the human factor. We are trying to personalize, create experiences, justify them, and, at the same time, link with the community. Our job is to make everyone happy.”   

Rosario Laso, Director of Human Resources at Grupo Paraguas, defended the importance of companies caring for and maintaining the satisfaction of their teams, as they are the driving force behind an excellent customer experience: "Our goal is to generate satisfaction through the enormous possibilities for growth that a company like ours allows, as well as training, not only in the maintenance of skills but also in professional improvement training, such as sommelier or cocktail training, as this allows them to grow in their professional skills."  

Roberto Requena, member of the board of directors of the Spanish Association of Hotel Managers, explained that “Today's manager must have very important qualities, not only technical qualifications. We also need to have some soft skills, such as those related to emotional intelligence, change management, leadership, etc. Training is the main asset of all our members, both seniors and juniors.”  

Fréderic Martinez, Corporate Director of Grupo Paraguas, stated, "One of the most obvious current trends in the luxury, travel, leisure, hospitality, and retail sectors is the growing expectation of customers to live "experiences". This requires brands to move away from a classic transactional approach to respond to this customer demand for experience personalization and to reinforce the emotional connection that binds customers to their brand. This requires brands to think and act in terms of experience creation and to deliver the recognition and level of personalization that customers expect. It also requires new profiles, balancing the obsession for excellence in service quality with an understanding of technology, which can support an increased level of personalization and human contact—that personalized attention that, particularly in the premium and luxury world, is what is and will continue to be of most value to customers. Another obvious evolution is that there is a growing demand for hospitality-trained profiles far beyond the world of hotels and restaurants because sectors such as luxury and retail increasingly need profiles that have that complete vision of the customer journey, that ability to create experiences, which is undoubtedly the specialty par excellence of hospitality profiles."  

Stéphane Le Fort, Head of Development EMEA at The Vendôm Company, spoke about the changes in recent years at the experience level: "With globalization and digitalization, the concept of wealth has changed dramatically. Many luxury brands have customers expecting different experiences, especially with the entry of the Z generation. Only 20% of young people are willing to work for a company that does not represent their values".  

Sustainability is key to the sector's future: 

In addition to technology, sustainability was defended throughout the day as one of the main challenges facing the luxury industry. Jaime Hervás, Professor of Accommodation and Sustainability at Les Roches and Coordinator of the Master's programme in Marketing Management for Luxury Tourism at the Marbella campus, asserted: “It is very important to listen to stakeholders, both internal and external. To begin with, we must have a structure that allows us to train staff in sustainability, and this can be done by any hotel without the need for certification. Sustainability must be integrated into the mission, vision, and values of the company. The education part is very important right now.” In addition, Hervás listed some of the most important tools for hotels to act on sustainability, such as the UN Global Compact, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and ISO 26000, and explained that "there are more specific certifications, depending on where you want to focus, such as the environment, quality, corporate social responsibility, and events". Jaime Hervás closed his speech by talking about Spark, the Les Roches innovation center that incubates start-ups and helps them create innovative and sustainable projects.   

Aurora Parreño and José Benítez, Les Roches alumni, told the audience about their experience at the institution, stressing that they not only achieved academic training but also personal development with the latest innovations and technologies in sustainability.    

The speakers concluded by inviting the audience to take part in a contest with bonuses such as tours to two days of the Les Roches premium experience or career orientation sessions with Vendôm professionals. In addition, the Spanish Hotel Managers Association offered a free youth membership for 2023–2024, due to the courtesy of Les Roches. Benevolence of Les Roches, the Spanish Hotel Managers Association also provided a free youth membership for 2023–2024.