Editor: Tell us about your journey. How did it all start?

Accidentally, as with most of the things in life. You could call it serendipity as well. I was getting ready to study political sciences and philosophy when the opportunity to get a scholarship and study at the American university came around completely accidentally. I thought that was a good way out of the war thorn Yugoslavia at the end of the nineties. I took the opportunity, got the scholarship, earned my degree in Hotel & Resort Management, took my first job at the luxury resort in southern California, and my career in luxury hospitality was afoot. This was in the early 2000s.

Editor: What do you think it takes to succeed in this industry?

A bit of everything. You must have good cognitive abilities, to be able to learn fast and unlearn faster. It is strongly desirable if you are high in a personality trait called conscientiousness. If this is not your natural trait, figure out the system that will ensure that you deliver on what you agree on, what you promise, in a timely and precise manner. Most of all, and this is something you can practice, you must have good communication and people skills. We are in the people’s industry. We take care of the guests, of the staff, of the investors, of the partners, suppliers. In the end, I think one should be kind. Kindness is what I preach for many years now, not aggressiveness, not this “dog eat dog” mentality that is currently dominating the business world, and parts of our industry as well. In the end, you must try to be lucky. How does one do that, you might ask? There is something called smart luck, and that requires one to go out there, meet people, talk to people, listen, and set yourself for your own serendipitous situations.

Editor: What are the attributes you look for while selecting or hiring?  If someone wants to work with you, what should they do?

When hiring I am looking for authenticity and for common sense most of all. Authenticity comes through as honesty, sincerity, openness, and vulnerability, that superhuman ability to say that you do not know, that you need help. I like working with people who open to new experiences. However, at the end of the day, I am a believer that if people are honest and sincere, and try their best, there is a place for them, and I will ensure that we find that place where they can excel. 

Editor: What are some of the trends you see impacting the hospitality industry?

The hospitality industry is ripe for disruption. Not so much from the guests’ perspective, so not the product itself, but the business model, and many of the processes currently in place will have to undergo some changes very soon. I see u huge bifurcation happening in the industry, to the point where we will have to come up with new names to diversify different legs of the bifurcation. On one side, we will have this high-tech, low-touch segment of the industry, with almost no people delivering the service, and everything is automatized.

They will be able to lower the rates but will not necessarily be targeting only lower and middles segments of the industry. On the other hand, we have a growing demand for high touch and low tech, as well as some segments of high touch, high tech hospitality solutions. That is the luxury segment which is rapidly growing and giving birth to the ultra-luxury segment comprised of private travel clubs, private residences, lodges, and chalets where both the providers and the guests are being vetted by each other.

The luxury segment will just go up in prices. I would not be surprised if the average room rates in luxury properties in the next ten years will be three or five or even ten times what they are today. This will be driven by the increase in demand from one side, but also by the imminent loss of talent in our industry. 

Editor: Tech is now an enabler for great hospitality. Can you share with us some of the techs that go into creating your guest experience? 

Tech is the enabler, that is correct. However, when we are talking about luxury hospitality, I see it mainly as an element that adds up to the comfort segment of the hotel’s proposition. It plays into something that what we call prevention emotions, the ease of use, the safety, and security. In that sense it is great, and I am all for it, but I keep saying one thing for years now.

The future will not be technological, as every future since the invention of the fire and the wheel was technological. The future will be emotional. That is where we look for the creation of guest’s experience. The elation, the happiness, the sense of accomplishment, those are all emotions that have little to do with the technological enablers. 

Editor: Two things you would like to change in the industry.

First of all, I would like the world to understand that the travel and tourism industry, the hospitality industry is not non-essential, as it was touted around the world at the beginning of the pandemic. We are very much essential. We are in the industry of people aggregation and people connections, and that is a basic human need.

Back in the past, there was a saying that countries that trade with each other do not go to war with each other. You could say the same about tourism and travel. If people travel between the countries for the reasons of leisure those countries have good relationships, and those relationships promise peace. Another thing I would like to change is also global and it has to do with the workforce.

We have spent decades mapping customer journeys, ensuring their happiness and satisfaction. Let us spend some time now mapping employee journeys, ensuring their happiness and satisfaction. Otherwise, we will have huge problems finding good talent in our industry. 

Editor: What can we expect in the coming year?  

Slow recovery and a lot of problems during the recovery period. People do not understand the troubles that the lockdowns have caused to the many segments of the industry. For example, many pilots have to renew their licenses because they did not have enough flying hours in the past year, so they have to fly empty planes. Many of the great talents in this industry could not handle the levels of uncertainty and just decided to change the industries. Those are huge losses that we will not fix so easily.