Federico Santos Shares Philosophy of Puro Hospitality Management: ‘We Want to be a Strategic Partner to Hoteliers’

The Wild Hotel by Interni, Mykonos. (Photo credits Vaggelis Paterakis)

Puro Hospitality Management is not just another hospitality management company, assures its founder, Federico Santos, a professional with more than 20 years of experience and a proven track in the field of Marketing and Revenue Management.

A company that provides its services in a more “tailor made” way to hoteliers, Puro Hospitality Management’s philosophy is to form strategic relations with its clients to help them grow and strive in the markets they operate within.

“Being always one step ahead of the market, Puro Management clients can always rely on us for taking the most difficult, complicated but informed decisions,” Federico told GTP Headlines.

Puro Hospitality Management launched this year and its offered services span from sales, marketing and operational consulting, to concept positioning, strategy and financial planning, covering a wide spectrum of the needs of a hotel’s operations.

“We have created Puro Management with the vision to be a valuable partner for our clients, providing them high-end services, customized to their needs and goals,” he said.

In this interview, Federico introduces Puro Management and speaks of what differentiates the services and his brand from other management companies.

He also comments on this season’s main challenge, which was none other than the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Although Covid-19 has proven to be “complicated riddle” to all sectors, Federico tells us that clients in the Puro Hospitality Management portfolio managed to thrive, presenting results which are directly comparable to last year’s figures.

“The key to this success was our forward way of thinking, combined with close monitoring of the situation, and our quick reflexes to every new development,” he said, adding that this year’s tourism season was definitely not a “lost season” as many predicted.

• GTP: Mr Santos, please share some career highlights with our readers.

Federico Santos: My academic studies combined my two passions – Hotels and Creative Marketing, including Tourism with a focus on World Heritage (Spain) and Marketing at the university of Alcala de Henares in Madrid. The next step included an MBA in Innovative Hospitality Management at Barcelona’s ESADE and Maastricht Hotel School, while during the last part of my studies I worked as Key Account Manager at Condes de Barcelona Hotels together with consulting group TourHoreca. Once my studies were concluded, I continued working as Junior Marketing Manager at Condes de Barcelona Hotels, moving later to Chic & Basic Hotels as Marketing Manager, based in Barcelona. My next major step was moving to Greece, this time focusing on the operational aspect of a number of properties in the country and worked for HotelBrain as Sales & Marketing Director for 7 years managing a portfolio of more than 50 properties across Greece. Coming to today, creating Puro Hospitality Management constituted the next page in my career, which included the goal to combine expertise and experience, with forward thinking and custom made services that address today’s needs of the hospitality sector.

Yria Island Boutique Hotel & Spa, Paros. (Photo credits Christos Drazos)

• GTP: Please “introduce” Puro Hospitality Management to us. What was your inspiration for the company’s focus? Was there something missing from the Greek hospitality market that you wanted to offer?

Federico Santos: We created Puro Hospitality Management with the vision to combine our experience and expertise with the provision of high-end, customised services that correspond to the unique needs and goals of each client. We are not – and we do not intent to be, yet another hospitality management agency. Our goal is to become a strategic partner for each of our clients, supporting them both in their every-day operations, as well as in their efforts to optimise their offered services and thrive in the markets they operate within.

• GTP: What services does Puro Hospitality Management offer and what differentiates these services and your brand from other management companies? What is Puro Hospitality Management’s unique selling point (USP)?

Federico Santos: Our focus is on the high-end customisation of our services, upon the needs and goals of each of our clients. Advanced forecasting and reporting allow us to set up a forward-thinking strategy to maximize revenue, enabling our clients to gain advantage in the market. Evaluation of project assets in the process of bringing up new business plans to our clients are key to our development strategy either a project is new, or just looking to develop existing properties. Being always one step ahead of the market, Puro Management clients can always rely on us for taking the most difficult, complicated but informed decisions.

Absolute Mykonos Suites & More, Mykonos. (Photo credits Christos Drazos)

• GTP: How many properties are in your portfolio and where are they located? Which destinations are you targeting next?

Federico Santos: Only a few months from our launch, we have managed to create an impressive portfolio consisting of over 25 clients, in Mykonos, Santorini, Tinos, Paros, Naxos, Crete, Zakynthos, Skyros and very recently, in Messinia. Our portfolio includes, among others, properties such as The Wild by Interni and Absolute Mykonos Suites (Mykonos), Iliovasilema Suites (Santorini), Aeolis Tinos Suites (Tinos), as well as Bohemian Luxury Boutique Hotel and Yria Island Boutique Hotel & Spa (Paros). In regard to our portfolio, it is worth mentioning that throughout the past period, we have managed to not only maintain, but also further expand it, posting an impressive 114% increase, since we have commenced our operations. As for destination targeting, our strategy does not have a focus in a specific area – we considered diversity an asset, as it creates challenges, through which we become better.

• GTP: Regarding Greek tourism, taking under consideration that this season is very challenging due to the Covid-19 crisis, how do you see the sector progressing?

Federico Santos: The past season was among the most (maybe the most) challenging the sector has ever faced. Travelling restrictions, health protocols, imposition of measures, as well as insecurity of travellers, constituted a complicated riddle for our clients and us. On top of these challenges, came the nature of the Covid-19 crisis, as it is a constantly changing – fluid – crisis, calling for flexibility, proactiveness, and forward thinking. We are more than proud to have clients, that not only “survived” the crisis, but managed to thrive, presenting results which are directly comparable to last year’s figures. The key to this success was our forward way of thinking, combined with close monitoring of the situation, and our quick reflexes to every new development. Having in mind the profile of each client, our reactions and consulting was always tailored made for each one, corresponding to their needs, and adapted to potential local restrictions imposed in the area they operated within. As the tourism season now reaches its end, we can definitely not call it a “lost season” as many predicted. We will continue working closely with each of our clients, in order to carefully plan their next steps, making the key learnings of the past season, precious knowledge for the next day – and for us this is what all the market should do: become better and “wiser” from the adversities we passed.

Aeolis Tinos Suites, Tinos. (Photo credits Vaggelis Paterakis)

• GTP: What changes in the hotel industry were most evident this period and how difficult was it for demands to be met?

Federico Santos: As the Covid-19 crisis comprised of many different factors, the hotel industry had to quickly adapt on the new reality – comply with health protocols, set new strategies and targets, and mostly gain trust of travellers, and all that in a very brief amount of time. It was definitely not an easy thing to do. For us, all the above constituted a challenge, which affirmed in the best way what we do, and why we were selected from our clients as their partners. Each and every step of the crisis, we were by their side, swiftly providing all necessary information and consulting on how their next steps should be, re-devising their sales and marketing strategies, in order to successfully address their potential clientele, while also helping them to comply with all necessary health protocols, so as to be ready to safely welcome visitors. Navigating through this was definitely not an easy job, yet – as mentioned before – going through challenges is what makes us better, and our successful operation and portfolio expansion, show that we succeeded.

• GTP: What are Puro Hospitality Management’s future plans? What is your next focus?

Federico Santos: Our successful beginning in this adverse environment, constitutes our strong foundations for our development. Having already managed to expand our portfolio in such times enabled us to enrich our team, in order to be even more competent to be by our clients’ side, and maintain our high level of specialized services. Apart from further expanding our portfolio – adding even more properties and destinations, we would definitely incorporate the key learnings and experience of the past season, so as to further improve our services, providing added value to our customers.

• GTP: What message would you like to pass on to hoteliers reading this interview?

Federico Santos: It is no secret that the Covid-19 crisis was unprecedented, with the hospitality sector being severely hurt. Such times call for valued partnerships, which provide stability and raise the quality level of the services offered. We have created Puro Management with the vision to be a valuable partner for our clients, providing them high-end services, customized to their needs and goals. Our expertise, forward thinking, and flexibility have already brought excellent results to our existing portfolio. Thus, we would be more than happy to discuss, gain the trust and build partnerships with new hoteliers, in order to help them navigate through this new reality and together devise the best plan and strategy, for their successful operation in the days to come.