Latest / The Inspired Stories Podcast / Alex DeCarvalho on "Bringing the Weather" and Leading with Positive Presence

Transcript

Alex DeCarvalho on "Bringing the Weather" and Leading with Positive Presence · The Inspired Stories Podcast

0:04
Welcome to another edition of the Inspired Stories podcast,
0:08
where leaders share their experiences so we can learn from
0:11
their successes and be inspired by how they've overcome
0:14
adversity. My name is Anthony Cotespotti,
0:17
and today's guest is Alex Descar Value.
0:21
I practiced that with him. Vice President, Sales and
0:24
Operations at Millennium Hotels and Resorts in the Americas.
0:28
They are a global hospitality group headquartered in Singapore
0:32
and operate in more than 80 destinations across 4
0:35
continents. Alex has over 25 years of hotel
0:40
management experience, including time at Hilton Hotels Worldwide
0:44
and InterContinental Hotels Group, where he developed
0:48
strategic direction plans. In 2011, he became Group
0:52
Managing Director at Champneys Health Resorts, implementing a
0:56
successful commercial strategy and restructuring the management
1:00
team. He later served as VP of Sales
1:03
and Marketing for North America at Millennium Hotels, overseeing
1:06
key initiatives that strengthened the brand's
1:09
presence in the region. Alex recently returned to
1:12
California to preserve the historic charm of the Millennium
1:15
Biltmore while introducing modern touches.
1:19
Now before we get into all that good stuff, today's episode is
1:23
brought to you by my company, Add Back Benefits Agency, where
1:26
we offer very specific and unique employee benefits that
1:29
are both great for your team and fiscally optimized for your
1:32
bottom line. Imagine being able to give your
1:35
hotel employees free access to doctors, therapists and
1:39
prescription medications. And here's the fun part, the
1:41
program actually puts more money into your employees pockets and
1:46
the companies too. One recent client was able to
1:50
increase net profits by $900 per employee per year.
1:54
Results vary for each company and some organizations may not
1:57
be eligible. To find out if your company
2:00
qualifies, contact us today at AD back benefits.com.
2:04
All right, back to our guest today, VPS sales and operations
2:07
in the Mayor in the Americas, Millennium Hotels and Resorts.
2:11
Alex, thanks for making the time to Share your story today.
2:14
Oh, my pleasure. Thank you for having me, Anton.
2:17
OK, so Alex, you're originally from Brazil, Brazilian mother,
2:22
father is AUS citizen, originally from Portugal.
2:26
You're like a citizen of the world.
2:28
What was it like growing up for you?
2:30
Well, first of all, I was bound to end up in the travel
2:33
industry, right, Given my background.
2:35
That's it was, it was really interesting.
2:39
The way I look at it, I got the best of both worlds.
2:42
I, I, I grew up in the US as well as, as, as Brazil.
2:46
The key thing that I'm really grateful for is I learned
2:51
adaptability, right, Especially as a, as a kid and as a
2:55
teenager, you're desperately trying to fit in and, and
2:59
actually, I think that, that that skill set has, has done
3:02
really well for me as I, as I, I progress, just understanding the
3:06
need to communicate and in other people's not, not just languages
3:10
by culture as well, right. So it was, it was really
3:13
fascinating. I, for some reason, I always
3:18
seem to be open and, and engaged in, in, in having that different
3:22
experience. I I feel very blessed to have
3:25
that upbringing. Now you're comfortable around
3:28
all kinds of different people, and you can meet new people and
3:34
just fit right in pretty quickly. 100% I, I, I think
3:38
that's, that's one of the great things I have is that not only
3:41
the, the, the international background and culture, but, but
3:43
that adaptability and just understanding that, that, that
3:46
is just respect other people's values, cultures and, and then
3:51
how they approach things, right. There's no right or wrong.
3:53
It's just dealing with with empathy and and understanding
3:57
for for other cultures. And how did you find your way to
4:01
your first hospitality job? Interesting question.
4:06
So I, my first hospitality job actually came I, I was selling
4:10
computers. I, I, I, I was working for IBM
4:14
and, and, you know, selling computers to offices and things
4:17
like that. And I had a girlfriend at the
4:21
time and she introduced me to her colleagues and, and they
4:26
were working at, at Hilton and we became friends.
4:29
A position came up over there and they said, Hey, why don't
4:32
you come and join us? And so I thought, hey, I'm
4:35
selling computers, I can sell hotels.
4:37
Not, you know, naive and understanding that selling a
4:41
product is completely different than selling a service.
4:44
And but I thought, you know, blind confidence, right?
4:46
Hey, I can do that. And sure enough, it took, it
4:49
took a little bit of adapting and but that's how I went from,
4:54
you know, selling computers into the hospitality industry.
4:57
And did you ever leave the hospitality industry or is your
5:00
career just continued through? I have been in the hospitality
5:04
industry ever since. It's, you know, I, I, I find
5:08
it's a really exciting, you have fun people, you know,
5:12
international mindset and people.
5:15
I'm sure that there are many other sectors that are just as
5:18
interesting and exciting, but I couldn't see myself working in
5:22
another industry. And you spent your first 16
5:25
years with Hilton, which you've described as quote UN quote, the
5:29
best learning school for you. Can you share a few key lessons
5:33
from your time there? Hilton is a very well structured
5:39
organization, right? They, they start off with the
5:42
very clear brand standards, standard operating procedures.
5:46
And so especially if you're learning, you have all that, all
5:49
of that, the direction and the structure that you need to be
5:52
able to learn and, and then apply.
5:54
And, and, and I think just growing up professionally in, in
5:59
that environment enabled me to learn a lot.
6:02
And then later on in, in, in, in my career to be able to
6:06
distinguish those that I felt truly were essential or added
6:11
value to the business as opposed to just for administration
6:16
purposes. So I've tried to keep take on a
6:19
a more entrepreneurial mindset, but understanding the the the
6:23
the benefit of having a certain amount of structure so you can
6:26
plan and structure things efficiently.
6:30
OK. And then how did the opportunity
6:32
to join Millennium come about? So I had actually, you know,
6:39
networking in the industry, I had made some, some, some
6:42
colleagues and, and, and friends in the industry.
6:45
And, and it was at a networking event.
6:48
They, you know, we, we had a good conversation about just
6:52
business and interest in. And then like a week later, I
6:55
get approached by a headhunter saying, Hey, there's somebody
6:57
from Millennium and they're interested in presenting an
7:00
opportunity for you. And at this time I thought, you
7:04
know, I wasn't necessarily looking, but it seemed like an
7:07
interesting opportunity and we had a conversation.
7:10
I thought, I think this might be a, a great balance between a
7:13
company that's a little bit more entrepreneurial and their
7:16
mindset and their approach. There's a little bit more
7:19
flexibility, but it's still a a global international
7:23
organization, which was something that that was
7:25
important to me being that as you mentioned that a citizen of
7:28
the world. Can you explain what it meant
7:33
for this brand to be more entrepreneurial?
7:35
What were some of the specific things that you saw there that
7:39
maybe didn't see it Hilton? Well, I, I, I think if I, if I
7:43
sort of take at it, at it's essence the business model of
7:46
the different companies, right? So Hilton is a, is a, is a large
7:53
brand and very well structured, but their business model is, is,
7:58
is different, right? When you're running 567000
8:00
hotels, I, I don't know what the latest number is, but, but it's
8:03
a lot it, it very much they, they have become more of a, a, a
8:08
brand and distribution organization as opposed to core
8:12
hospitality like a number of the hotels or franchise operations
8:15
and the running hotels which happened to share a common brand
8:20
loyalty program and and distribution network.
8:23
So I like the fact that Millennium Hotels is a privately
8:29
owned company and it focuses more on the full hotel
8:33
operations as opposed to being more of a brand and distribution
8:38
organization. And when you say brand and
8:40
distribution, are you referring to the fact that they're, I
8:44
don't know, they're licensing their name or they're
8:45
franchising the opportunities? And then the distribution part
8:50
is what like the, the website that allows people to their,
8:55
their franchisees to, to, to take advantage of that brand
8:58
name and get a lot of their reservations.
9:00
Yeah. So obviously in, in addition to
9:02
the brand and the loyalty program, this should be by
9:05
distribution, I mean the, the, the, the, the brand website,
9:09
their call, their call Center for reservations and all of the,
9:13
the, the relationships and the, the connectivities they have
9:16
with the different online travel agencies and the GDS companies,
9:21
which are what the, the business travel agents use for, for their
9:26
corporations for contracting and and booking business travel.
9:32
Got it. OK.
9:33
And then at some point you went to LA on a sales visit to the
9:38
Biltmore Hotel and somehow unexpectedly ended up managing
9:44
the property when the GM resigned.
9:46
Walk me through how that unfolded.
9:48
Yes. So I, as I was, you know,
9:52
through, throughout my, my career progression, I, I was
9:56
given the opportunity to become a general manager at one point.
10:00
And, and quite honestly, it was the last thing in my mind,
10:04
right? I thought, no, I'm a commercial
10:05
person. I want to drive business.
10:07
And I felt that that hotel operation was very minutia in,
10:13
in, in, in, in micromanagement. And, but I had a great mentor at
10:17
the time and he said, you know, we're in the hotel business.
10:20
It's certainly not going to do you any harm to have the
10:23
understanding of how hotel operates in leading that hotel.
10:26
Even if eventually you want to go back into a corporate role,
10:29
think of the credibility and the insight that you're going to
10:34
have on how hotel runs. So next time you're directing
10:37
something, you're planning something, you can take that in
10:38
conversation, but you can say, hey, I've been there, I've done
10:41
it. I know what works and what
10:43
doesn't work. So I, I really like that idea
10:45
and it was some of the best advice I've ever had.
10:49
And based on that hotel operational experience, when I
10:54
came over to, to LA and, and I came in for, for sales, out at
10:58
sales visit with the team. It just happened that the
11:01
general manager had turned in his resignation at the time.
11:04
And they said, Hey, Alex, we, we're going to need you to kind
11:08
of stay over, take over the handover from the general
11:10
manager and until we have a plan on, on, on what to, to do so.
11:16
And, and that's how I ended up, you know, I was born in, in, in
11:20
California and then, and I hadn't actually lived in
11:23
California for, I don't know, 40 plus years.
11:26
So that's how I ended up back here, which was a, which was a a
11:30
a nice surprise. Did you have family that was
11:34
still there? No, actually my family has since
11:39
moved. My my mother is back in Brazil
11:42
and my sister is in Georgia now. OK.
11:47
Still California. Nice place to be, right?
11:49
I'm not complaining. Yeah.
11:52
OK. So now you're the VP of Sales
11:53
and Operations for the Americas and is that USA, Canada, Mexico,
12:00
what's what's sort of the territory?
12:03
It's the Americas. We only have properties at the
12:06
moment in, in, in the US, So we have 13 properties throughout
12:10
the US and and Alaska. But it also means market
12:16
responsibility. So if there were any product
12:18
project developments or developing business from those
12:22
markets, we have general sales agents in Canada and Mexico and
12:25
Brazil because part of my remit is also to generate business
12:31
opportunities from the North American, from the Americas
12:34
market to the rest of our Millennium portfolio.
12:39
And so are there plans to expand outside the US here in this
12:44
Western Hemisphere? We would certainly like to our
12:48
parent companies, core businesses and real estate,
12:52
commercial, residential and and hotels.
12:55
So I would say from their perspective, they're always open
13:00
to any good value opportunities. Right back when I worked with
13:05
with Hilton, there was a very strategic goal in terms of
13:09
presence in certain gateway cities and and and and so forth.
13:12
I would say our approach is more opportunistic.
13:15
If the right property at the right price comes along, we're
13:18
open to it. But you know, explain to me a
13:22
little bit about what the Millennium brand is.
13:25
Are these mostly high end properties?
13:27
And if that's the case, how often is there sort of a value
13:31
deal on a higher end property or would you look at taking over a
13:37
property that maybe doesn't meet that standard, but sort of add
13:41
your enhancements to it? Of course.
13:44
So the Millennium is our umbrella brand, it's our core
13:47
brand and it's a, it's a full service operation, right.
13:53
You know, brand competitors would be the Hilton core brand
13:57
or or the Marriott core brand or Sheraton within the the
14:02
Millennium group. We have and social is our
14:07
lifestyle brand. We have Copthorne is our mid
14:11
tier brand and then we have the Biltmore where I'm based here in
14:16
Los Angeles, which is our kind of classic luxury brand.
14:21
Those are kind of our our our core brands.
14:23
And, and then we have some independent properties, some
14:26
properties that have already are, are historic and
14:29
traditional in their own marketplace and they're known
14:31
for their independent name, but, but they're still part of the
14:34
brand. So if we were acquiring a
14:38
property, we would see which of those brands is the best fit for
14:41
that. For that hotel.
14:45
At the moment we have a a, a new build that is scheduled to open
14:49
in September next year and that's going to be our first
14:54
presence in Silicon Valley and Sunnyvale.
14:59
And what name is that going to carry?
15:01
That's going to be the M Social Sunnyvale, which is our
15:03
lifestyle brand, which you thought specifically for that
15:06
area it would fit in very well. It it's a more modern lifestyle
15:12
hotel, lots of open communal spaces, a play area.
15:20
A play area, like for kids, that kind of a play area.
15:23
No, it's an adult play area. I should have clarified that so.
15:27
I've got 9 and 11 year olds so I I think playground, that's where
15:30
my head goes. I know, and that's fair.
15:33
In this case, it's a it's a pool table, a library, a music room,
15:38
a foosball table. Just something to make it a
15:41
little bit more relaxed and, and it's, it's, it's a nice vibe,
15:47
you know, and in the evenings you have a DJ play in and just a
15:51
nicer, more modern vibe. So tell us specifically what the
15:57
Biltmore is like, how many beds, what's paint a picture for us,
16:01
what's the inside like, what's the customer experience like?
16:04
Of course. So the Biltmore is it's just
16:09
turned 102 years old, right? Open 1923.
16:13
So for LA, it truly is part of L as history right there.
16:17
There are downtown tours that the LA Conservancy carries out
16:22
and the hotel is featured in in in in in in in the tour.
16:25
So I always compare staying at the Biltmore like experience a
16:30
part of L as history there. There are a lot of very nice
16:33
hotels in in in the area, but this is 1 where you come in.
16:37
It's not just the, the historic value, but it was, it's the
16:42
architecture and, and, and the design.
16:45
The Biltmore has been featured in over 300 movies and, and, and
16:50
TV shows. It's the fourth most filmed
16:53
hotel in, in, in Los Angeles, in Hollywood.
16:57
So there, there's certainly a, a, a, a classic look to, to, to
17:01
the design and, and, and the architecture and, and, and I'm
17:05
always impressed what a great job they do for, for a building
17:09
that's over 100 years old, our guest satisfaction is fantastic.
17:12
And, and, and yes, the building is impressive, but the, but just
17:16
the level of service and the passion that the employees have.
17:20
I, I, I think we're, we're quite proud of the history and the,
17:24
the architecture of the hotel. Food and beverage available on
17:28
site, meeting space, any of that.
17:30
Oh, of course. So we have 680 guest rooms and
17:34
we have 70,000 square feet of meeting space.
17:36
So there's three different ballrooms. the Billboard is one
17:40
of the most popular wedding venues in in Los Angeles.
17:44
We do a little bit less than pre pandemic, but we do anywhere
17:49
between 40 and 60 weddings a year.
17:52
The Crystal Ballroom is just beautiful, still has its
17:55
original chandeliers. The the artist that painted the
18:00
ceiling over there also did work in the White House and, and, and
18:04
he worked in the Vatican as well.
18:06
It's an Italian American artist. So it's a very impressive
18:13
ballroom. So talk to us about how you
18:16
ascended into your current role of VP of Sales and OPS.
18:20
So progressing my career in early days I came through a a, a
18:25
sales background, sales manager, account manager, assistant
18:32
director of sales, director of sales.
18:35
And then I was promoted to area director of sales marketing in
18:41
South America. First, my wife is English.
18:45
We met in, in in Brazil and at some point she said it'd be nice
18:48
to go back to Europe. So an opportunity came with
18:51
Hilton and I moved across as regional Director of sales and
18:56
marketing for the Mediterranean region based in Milan for the
19:00
first year and in Athens for another three years after that.
19:05
So following that, we got the opportunity to go back to the UK
19:10
where where my wife is from and and our children were born.
19:13
I have twin girls and it's interesting because seeing,
19:18
having seen so many expats in the industry and, and, and
19:22
having family and growing inside a hotel, I, I, I certainly
19:28
didn't want that fantasy life for my children.
19:31
I wanted to, to have consistent friends and, and a stable
19:35
upbringing. So I, I then said, no, no, we're
19:37
going to be here in the UK for at least until they, they, they
19:40
go off to, to college, which it, which is what we did.
19:44
And then sometimes the timing just works out.
19:47
Millennium was looking for AVP sales for for the USI was
19:53
working for Millennium as a general manager in London at one
19:56
of our properties there and they were looking for somebody who
20:01
understood the Millennium approach and culture.
20:06
We're you know, we're very hands on practical leadership make an
20:11
impact and and. And, and sometimes I would say
20:15
that, that sometimes that the, the, the, the large
20:17
organizations, they tend to be a little bit more bureaucratic and
20:21
process driven. And our mindset is very much
20:24
entrepreneurial processes are necessary point for you to get
20:29
things done, but you shouldn't be over processed or overdriven
20:33
by, by reports, right? You can either win the war,
20:36
explain why you lost the war, right?
20:38
So just go out and do whatever you need to do to win the war.
20:41
And, and that culture and mentality is very different from
20:44
some of the the larger corporations, right?
20:46
Where the process rules, how, how, how they operate and, and
20:50
probably for companies that size, that needs to be the way.
20:53
So they then invited me. Sorry.
20:56
And would you say that to go out and win the war?
20:59
What's the war? Who?
21:00
Who's the fight against? Is this against the competition?
21:03
Is that the war we're talking about?
21:04
Yeah, I mean, first of all, our approach is I guess it's about
21:08
continuous improvement, you know, be better today than you
21:11
were yesterday and be better tomorrow than you are today.
21:14
So we certainly any complacency and everything is looked at very
21:19
you're always kept on your toes, OK, no matter how well you did
21:23
or or how poorly you did, what are you going to do different?
21:25
How are you going to keep improving?
21:27
And that mindset I think comes from an entrepreneurial mindset,
21:30
right. If it's your business, are you,
21:32
are you just going to sit there and say, OK, this is good
21:34
enough? No, you're always looking at
21:35
different ways you can grow and you can prove and that just, you
21:39
know, that mentality I, I find it's a, it's a stimulating one,
21:43
right? It certainly doesn't allow us to
21:44
get complacent. What does it mean to just bring
21:50
the weather? So, you know, as much as leaders
21:57
are expected to, to perform and, and, and deliver the results, I
22:01
think the real impact of a leader is the environment, the
22:06
communication and the mood you provide for your team, right?
22:10
And, and if, if you are coming in and you're excited,
22:16
enthusiastic, driven, working with people, listening, that
22:21
generates a certain positive momentum to, to the business,
22:26
right? And if you come in and you had a
22:28
bad day for whatever reason and you're in a bad mood, you need
22:32
to be very self aware of the impact that that has on the rest
22:36
of the team. So I, I, I, I like to use that
22:39
term. I said as a leader, you bring
22:40
the weather and, and, and I certainly heard that in a, in a,
22:44
a different video. And I thought that is, that is
22:47
so true. You know, we're responsible for
22:49
the business, but more importantly, we're responsible
22:52
for taking care of the people that then generate the business.
22:59
You know Alex, I got the chance to talk with a a number of
23:02
really interesting folks. Recent conversation I had was
23:07
with the founder of a temporary staffing company and they
23:11
typically end up in the past anyways being sort of a a six
23:16
month leading indicator of what the economy is doing.
23:20
So when their business starts to go up, the rest of the economy
23:23
starts to see that upswing about six months later.
23:27
Do you see anything similar from your role there at the hotels?
23:31
Does your role there give you, I don't know, a broader look into
23:34
what's going on in society or economy?
23:36
Have you noticed any patterns like that?
23:41
One of the key elements for us is, is forecasting and, and it's
23:47
very core forecasting. We look at the business pace,
23:53
right. So how much business we have on
23:54
the books into the future and what has the the pickup trend
23:58
been in the last three to six months.
24:01
And we'll use that in order to be able to project how well we
24:07
how strong and resilient we think the business is.
24:10
And then we always compare it to versus prior year.
24:13
And then we have a goal which we refer to as our budget.
24:16
So those are the two benchmarks. How does it compare to prior
24:19
year and how does it compare against our budget, our our our
24:22
goal? And, and then we break down,
24:25
down by market segments, right on, on on the hotel side, the
24:28
market segmentation will have a group base, which could be
24:32
company meetings, conventions, Congress's seminars.
24:38
And then you have obviously the international tourism base and,
24:42
and how's that coming in, in terms of groups?
24:45
You have another strong indicator is business travel,
24:48
right? So these are companies that
24:50
contract with the hotels to accommodate their employees and
24:53
contractors when they're out on business.
24:56
So that's always a good indicator and how the how the
24:58
economy is doing. And and then the last piece,
25:01
which is more short term is the retail business, right, just
25:05
people looking online for our brand website or or OTA and that
25:09
tends to be a little bit shorter term.
25:11
So, so there's a good mix between longer term business,
25:13
medium term and then short term. So certainly that we look at the
25:20
the macroeconomic indicators, our industry is very good at
25:24
providing benchmark. So I can see not only how I'm
25:27
doing, but how we're performing versus my direct competitors and
25:31
then our each one of our markets as a whole as well.
25:36
So as we're recording this at the end of October 2025, what
25:40
insights do you have on how the economy is doing just from your
25:43
little part of the world there? Well, I think the biggest thing
25:48
we're seeing is the market needs a certain amount of stability
25:54
and, and right now we have is uncertainty and, and on the on
25:58
the corporate side, people just they pause things right until
26:03
they fully realize where the tariffs going to end up.
26:06
It's not much whether there's going to be tariffs or not.
26:09
It's not knowing exactly how much it is because you can't
26:11
project and you can't forecast. So we're seeing a little bit of
26:14
the business slow down. the US is predominantly a domestic
26:20
leisure market. If you if you take away the
26:24
extremities, New York, LA, maybe Miami, Orlando, which have a
26:29
little bit more international business, our business 90 plus
26:32
percent domestic. So, so that's that's been OK.
26:37
But again with the uncertainty people just hold back a little
26:40
bit of their travel plans until they feel a little bit more
26:44
confident what's going on. So it, it's, it has stabilized a
26:48
a little bit in the last couple of months.
26:50
First part of the year was you know, it, it was trending down
26:57
and it's sort of now stabilized. And you know, we're always
27:02
hopeful that things will start to look better as, as we move
27:05
forward. But I would say we're we're
27:08
probably expecting about a similar performance for next
27:11
year in broad terms than than than this year.
27:16
So that's our kind of expectations for the market.
27:19
And then naturally we would then put a little bit of a stretch
27:21
target because we expect to be outperforming the market.
27:25
So, but that's on based on our efficiencies as opposed to the
27:28
the general market expectations. Yeah.
27:32
So Alex, when you were the Group Managing Director at Chantanys
27:36
Health Resorts, you let a commercial strategy overhaul
27:40
where you restructured the management team.
27:44
From your perspective, what's one key organizational change
27:48
that you believe is especially important for a hotel?
27:53
Oh, getting the right leadership and management team on board,
27:59
right. You, you, you can't do it by
28:00
yourself. You need to have not only
28:04
capable managers, but managers that are you can align towards.
28:10
It's difficult enough, right, to run a business and steal market
28:13
share and, and run the business successfully.
28:16
So your best chance is to make sure that you have a team
28:19
that's, that buys into to, to our vision into what we're
28:23
trying to accomplish. But then they have to be great
28:25
communicators as well, right? To be able to, to cascade those
28:29
priorities and focus, ensure the team have not only clear
28:32
direction, but the support that they need in order to succeed,
28:36
right? Most people want to do a good
28:38
job. And if you can engage them into
28:40
that process and, and make sure that they their their
28:43
contributions are recognized and appreciated, then then you've
28:47
got at least a formula to run a successful hotel.
28:52
Have you figured out some key ways to identify good talent
28:58
during the hiring process, so that once you've got them,
29:04
they're more likely to stay, more likely to be part of the
29:07
team? So there are a couple of key
29:10
things we consider. I mean, first of all, and, and,
29:13
and I'm sure this is fairly standard for, for most
29:16
industries you're hiring for attitude, right?
29:19
You look at that person's personality and did they have
29:23
that, that, that right attitude? Are they engaging as an
29:25
individual? Because listen, unless you're
29:30
going to a very specific specialized field and finance or
29:34
something, the rest you can teach, right?
29:36
And, and so that that's first and foremost.
29:41
But then other than that, it, we don't go into it and saying,
29:46
let's drill this candidate and see if they pass.
29:49
We really go into it to this is literally my conversation.
29:53
Every interview it says, listen, we really believe this is a two
29:56
way process, right? Yes, you, you need to have the
29:59
skill sets in order to do the job.
30:01
But we want to understand what, what motivates and what drives
30:04
you. And we want you to get as clear
30:06
an understanding of what Millennium is about, right?
30:10
And because the worst thing is that let's say we agreed to move
30:13
forward three months down the line, you're thinking this is
30:16
not what I expected or or vice versa.
30:18
We think we don't think this individual can fit into our, our
30:21
culture and our environment. Now you're looking for another
30:24
job. We're having to start the
30:25
recruitment process as well. So that's literally my opening
30:29
pitch. Let's just have an honest
30:30
conversation. We're not trying to fool you.
30:33
Please just be yourself. And, and if we feel that this is
30:36
a good fit, we want to, we'll, we'll, we'll move forward.
30:40
You know, we want you to know what the good, the bad and the
30:42
ugly, because it's not whether it's right or wrong, is it?
30:46
Is it a good fit? And I genuinely believe that.
30:50
What role does technology play in your work and being able to
30:55
keep guest experiences personalized and memorable?
31:00
For us, we have one of our mantra is GET, which stands for
31:06
growth, entrepreneurship and transformation.
31:09
The, the, the, the transformation on part is
31:13
usually innovation IT leg and it's always about how can we
31:21
reduce the amount of admin and bureaucracy so we can focus on
31:25
what really is going to impact customer satisfaction, employee
31:29
engagement. So we will look at things like,
31:33
you know, automation of our task order system so we can be more
31:38
efficient when a guest has an issue and how quickly it gets,
31:41
it gets tasked and escalated to, to, to completion, you know,
31:46
contactless check in to speed up the process.
31:49
So we have less people in line. So we have a system that
31:55
monitors all of our preventive maintenance utilities and, and,
31:59
and highlights things before things actually become an issue.
32:02
So we can try and be proactive in addressing those.
32:04
So we really sort of and, and of course I'll be a remiss if I
32:10
didn't mention AI and, and we now have an internal AI system
32:15
where which is able to pull from all of our documents data as
32:18
files and we can just ask questions and it will give us at
32:23
least a, a very good recommendation, suggestions and
32:26
how we could optimize our efficiency.
32:29
Can you give an example of a question that you've asked it
32:32
and something it's come back with that's been helpful?
32:37
It's a more of a practical question, but if somebody
32:39
submitted their monthly financial results and you can
32:42
plug it in and say, can you please highlight the, the key
32:45
areas where this hotel is underperforming and come up with
32:48
five recommendations on what they could look at in order to
32:51
improve their efficiency and staff productivity, for example.
32:54
And you know, I find like anything you have to sense
32:57
check, but but it, it's certainly a very useful tool.
33:00
It does a lot of the ground work for you and you continue to
33:04
tweak it until you get to a result that you're you're
33:07
confident in. But it certainly made us more
33:09
efficient and and and get to those outcomes faster.
33:13
Do you use it in conjunction with your CRM in any way, like
33:19
asking questions about we've got a guest challenge, how do we
33:23
solve that? We have not actually ventured
33:28
into that into that area yet, OK.
33:32
What other emerging hospitality trends are you seeing or maybe
33:36
like changes in guest expectations that you think are
33:40
having an impact now or likely to have an impact going forward
33:44
on your industry? I think it's very much about
33:52
options, right? You know, you look at, I mean,
33:56
we're investing right now in the technology that you can
33:58
communicate in your room with, with a virtual assistant.
34:03
And, and rather than having to go into your TV or your menu and
34:07
order some food, you can, you can just interact with this
34:10
person and say, Hey, I, I would like some breakfast.
34:12
And, and, and they'll say, Hey, what would you like?
34:14
And, and it can read it out. And you can make those orders
34:17
through voice activated in the rooms.
34:20
If you need some towels, you need more water or anything like
34:23
that, you can make those requests in the rooms.
34:26
We just relaunched the M social downtown New York, which is
34:30
right opposite the Oculus there by the World Trade Center.
34:33
And we, we, we, we, we launched that.
34:38
It's it's in 15th of November, so just under a couple weeks
34:43
ago. So very good feedback on, on, on
34:47
just making that experience a little bit more seamless.
34:49
And, you know, listen, at the end of the day, a hotel is a
34:53
hotel and it's, it's, it's, you still need to provide, you know,
34:57
a very comfortable bed, good facilities in the room, the
35:00
right temperature, the entertainment option, channels,
35:04
food and beverage facilities. So what we do is everything
35:08
that's around that. How?
35:10
How can we make the guest experience less hassle and and
35:15
and more seamless? What's an example of one way to
35:20
make it less hassle? You've mentioned that virtual
35:22
assistant idea, which sounds really cool.
35:24
You have something else that has already been implemented.
35:28
Well, I, I mean, this is fairly, fairly standard in a lot of
35:31
hotels, but again, not have to go to check in and you know, so,
35:35
so, so that contact list really speeds up the process and, and
35:38
less hassle, I guess automatically get their, sent
35:41
their, their, their bills at the end.
35:44
The virtual assistant in the room.
35:49
And as I said, some, some of the backup systems is just of making
35:53
it easier for the guests to communicate, whether they prefer
35:56
to, to, to speak to a virtual assistant or they prefer to send
35:59
us a text or, or call the, the, the, the reception, how that
36:02
gets picked up and followed up and escalated to, to make sure
36:06
that it gets addressed. I think the, you know, the, the
36:10
little details is how do you make a guest experience
36:13
memorable, right? That, that's the, the, the, the
36:16
silver bowl that's every hotel group is trying to do.
36:18
But at the very least you make sure that it's hassle free,
36:21
everything works as expected. And then and then you build on
36:24
that with the personal little touches.
36:27
So your role as VP of Sales and OPS for 13 locations in the USA,
36:33
right? Does that involve a lot of
36:35
travel? You got to go to travel to each
36:38
of these locations a lot. Yeah, it, it, it does, It does.
36:43
I would say, you know, they, they, they come in bunches.
36:46
I probably travel about 2025 * a year.
36:49
Last month I was on the road four times.
36:52
I, I was in Vegas, New York, Chicago and Boston.
36:57
And then this month I've only got one trip, but you know, it's
37:02
actually, I don't mind it. I, I, I love going out to the
37:05
hotels, meeting the people and you know, so it's, it, it
37:10
depends on your mindset, right? I, I have the opportunity to do
37:12
something I love and, and engage with the hotels.
37:15
So I you know the travel, it's OK.
37:19
And and So what does your work look like when you're, I'm going
37:23
to call it remote when you're sort of in your home base versus
37:27
when you go on site? What is it that you're able to
37:31
do that's different in each of those scenarios?
37:36
I would say that the, the challenge is the other way
37:38
around. When you're travelling, you
37:40
still have to do your day job right.
37:41
So I, I have weekly reviews with the hotels forecast reviews.
37:46
I, I have meeting with the sales teams and then when you're at a
37:50
location, you're trying to dedicate that time and focus on,
37:53
on supporting and working with the hotel, but your day job is
37:56
still there, right? So, so normally what it does is,
38:00
but then I'm at a hotel. So after the the the day is done
38:03
I can then catch up with my different tasks and and and
38:06
emails and and and things like that.
38:09
OK, Alex, let's make a little pivot here in the conversation.
38:14
Had a lot of success, you know, hold a number of really
38:18
interesting positions at wonderful hotels across the
38:20
world. But life also has the downs as
38:25
well as the UPS. What is a big, serious challenge
38:30
in your life that you've had to overcome, whether it's on the
38:32
professional side or it's on the personal side?
38:34
How did you get through that and what did you learn?
38:40
Yeah, it's a, that's an interesting 1.
38:43
And it was, and it was quite humbling.
38:45
I, so I, I faced the time in my career where, you know, I was
38:54
working for a privately owned company, you know, and I'd, I'd
38:58
worked really hard. It was my first managing
39:01
director position. And I worked really hard to
39:03
build a, a strong culture, a clear vision, you know, a, a
39:08
team that was aligned. We had some some really good
39:11
goals for the business. We've managed to successfully
39:14
refinance the business, but it was a privately owned company
39:19
and, and, and the owner sort of became increasingly involved in
39:22
the, the day-to-day operations was challenging the direction
39:26
that that I I was taking for the business.
39:29
And it, it wasn't so much that he disagreed with the direction
39:36
we were doing. He, he was just a very
39:38
entrepreneurial mindset. He didn't really believe in
39:41
structure planning or meetings or communications.
39:44
And it was very much on just execute and, and get things
39:49
done. You know, I, I tried to bridge a
39:52
gap. I I was trying to explain the
39:55
alignment and the transparency were really critical for our
39:59
establishing a long term success of the business.
40:02
But the relationship sort of became increasingly strained.
40:08
Eventually he became more forceful.
40:12
I find myself in a position where, where my values and, and
40:15
principles were, were being compromised, you know, so I, I,
40:20
I stepped down. And that was really one of the
40:23
hardest decisions I've ever had to make.
40:26
I've never walked away from, from, from any challenge.
40:30
As I said, I I I love what I do, but it was really something
40:34
against my nature. But that experience taught me a
40:38
lot about my self-awareness integrity.
40:42
I realized that leadership isn't just about achieving results,
40:46
it's about staying true to your principles even when that comes
40:50
out of personal cost. It gave me clarity on what kind
40:57
of the leader I want to be and the type of environments where I
41:00
can truly add value and feel that I can be my best self, if
41:03
you will. You know, in, in hindsight, it
41:06
was a real defining moment for me and, and I think if anything,
41:10
it is strengthened my, my sense of purpose and, and myself
41:13
confidence in the medium term. I'm going to describe a
41:18
situation that happened for me and I wonder if this is at all a
41:23
similar thread for you. When I was in college, I went
41:27
and studied for a year in the UK as an American in the Uki was
41:33
expecting to learn a lot about the British culture, which I
41:37
did. But what surprised me was how
41:39
much I learned about American culture because by just always
41:44
being in America, I don't fully understand some of the things
41:49
that make me uniquely American until I had something to
41:53
contrast against it. And I would say something or
41:56
share an experience and they would be, you know, aghast or,
42:00
or, you know, surprised. And it's like, oh, that's a more
42:03
American situation or perspective or whatever it is.
42:07
And so as I'm hearing you tell that story, I wonder if you
42:10
found yourself in a similar situation where you had some
42:14
sense of what your your values were and what your leadership
42:17
style was. But I wonder if you understood
42:20
it on a deeper level now that you had so much pushback from
42:24
somebody else who felt very differently.
42:28
Yes, you're right. You know, a, a lot of times I
42:32
always say common sense isn't always uncommon, right?
42:37
And, and I've always prided myself and if nothing else, just
42:40
having good common sense, right, being able to evaluate a
42:42
situation. And I said, I'm not going to
42:44
take credit for having common sense, right?
42:46
People should have common sense. But as I was pushed more and
42:50
more, it, it, it allowed me to understand what those, those
42:54
boundaries were and, and really sort of have that, that clarity
42:57
and what's important for me, you know, because, listen, I, I have
43:01
a family to provide. I had mortgage to pay.
43:04
And, but at some point there, there's something more important
43:08
than that, right? And then I, I had that
43:11
confidence that to say, this isn't worth it, right?
43:16
I, I, I will be OK and, and I will find an opportunity where
43:22
there's no point in having what was a great position.
43:26
But if I am not happy, if I don't feel that I can contribute
43:31
in the way that I know that I can, then then that's not a good
43:35
marriage. And was the hardest part about
43:39
stepping down from this role the fact that you did have a family
43:42
to provide for? Maybe you didn't have another
43:44
job that you were stepping immediately into.
43:46
You didn't know what the future was going to hold.
43:49
That was certainly a big factor. Plus, you know, I, I like the
43:55
company. I, I, we, I, I had helped put
43:58
together a team that I was really proud of.
44:00
And, you know, so I, I thought we were part of a winning team
44:03
and we were accomplishing things and, and I wanted to see that
44:06
to, to its full fruition. Don't get me wrong, refinancing
44:11
the business was a huge step for the company.
44:13
And you know, there are a number of wins that I'm very proud of
44:16
to have to have been able to implement.
44:18
But I thought that there was more to be accomplished than
44:21
having to. To leave a job which was half
44:25
completed was also a challenge for me.
44:29
So for you was the bigger deal. It sounds like, if I'm hearing
44:33
you correctly, Alex, was more that you felt like you were
44:36
leaving in the midst of a an unfinished task.
44:40
Yes, that, that that's fair, yeah.
44:42
You felt like you were aside from the entrepreneur boss who
44:46
was a bit of a thorn. You felt like you were leaving
44:49
the rest of the organization in limbo, so to speak.
44:53
And the team that I had cultivated and we had built and
44:56
I, I didn't want to let them down, right.
44:59
And, and they're kind of looking to me to be the, the, the, the,
45:02
the buffer, if you will, and, and be able to manage some of
45:05
that situation. So that played a big factor as
45:08
well. I, I really, I felt bad about
45:12
having to make a decision and prioritize my own health and
45:16
sanity. And so, yeah, that's, you know,
45:21
I still keep in touch with the, with most of them.
45:23
So, you know, it, it was OK. But I I did feel like I was
45:27
letting the team down. Was there anybody that you were
45:30
able to lean on during this time for support or go to for advice?
45:37
I have been fortunate to have had a couple of really good
45:41
mentors through, through throughout my career.
45:45
And, you know, and these days we, we kind of touch base and I
45:48
don't know if it's a mentor relationship anymore, but
45:51
somebody I trust and value their opinion.
45:53
And, you know, and sometimes you just need to give somebody an
45:58
opportunity to, to grant you with that perspective.
46:00
Right when you're right in the middle of things, you can't see
46:02
the, the, the, the wood from the trees and, and, and it's just
46:05
really good to, to bounce those thoughts off of, of somebody so.
46:11
OK, putting all humility aside, Alex, what is your superpower?
46:20
I would say it's a combination of empathy and communication.
46:25
I really make it a point to communicate throughout all
46:29
levels of the organization to be somebody who is genuinely
46:35
curious and interested and, and people in in development.
46:39
I listen, you have the occasional bad apple and you
46:44
need to make sure that you, you manage those effectively and
46:46
efficiently. But mostly people just want to
46:50
feel inspired and they need support to grow and develop.
46:53
So I, I approach this in saying my aim is for you to be
46:57
successful. And and that's, let's say that's
47:00
even selfish because I want the business to be successful.
47:02
And the best way to do that is to help you be your, your, your
47:06
best version of yourself and, and, and, and produce that's
47:10
going to allow you to progress your career, get the recognition
47:13
that you deserve and allows the business to prosper as well.
47:16
So we have the same aims here. It's not, you know, this is not
47:21
altruistic or anything like that.
47:23
It, it's, it's out of self-interest.
47:25
And and I say that not to sound selfish, but for them to
47:28
understand that I'm not just being nice it it benefits the
47:31
business if I'm supporting them in it to succeed.
47:34
What advice would you give somebody who's looking to
47:36
advance their career in hospitality?
47:44
Listen, first and foremost, do your job and do it well, right?
47:49
But other than that, be not not only be open to criticism, but
47:54
but seek it out right? How else are you going to grow?
47:57
You know, I, I always go into every performance review by
48:02
saying, listen, yeah, yeah, thank you for the praise and
48:04
whatever, just tell me what I can do better, right?
48:07
Because it's that honest and direct feedback.
48:10
So I really try to build trust with every one of my my team
48:15
members to the point that they're, they're really open to
48:17
receiving that and that that feedback, knowing that it comes
48:20
from a good place. It's not, you know, put put your
48:24
ego aside and just saying somebody's giving you the
48:27
benefit of sharing some honest feedback.
48:29
And, and it's less about challenging whether that
48:33
feedback is factually accurate or when I have examples as the
48:39
intention of the feedback. You know, even if it's not true,
48:43
it it is how you're being perceived.
48:45
And you have to understand that that perception is something you
48:48
want to try and address as well. Alex, you've had the opportunity
48:52
to manage, oversee either directly or indirectly thousands
48:56
of employees in your career. I think most people would agree
49:01
that the majority of the population, they would like to
49:04
earn more money. So in that way they would like
49:07
to advance themselves. From your perspective, from what
49:10
you've seen, are most people also interested in that
49:16
constructive feedback that actually leads to them becoming
49:21
better? Or is their primary focus on how
49:25
do I get a raise? OK.
49:30
To that I would say they're one and the same, right?
49:34
If if you're still doing your role, there's a limit to how
49:37
much raise you're going to be able to earn because there's a
49:40
certain expectation for that position that you're doing.
49:43
So there's a range, right? So if the range is between 90
49:47
and 100,000 and you're at the top of your game, you're
49:50
probably going to be capping out at 100,000.
49:53
So if you want more money, the way is to understand what is
49:56
career progression look like, what are the possible next steps
50:00
and what is the skill gap or experience gap that I need to
50:03
close in order to be considered for that career progression.
50:09
So you go into a job review with the mindset of yes, thank you
50:15
for all the praise, but tell me what I can do to get better.
50:17
Do you see most others come in with that same mindset, or is it
50:21
a little bit harder for most people to take that constructive
50:24
feedback? Early on, it's hard, right?
50:29
And then once you've established a relationship with your
50:31
director of ports and you coach them and, and, and again, I
50:33
think it all comes down to that level of trust, right?
50:36
I said, if, if you can put aside that I want you to succeed and,
50:41
and I believe you're doing a good job in your, in your role,
50:44
this feedback is really to make you better and to help you grow.
50:49
And once you, you have that breakthrough with somebody,
50:53
because, you know, if the trust isn't there, they're going to be
50:55
thinking, OK, what's his angle? Where is this coming from?
50:59
Are they trying to performance management?
51:01
You know, do they want something written in my, my performance
51:04
reviews so that they can use it against me?
51:06
Right. And there's a whole bunch of
51:08
negative thoughts that could come through your head if the
51:11
trust is in there. So I, I, I really, and, and you
51:14
know, I don't, I think what's the expression of some things
51:18
are better said and said. I don't believe in that.
51:19
I think you say everything right.
51:21
You articulate exactly why you're doing that and why I want
51:25
to build the trust and, and every opportunity for you to
51:29
communicate that that clearly is, is making inroads into
51:33
establishing that that communication and, and trust.
51:36
And, you know, we're not always going to agree.
51:38
And I was saying that's OK. You know, a trust goes both
51:41
ways. And I said, I, I want you to
51:42
feel comfortable if you want to challenge me too and say, I
51:46
don't disagree with this, that that's OK.
51:48
And I and I give you my word, I'm not going to hold it against
51:50
you as long as we're both respectful and honest in how we
51:54
communicate things. Alex, do you have a favorite
51:57
book or podcasts that might be interesting for our audience to
52:02
check out? So in our company there, there's
52:07
a book and, and there's been a, a subsequent update on the book,
52:11
which I, I really like is a blue ocean strategy.
52:14
It's an old book. It's probably 2025 years old,
52:18
but I, I, I love the, the, the how, how specific it is and,
52:21
and, and it gives you actually a, a blueprint to framework how
52:24
you could put it into practice. I'm not saying it's easy to to
52:27
find you find your blue ocean, but I, I, I really like that
52:31
book and it sort of helped me adapt my, my way of thinking
52:35
and, and trying to come up with new solutions.
52:39
Explain what's meant by blue ocean.
52:42
So the contrast is blue ocean, red ocean, right?
52:46
So most of most businesses live in what they call a shark
52:49
infested waters into it, which is a red ocean where you're,
52:53
you're pretty much offering the same product, same services and
52:56
and then it just comes down to price, right?
52:57
Who can sell the cheapest? Your, your products become by
53:01
and large commoditized. A blue ocean is where you
53:05
identify an opportunity, a niche in the market where there isn't
53:10
anybody currently offering a comparable product or service.
53:13
And therefore it's just about the value of your product as
53:17
opposed to having to engage in this pricing war to the bottom.
53:25
Got you. As far as podcast, no, the, I
53:33
find the Ezra Klein podcast quite interesting.
53:39
And then I, I, I'm a big American football fan, so I
53:42
listen to a lot of the, the NFL daily and podcasts and.
53:47
Who's your team? The I don't know if I want to
53:51
say it's the most hated team in America, but it's the Dallas
53:53
Cowboys, yeah. How did that happen?
53:56
I just chose America's team. Yeah, I was growing up in, in,
54:01
in in California. My best friend was a Minnesota
54:04
Vikings fan. I I needed to pick a team.
54:06
I was 8 years old and the big star on the helmet and the
54:10
cheerleaders. I said, why wouldn't you be a
54:12
Dallas Cowboys fan back then, right?
54:13
And then I stuck through thick and thin.
54:15
And it's been mostly thin over the last 30 years.
54:18
But hey, you're, you're a fan despite of, right?
54:21
Not not because otherwise everybody would have been
54:24
Patriots fans. I'm a Cleveland Browns fan, so
54:26
you're speaking my language. So you get me?
54:29
Yeah. I get you very well and then
54:31
some. Alex, I've just got one more
54:33
question for you today. But before I ask it, I want to
54:35
do a few things. First, anyone looking to get in
54:39
touch with Alex, he's given us permission to give out his
54:42
e-mail address, which I'm going to spell for you and then
54:44
include in the show show notes. So it's a LE x.de
54:49
carvalho@millenniumhotels.com and that also tells you what
54:55
their website address is, whichismillenniumhotels.com.
54:58
Again, those will both be in the show notes.
55:01
And as a reminder, if you want to get more hotel employees
55:03
access to benefits that won't hurt them financially and
55:06
carries a financial upside for the company, reach out to us at
55:10
Add Back benefits.com. Finally, if you'll take just a
55:13
moment to leave us a comment or a review on your favorite
55:16
podcast app, we will be forever grateful to you.
55:19
So last question for you, Alex, you and I reconnect a year from
55:23
now and you're celebrating something big.
55:26
What's that big thing you hope to be celebrating one year from
55:29
today? Well over and above the, the,
55:40
the, the obviously making our, our, our financial goals and,
55:43
and, and targets the, the expansion our portfolio in the
55:48
US We are, we are looking for opportunities.
55:50
We just renovated downtown New York.
55:52
We're opening up in, in Silicon Valley.
55:55
So it it would be nice to have four or five hotels in the
56:00
pipeline. So we continue to develop our
56:03
our brand and our network in the in the US market, maybe even
56:07
opening a hotel in, in, in, in the Americas, either Canada or
56:10
South America. Some place you get your eye on
56:14
in South America to go, go back to Brazil.
56:17
You know, I'm I'm half Brazilian so opening hotel in Rio de
56:20
Janeiro would be would be nice. OK, we'll keep our eye out.
56:25
Alex from Millennium Hotels. I want to be the first to thank
56:28
you for sharing both your time and your story with us today.
56:30
I really appreciate it. It's been great.
56:32
It's my pleasure. Thank you, Anthony.
56:35
Folks, that's a wrap on another episode of the Inspired Stories
56:38
podcast. Thanks for learning with us
56:39
today.