Experience Manager

Pablo Nieto is the manager of the 101 Park House Hotel located in Bogota, Colombia. For the positioning that this establishment has achieved under his direction and the recognitions obtained throughout his performance, he is our professional of the month.

By: María Cecilia Hernández

The 101 Park House Hotel in Bogotá, Colombia, is considered the Best Boutique Hotel in Colombia by the New York Academy of Hospitality Sciences in its Five Star Diamond Award competition.

This establishment received the same designation in the most important global event of international travel and tourism, the World Travel Award held in London and was described by the Wall Street Journal as "the Oscars" of the tourism market.

Behind the obtaining of such important awards is Pablo Nieto, who for more than four years has been the general manager of this hotel, for that reason and for his extensive knowledge of the sector, he accompanies us in this edition of HOTEL MANAGEMENT, in the Section the Professional of the month.

Proud to have studied his primary and high school at the Gimnasio Moderno school in the capital of Colombia, Nieto affirms that his style of management comes from the teachings and experiences lived during his first years in that institution: "There the workers are called by their name and they are given the hand when greeting them."

The manager, 41 years old, is a lawyer from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and a Business Administrator from the Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración CESA; He holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain, a Master's Degree in Tourism and Hospitality from the same institution and is a graduate of the General Mangers Program (GMP) of Cornell University in the United States.

By pure chance

In 2001 Pablo Nieto left for Spain with his wife. There he started a master's degree in Public Administration through a grant. "The economic resources were running out so we asked for an extension of the scholarship including support. On vacation we traveled to the United States to work to get money and to continue studying. I was working in a coffee bar and a restaurant and in that way I was approaching the tourism sector, "recalls the administrator.

A few months later his application was approved halfway, he had his scholarship but only academic, without maintenance. "For that reason it was more comfortable for me to study tourism while I finished my studies in public administration, it was like a second option and for things of God I ended up worshipping that market. I stayed."

With the help of Fernando Sánchez Paredes, Nieto held his first position in the hotel world as manager of the Meliá Santafé Hotel, and after two years he went directly to the establishment that he now manages with very good results.

"I have worked in all fields of business administration: in the public sector, in the private sector, as an independent owner and as an employee. I was legal chief and administrative head of the German multinational Hoechst S.A., I officiated as mayor of the town of Usaquén in Cundinamarca, I was also manager and partner of the Mexican company Rvox Andina in the headquarters of Colombia, which does market research, and finally, I have worked in the hotel sector for more than 6 years, first at the Meliá Santafé and now at 101 Park House," says the administrator.

The importance of "You"

When asked about his strategy to take this company to such a degree of deserved recognition, his manager explains with very specific phrases what day by day steals his dedication and his dream: "Everyone is looking for the product and the service, isn't that what the world experts, consultants and gurus do? Well, we believe that we must take a step further that consists of truly focusing on customers, not on us or our relationships, on them one hundred percent. That's when the difference is made," he emphasizes.

Then the administrator proposes an analogy so that the message is fully understood: "A good product and a good service are not enough, you need the customer experience. Let's say the product is focused on the 'me', the service is the 'me with you' and the experience means the 'you'. The initial goal is to have a good product and a good service, without them it is impossible to achieve a good experience."

This is the philosophy with which he comes to his work daily. For this professional it is not free for your hotel to register high percentages of repetitive and loyal guests. "If you focus on the people who work with you, on the collaborators, you will get them to see their guests as friends, with respect, and from there thousands of ideas will be born to make them feel good. This will turn our users into customers who multiply good experiences."

However, as a connoisseur of the tourism market, Nieto sees a little clouded the panorama of the development of that industry in the Latin American region as an interconnected space, more specifically in the South of the continent.

"I think there's too much political polarization in the region and that may not be as appealing in the eyes of tourists around the world. I believe that there is a need for infrastructure in communications, tracks, trains, airlines, opening of skies; connectivity is the first step in tourism development. When a South American travels to Europe, very rarely, unless he goes to work, he thinks of staying in a single country, while a European who comes to South America, with difficulty can travel between the countries other than at a huge cost for the area rates, "Nieto explained.

The expert said that he does not see many possibilities for expansion in the regional context, since he does not visualize a joint work in what has to do with politics. However, he considers that the possibilities that each country has separately are enormous, with large areas that are still to be explored. "Therein lies the potential," he says.

In addition to being a manager...

After eleven years of marriage, today Paul enjoys the company of his wife and three children: Paul, six years old; James, five, and Philip three; "Two of them are already studying at the Modern Gymnasium," their father says proudly.

He does his best to convey to them his love of music, reading and sports. "Every night we play classical music and during the day other genres. Now they go crazy with the music of the World Cup and adore Michael Jackson. I love the color blue and they have had to fall in love with the same color, so we like everything blue, the football team, the color of the bed, the car, the political party, in short. The rule is that if you do not know who to go for, go for the one in blue, you will surely be less wrong," Nieto confesses and points out that "It may sound silly, but they (their children) will have the option to choose when they grow up."
In addition to being a lawyer and administrator, Pablo runs a leadership school that seeks to train young people in schools in different areas such as public speaking, management techniques, teamwork, and business tools applied to the age of the boys. "We hope that they will serve them later to be better and better people, so that they are leaders in whatever area they operate and can serve their country with commitment," he explains.

Pablo Nieto is sure that his professional challenges must be in tune with his personal goals, which with fortune and a lot of work he has been achieving day after day. That is why he affirms that "In a couple of years large international hotel chains will enter the country and this will generate a crisis in the sector, if at that time we continue to be one of the five best hotels in the country, I will see that the forecast was not superior to us. I will have to try hard to stay in the place where we are, but keeping in mind that for no reason will I neglect my family, my wife and my children, they come first and I want it to always be like this."