Positivity, strength, perseverance, empathy, adaptability, credibility and passion make up the cocktail of elements that make José Caro Cohen an outstanding hotelier.
by María Cecilia Hernández Ocampo
José Caro Cohen confesses to being a worker, addicted to his daily work, to the point of recognizing that he should allocate a little more of his time to enjoy it as a family.
Today he is Director – Business Development at the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort hotel in Puerto Rico, and although our guest is not born in these Caribbean lands, no one like him knows them better.
"I was born in July 1964 in the city of Tangier, morocco, and six weeks later my family moved to Madrid. There I studied at the French Lyceum in Madrid, until in 1977 my family emigrated again, this time to Caracas, Venezuela, where I entered mid-secondary school at the Moral y Luces School. Later, I studied Business Administration at night at the Andrés Bello Catholic University while working during the day in a jewelry distributor at the time of Saudi Venezuela, until I decided to change the air and accept a job offer in a store in the center of Porlamar, on Margarita Island. Tells.
Remember that this was precisely the moment in which he discovered a concept that would define him and accompany him forever: "Tourism industry". His versatility and his knowledge in languages opened the doors to this market, starting as an apprentice Tour Guide in a receptive tourism company.
His career undertook an unstoppable ascent: in a few years he became general manager of the operator Holiday Tours, in Isla Margarita, "and from there I jumped to the hotel industry, starting as a sales manager in a hotel, there I became national director of Sales in Venezuela.
Delighted with the world of tourism our professional sought to participate more in it, so he founded in partnership two companies a receptive tourism agency and a hotel reservation center in Margarita.
"However, foreign circumstances such as the closure of the airline Viasa and the change in the political situation in Venezuela between 2002 and 2008 affected tourist traffic and I decided to accept an offer from a German hotel operator, LTI International, for the opening of its hotel in the north of the Island, there I was Commercial and Reception Director, "I was Commercial and Reception Director, " remember Caro.
Years later and in the words of Caro himself, he was discovered by the Hilton chain, where he served as Sales Manager at the firm's hotel in Isla Margarita and later as National Director of Sales, Director of Commercial Development at Hilton Caracas, Hilton Margarita, and currently at the Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort in Puerto Rico, where he will complete ten years of work in December 2012.
The dream of traveling and wearing formal clothes
Among his confessions, Caro, admits that from a very young age he visualized his future wearing formal costumes and managing a hotel, nothing made him feel more like contact with diverse audiences, from different regions of the world. Nothing gave him greater satisfaction than providing his hospitality services.
"The hotel industry captivated me and turned out for my perspective an activity very similar to my old vocation as a diplomat: attention and service, hospitality, international business, surrounded by the "glamour" that invades the hotel industry of superior category," he says.
According to José, in recent years the hotel industry has fundamentally changed in terms of the way the consumer has changed decision patterns and expectations.
Before, says the guest, it was common for a hotel guest to be surprised by the technological advances offered by hotels, which were not available to the client in their private environment, in their home, such as remote-controlled televisions and multitudes of channels and movies, bathtubs with hydromassage, etc.
This generation of hoteliers is experiencing a technological revolution to which only the most adaptable of companies survives: both in the technological issue and in their social and environmental responsibility.
From this point of view this month's professional advises hoteliers to be careful to maintain a good online reputation, maintain open communication channels through the Internet and social networks, and offer options for both technological convenience and balance in healthy eating services, exercise areas to take care of health, friendly and personalized service, at reasonable costs.
Rocker father and lover
A love story that still continues anchored Jose Caro to the Latin American Caribbean, he narrates his story like this:
"When I arrived in Caracas I fell in love with a classmate. More than ten years after we separated when we left high school, and already living in Isla Margarita, I was lucky enough to conquer it from the relative distance between the island and the Venezuelan capital. We have been married for 18 years, with three children: Clara, 14, Armando, 11, and Eva, seven."
The professional of the month is a versatile, dynamic man, who does not stop even when he rests. His life moves to the rhythm of rock, passion inherited from his older brother: The Beatles, U2, Rolling Stones, Billy Idol, Rush, Genesis, Soda Stéreo or Santana, are the frequent flowing sound of his iPod.
In his moments of freedom and silence he delves into the labyrinths and castles of a good epic novel, "I remember that the first complete book I read as a child when I lived in Madrid was Ivanhoe. In my mental library are the narratives of The Three Musketeers, the stories of King Arthur and Robin Hood.
"The adventures of pirates and corsairs narrated by Emilio Salgari, which curiously describe the coasts and islands of the Caribbean, where I have spent much of my life, also catch me," he says.
This literary interest contrasts with the taste acquired by new technologies and advances in the subject of communications. Travel is not only part of his daily work but also a real enjoyment for José.
From Spain he retains his taste for tapas, typical food of that country, and his fervent passion for Real Madrid.
Joseph 24 hours
Despite being a multifaceted man, he admits that sometimes he gets carried away by the rhythm of work, "although I am very familiar, sometimes it is difficult for me to establish limits between work responsibilities and the needs to enjoy time at home. A friend-colleague in Margarita nicknamed me amicably José 24 hours, because he knew that at almost any time I would find myself working in the office."
And that is how tireless is the goal that José set out to achieve, he assures that the next step of his career is to achieve the general management of a hotel, "therefore, I am applying for an internal program of "assessment" or certification of talents, which will be carried out during the next year. It will require completing courses and special projects, especially in those areas of the business that I did not go through, such as Comptroller and Food and Beverage, for example, and that allow me to consolidate the baggage of knowledge and skills before assuming that role. "
Precisely, in front of his skills in the hotel market, the professional highlights adaptability to new realities as one of the most important. "There is motivating employees to be open and receptive to change. The profile of the client and their behavior have changed and we must assume their new concerns, needs and expectations. It is important to have motivated and trained staff, to whom we can empower to immediately address complaints, requests or needs of the client, which exceed their expectations."
One of its virtues and that it considers essential in the industry in which it operates is credibility, a factor that, according to José, generates a bridge of complicity with the client that goes beyond the primary relationship. It emphasizes that the goal as hospitality workers is to establish emotional bonds and connections, a certain level of loyalty with internal and external customers.
Trust in the region
As the executive explains regarding the situation of the hotel market in the region, "Latin America as a bloc must be able to project a sense of stability. Business tourism may be less sensitive to the ups and downs of the political climate, but you can't put all the eggs in the same basket and you have to balance the business segments. Leisure tourism, at all levels, is also important as a contribution to the business and is very susceptible to issues such as insecurity."
There are many opportunities for demand growth for the entire region, not only because of the upcoming sporting events in Brazil in 2014 and 2016, but also because of the growing waves of travelers from both Eastern Europe and Asia, especially China.
Caro assures that technological competitiveness must be strengthened, the use of tools such as smartphones and tablets, access to global information and eliminate language barriers. "Only in this way will our growth attract more investment," he says.
José Caro Cohen ends with a reflection that he would like to share with his colleagues: "The beauty of this industry is partly that; it builds bridges between people and personalities from different backgrounds and orientations and can help understanding, communication and knowledge of other cultures and points of view. Conrad Hilton once said that nothing like tourism could contribute to fostering peace in the world."
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