For the general manager of the Gaia Hotel & Reserve, near Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica, the recipe of life has few, but important ingredients.
by Héctor Gómez Pérez
He also considers that there is an export product that is common to all countries that find in tourism and the service industry their main sources of income: "in the tourism industry and in customer service our most precious export product is our smile. On the other hand, family, love and respect for everyone else, are the essential ingredients of the recipe of life."
For the general manager of the Gaia Hotel & Reserve, in Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio National Park, life's recipe has few, but important ingredients. He also considers that there is an export product that is common to all countries that find in tourism and the service industry their main sources of income: "in the tourism industry and in customer service our most precious export product is our smile. On the other hand, family, love and respect for everyone else, are the essential ingredients of the recipe of life."
With these words we started with Diego Fallas Ibáñez, our professional of the month, the journey that allowed us to know some aspects of his personal life and his short, but ascending career as a hospitality manager. Suffice it to say that in 2007 the Gaia Hotel & Reserve won the World Travel Awards Costa Rica's Leading Boutique and the Condé Nast Johansens in the Most Excellent Hotel category in Central America and Mexico. 2008 was also full of good news with the two World Travel Awards in the categories Costa Rica's Leading Boutique Hotel and Central America's Green Hotel. Large-scale awards for a hotel that opened its doors in December 2005 and for a manager who started in the industry precisely with this hotel project.An economist in the industry
Fallas was born in San José de Costa Rica on September 2, 1971 and his university studies had more subjects of finance than of hospitality since he has a degree in international economic relations. He also holds a bachelor's degree in foreign trade, a master's degree in business administration with a specialty in banking and finance, and a postgraduate degree in mass media management, peace education, sustainable tourism and intellectual property.
Although the beginning of his working life was made in official dependencies such as the Institute of Municipal Development and Development or the Department of Foreign Policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Costa Rica, he later moved to private enterprise, always in the field of national and international trade. His leap into the hospitality industry occurred in 2004 when he met in Miami, by those designs of fate, the president of Gaia Hotel & Reserve, Boris Marchegiani. "He decided to invest in one of the most beautiful areas of Costa Rica and made me part of the adventure; an adventure that has grown to this day and that has gone from being a beautiful dream to one of the best and most recognized 5-star hotels in Central America and the Caribbean," said Fallas.
The importance of the family
"I have the joy of having my parents, Luis Arturo Fallas and Rosibel Ibáñez, both fighters and brave. They are an example of honesty and spiritual values, they are also the daily inspiration to grow personally and professionally," said Fallas. His nuclear family is also composed of his sister Rosa María, his brother-in-law Paul and his niece Pilar, "who for two years has become the family joy". Likewise, this Costa Rican gives a privileged space in his life to his group of friends, since according to him "they share my aspirations and dreams and have always been a fundamental support in the most important moments".
As far as his hobbies are concerned, Falla enjoys the design of natural spaces, orchids, music, art and the restoration of ancient objects. He likes geography, science fiction and foreign policy topics and is a loyal follower of Saprissa, one of the most popular football clubs in his country.
Latin America is a tourist treasure
For the professional of the month, our region is a tourist paradise because there are areas of unparalleled geographical beauty, without counting on the abundance of natural resources and the magnificent biodiversity. "There are large market niches that have not yet been exploited such as bird watching in Colombia or the enjoyment of whaling migrations in Central America. All marine resources, including projects that promote development and the generation of sources of work, if well directed, can be exploitable tourism resources; as an example of this are the large mariculture farms that little by little become important producers of mass consumption goods, but at the same time and well controlled are sources of work and a good of tourist exploitation, "said Fallas.
Likewise, he points out that markets such as Asia and Europe have their sights set on Latin American destinations because they offer the highest profitability at a lower cost, compared to the same European destinations or from other latitudes. Regarding Costa Rica, Fallas does not ignore that tourism is the main generator of foreign exchange, and hence the importance of establishing strong diplomatic relations with an important economy such as China. This is without counting the need to work on horizontal investment, that is, with other Latin American countries, which he points out "in the case of Costa Rica has produced hundreds of thousands of dollars from the mergers of Central American business groups."
Although the economic crisis has impacted various actors in the industry, Diego Fallas believes that in the case of the Gaia Hotel & Reserve the negative effect has not been felt by the type of traveler who stays in it. "Our travelers have an important cushion that allows them not to be so susceptible to the economic crisis that does directly affect the middle sectors of society. While it is true that all travelers have reduced their level or range of percentage daily spending, in the case of our type of guest, although the phenomenon occurs, it does not prevent them from consuming within the facilities, much less forces them to change the category of the hotel they are going to use during their vacations. "
Fallas, the hotel man
According to our professional, "the fundamental objective for the hotel industry is to provide the highest quality of service through continuous improvement with sustainability, corporate social responsibility and satisfaction of the Hotel's employees, driven by an environment characterized by unity and respect". That is why it is not uncommon for Fallas to talk about sustainable tourism and social responsibility with the immediate environment of the hotel from time to time; proof of this is the Certificate of Tourism Sustainability (CST) that the Costa Rican Tourism Institute granted to the hotel and the volunteer work carried out by several Gaia executives with the copaza organization, an entity that promotes culture, non-violence among young people, in addition to healthy practices away from alcohol and drugs.
"It has been the most enriching experience to carry out and raise awareness among our customers that not only the beautiful natural environment is our attraction but also the human component of the area that fights for local and human development," said Fallas.
