Hotelier by birth

They say that the eyes are the reflection of the soul and through them some people express tenderness and love, others passion and responsibility and others a deep knowledge, but there are some human beings who combine all this in their gaze and transmit an unparalleled energy as is the case of Manuel José Molina Aristizabal, general manager of Dann Carlton Medellín, Colombia.

Last year, the Colombian Association of Tourism Journalists, ACOPET, presented Manuel with the "Rosa de los Vientos" award for being recognized as the best hotelier in the country in 2008.

But this is not the only recognition that this Colombian has received during his career. He was also chosen as the best executive in Antioquia and the country; he has been recognized as hotelier and manager of the year, civic leader, and has received awards and medals from the Council and the Mayor's Office of Medellín, he was also distinguished for his human quality, support and collaboration and his commitment to citizen security. "

The quality man

Manuel is an ordinary man whose charisma and haughty spirit make him a leader by nature; for him quality is not only a set of properties for which we must work daily but a condition of life.

His career in the industry began when he graduated as a Hotel Manager. Then he specialized in hotel costs in diplomas of the Seine (National Learning Service) and in the Externado de Colombia, in Tourism Marketing at the Superior School of Tourism of Mexico, Brooker de Marriott with training in Orlando. He has also been director of specialization programs and professor of Hospitality and Tourism in the different tourism schools in Antioquia.

Manuel is known in the middle with the nickname of "the quality man", because he is always looking for total satisfaction.

This professional has a conviction: whoever works alongside him must have the ambition to grow, learn and succeed without losing humility. It also has as a scoop that the key to success is to get up early, work late and discover oil, that is, sweat the shirt.

A life of efforts

Like many professionals in the hospitality industry, Manuel works to carry out his projects and the projects of the city that has seen him grow personally and professionally.

He is one of the few characters who can say that he has belonged in his career to all fields of the tourism sector: hotels, travel agencies, wholesalers, OPCs (Professional Operators of Contests), presidency of guilds, restaurants, private and public boards, in addition to venturing into sectors such as real estate, cargo and automotive.

His love for tourism has allowed him to have innovative ideas and participate in the great events and entities of Medellín. Manuel was a participant in the foundation of the Convention Bureau in previous years, as well as the creation of the G6, a group that works for tourism in Medellín and Antioquia, the Antioquia Tourist Exchange (today of the Americas), the Stock Exchange, Punto Cadeneta and the Antioquia Gastronomic Festival.

His history in the hospitality industry begins when he was young and entered the world of tourism because he did not find a north in his life and all he wanted was to work on something fun. His beginnings date back to his 16 when he began to work, at the same time that he studied, in a famous restaurant at that time "Restaurante Podesta". He was also working in San Andrés Islas, but then settled in Medellín, and although Manuel had the opportunity to work abroad he decided to "put down roots" in his land. "I went through the Union Club in its golden age, the Hotel Poblado Plaza, the Dann Chain Hotels in Medellín."

Molina was present at the construction and opening of the Dann Carlton Hotel in Medellín, the Dann Carlton Belfort Hotel, the Dann Carlton Barranquilla Hotel and the San Fernando Plaza Hotel.

"More than 12 years ago I received a call from a great man named Boris Spewak who at that time was the President of the Dann chain, I knew him by reference, he told me: Can Manuel come to an interview in Bogotá?, I accepted and went two hours to Bogotá, he did not interview me, he told me "I want you to work with us" the proposal is this, I present you at the next meeting in Medellín to the partners. I said: Mr. Boris I have not given you my resume and you have not interviewed me" and he only told me: give me the resume, everything else I know when do you start?, I immediately accepted. "

This professional says that he was the creator of the "Service Charge" in the hotel industry and proudly remembers: "we were the first hotels to mount the "quality" programs before the certifications, we managed to create the loyalty programs of the chain, we also contributed with our strategy to make the chain one of the most outstanding brands in Colombia with global projection".

Style, quality and love

Manuel's lifestyle is framed in always being in the play, he is a tireless worker, early riser and night owl par excellence, but above all human and noble.

As a manager, he faces challenges every day and looks for the best way to get ahead. Molina concentrates on working with passion, being obsessive with details, being permanently updated and being highly creative, in addition to transmitting these premises to his team.

Within this life of work and professional earnings, Molina has the best gifts: his wife Sandra and their eight-and-a-half-month-old son Dominick who steals all eyes.

But not only the hotel industry and the family fill Manuel's days. Cooking and creating special dishes as a family is one of the great passions of this professional who graduated as a chef in his beginnings with chef Segundo Cabezas, in addition this hobby allows him to de-stress and disconnect a little from day to day. He also has a wine and spirits cellar that he describes as an enjoyment.

"I enjoy being at home near the dam, I buy fruits from the birds and squirrels in the feedlots and watching them arrive is like a movie. I love to talk, talk about sports, politics, economics, tourism, gastronomy. I play chess, I played football, today I see the one in Europe and Argentina that is a spectacle," he says.

Travel is also part of your daily life and from them you always bring a new business idea.

Economic and professional balance

Today the most controversial topic has been the world economy and the current situation of the market and hospitality. Regarding this, Molina believes that we must be positive, not fall into the circle of complaint, look for opportunities in crises, being prudent, creative, in addition to working threefold. "The world economy is a reality, all paisas companies have had high growth in 2007, 2008 and in 2009 there is optimism with prudence, but they are arriving and initiating the largest investments in the history of the city, department and very surely the country."

And it is that this hotelier considers that his city can be one of the best in Colombia and Latin America as far as tourism is concerned. "Medellín is the city with the highest growth in hotel supply, but it is also the city of great future opportunities, it is the city and department with the largest immediate future investments, it will be one of the most competitive destinations in South America, large foreign investments are arriving. It is a city of great opportunities, congresses, conventions, health, culture, shopping, textiles and fashion. It is a city and a department with great tourist ambitions, that is, although 2009 may be a complex year due to the global crisis, it is also a city that is in full development, "he says.

For Manuel a hotel manager is a public man, a man of society, who must be a public relations officer, a great "contacman", an example, a teacher, and a psychologist.

"I think the most important thing is to always work on the continuous improvement of the product and service. Always seek excellence and make the guest feel at home. When you work in hospitality we have to vibrate with this. Also generate a good working environment, which is reflected in customer service. All this is finally reversed, in satisfied customers, which lead you to obtain economic results, "he says.

He also adds: "the hospitality and tourism industry has to have people who are passionate about their work, people who vibrate, people with warmth and above all without schedules, we do not stop for a second in life."

Industry expansion

The future of the hospitality industry in Latin America has been shown to be positive since the crisis began in Europe and the United States. In Colombia a breakthrough has been presented, the service and kindness of Colombians is innate and according to the region or department you visit you have a different sense of warmth and authenticity, and according to Manuel that is what makes when a Colombian hotelier crosses borders stands out among the best.

The democratic security policy and the benefits of income have made the big chains of the world set their eyes on the country. "Colombia is a nation with an impressive dynamic, these "players" of the world have understood that in the country, due to its high level of service they do not win as a brand, they have to level our standards and for us it is important since it motivates us to consolidate, to consolidate, to think that we are not alone and to be more competitive every day with a high "quality", our industry will continue to have great developments and with the arrival of new airlines we will consolidate ourselves as an important tourist country in South America."