Wanting to take a radiography of Italian tourism at the present state, what are the lines that define it? And in which directions are they going? 

In Italy there is a fragmented offer. This means that there are many hotels owned by individuals or families. This is especially true for the part of the Romagna and Tyrrhenian Riviera, where we see this peculiar setting of hotels’ rows, one behind the other. A positive fact is that the trend is shifting more and more towards aggregation, both in the sense of affiliation of major international chains, both in the sense of development of Italian chains for associations. What drives such movements is always a commercial interest: the individual hotel joins a chain, a group or a consortium to have support in communication and marketing. In my opinion, the trend is positive because it will lead to a higher level of professionalism.

The most recent data show that investment in the hotel sector has stalled due to the gradual rise in interest rates. What strategies should be put in place to develop the business despite this waiting phase? 

The slowdown is due to the fact that, during the pandemic, property prices have inevitably increased. At the same time, however, an alternative hospitality has developed, made of luxury hostels, rental villas and apartments in the city center. The common element of these structures is the demand for high-level services, typical of high-end hospitality, although the structure itself differs in terms of architecture and design. Personally I give a positive reading also of such tendency, as it enriches the offer, improves the competitiveness and it offers ideas of improvement to the suppliers.

Alongside the traditional hotel, there is growing appreciation for residential models, the so-called short rental. How do you explain this trend of hybridization between between home and hotel?

The need for distance emerged in the post-pandemic phase has facilitated the trend of short rentals. What is most interesting at the moment is to understand the possibilities of development of this business model and the potential for profitability. By comparison, in a traditional hotel comprising a hundred rooms I can implement different economic strategies, while the short rental is inevitably placed in the luxury-upper upscale target, where the price repays the auxiliary services offered by these facilities.

Another trend in the hotel ndustry is the search for th experience. What are the experiences that VOIHotels offers?

The philosophy of VOIHotels is to make the guest live the territory in which the hotel is inserted. A hotel beautiful for its own sake works up to a point. Our structures are located in places rich in history and culture and for this reason most of the experiences we offer are in partnership with the territory. A banal but particular example is the possibility to rent an electric car to visit independently the areas surrounding the village of Modica.

 Another experience I would like to mention is the Botanical Tour in Venice, a boat tour to discover corners, scents, plants and unique spaces of the lagoon. The same aromas are then found in the culinary journey at VERO, Venetian Roots, the restaurant of the hotel Ca di Dio. Thus, the customer lives the hotel in the territory. From my point of view the concept of having a particular experience through which communicating the hotel is a plus. Paradoxically, at VOIHotels the experience comes first: it is a way of thinking different from the classic package.

Sustainability and social responsability are among the values that define the identity of VOIHotels. In what actions do they translate at a practical level?

As a hotel chain, we have long been putting sustainability first. What remains crucial is consistency and transparency. Sustainability cannot be just a facade or a simple marketing operation. Speaking of facts, VOIHotels has eliminated from its facilities disposable plastic, uses electric machines, is committed to the recycling of waste oils and has started a partnership with Treedom, an Italian company that allows the planting of trees at a distance in favor of forestation. Sustainability for us also means relationships with the territory, both in Italy and abroad. In our hotels there is a close relationship with local communities: in Zanzibar, for example, one day a week the doctor of the structure is also available to the villagers.

What other elements define the offer of VOIHotels?

A central value for us is what we now call the human factor. Within the company we put training first and already during the interview we aim to make future employees and collaborators love the company. This means that they must embrace the philosophy, the vision, the sustainability values. For our part, we propose career paths.