Alejandro Reynal Of Apple Leisure Group On The Future Of Travel In The Post COVID World
An Interview With Savio P. Clemente
Technology is going to play an important role. Contactless technology in hotels and the application of technology into the end to end experience from the moment you book to the moment you go to the airport, to transporting to your hotel. The whole experience is more integrated and safe for the customer. As we design new hotels we need to think about even more open spaces because people are going to be outdoors, and the flexibility of having some gyms open.
As part of my series about “developments in the travel industry over the next five years”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alejandro Reynal, CEO and President of Apple Leisure Group (ALG) at the 2021 Ascend Conference in Cancún, Mexico.
Alejandro was appointed CEO of Apple Leisure Group, leading travel and hospitality management company in 2019 with the mission of supporting the company’s next level of growth.
Alejandro Reynal has a long-standing international career in business services, telecommunications, and consumer goods sectors, having worked in the United States, Europe, and Latin America. Mr. Reynal has a proven track record and thrives on transforming business organizations, leading change to impact performance and culture by defining and aligning a company’s strategy and delivering results through disciplined execution.
As CEO and president, how would you describe the perfect vacation getaway?
For me, it’s obviously one where I can take the family with me. I have a 15 month old baby, so I would look for a place where I can take her but balance that with being with my wife as well. I’d choose a safe destination, and somewhere that I can relax and enjoy. Probably one of the all-inclusive models because I think they do cater a lot to my needs, but also provide the flexibility to explore outside the hotel.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in the travel industry to help them thrive and not burn out?
How flexible they can be in terms of understanding the emerging trends and also the emerging travelers that are changing as well. So from that perspective tapping into opportunities that might come because of that is a tip I would provide.
None of us achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you’re grateful for, who helped you to get you to get where you are today?
Many, many people. I think the first is someone that provided me with the first opportunity to become a CEO of a company. At that point in time I had no prior experience in managing a company and I was relatively young but he believed in my capabilities, in my desire to lead people. That defined my career because after that I continued working as CEO for different companies. His bet on me was clearly what changed my life and led me to succeed.
Can you share with our readers about the innovations you’re excited about in the travel industry, especially with Hyatt Hotels?
Historically, Hyatt has made a lot of investments on their loyalty platform, the wall of Hyatt, and they also made a lot of investments on data analytics to understand consumer patterns and so forth. They also made a lot of investments on their digital platform and those are things that at the end of the day, we were probably laggers in the space. So we look forward to learning a lot about what they’ve done in those areas. On the other hand, I mean, I think they’re serious about where they’re going to learn from us, for example, packaging technology, such as what we offer through occasions they don’t have. So that’s one area where we can add value to them. So we’re going to look for areas in which we complement each other.
So how do you envision this might disrupt the status quo?
I think we are going to become a very powerful joint company when the acquisition actually materializes. Combining the strength of their brands, their network, their expertise and our focus on leisure travel packages will be very powerful. The more we share those technology trends and opportunities, we’re going to be even stronger because at the end of the day, the more we know the customer, the better we can target our offerings to them.
As you know, COVID-19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share five examples about how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting within the next five years?
I think that the continuous search for innovation in food , beverage and entertainment is going to be important. People are going to look for new experiences because now that it’s hard to travel more, we need to innovate. I think what was good before isn’t going to be good anymore. When people travel, they value the entertainment, food and beverage experience most. Obviously we need to continue to provide a great customer experience, but at the same time it needs to be safe. I think that all these health protocols will evolve with time, so we will need to adjust to the new normal. The new reality might not be as strict as it was in the past, but might not be as relaxed as it was prior to COVID.
Technology is going to play an important role. Contactless technology in hotels and the application of technology into the end to end experience from the moment you book to the moment you go to the airport, to transporting to your hotel. The whole experience is more integrated and safe for the customer. As we design new hotels we need to think about even more open spaces because people are going to be outdoors, and the flexibility of having some gyms open.
Can you share with our readers, how have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I see my role on one hand as a leader of a company, but ultimately I see a CEO role and a leader role as a service role and I like the concept of serve and lead leadership, which at the end of the day you are making the people that work for you better with what you do. I just want to make sure that the people that work for me become better individuals. That has to imply that at the end of the day, I’m there to serve them, to make sure I’m at their service so that they become better. I want them to be at their best. Figuring out how to facilitate that as a leader is important.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate your time.
