Rocco Bova is an Italian professional with a long and distinguished international career in hotel management and hospitality consulting. After starting out in Italy, he worked for some of the most important hospitality brands across several continents, gaining experience that ranges from operational management to the strategic direction of resorts and boutique hotels. His expertise is particularly strong in the luxury and wellness sectors, where he has combined managerial efficiency with a deeply human approach focused on the guest experience.
Passionate about the culture of hospitality, Rocco sees the industry as a constantly evolving ecosystem where technology, sustainability and wellbeing merge to create more experiential, authentic and integrated models of accommodation. Active also in digital communication, he is present on major social networks and collaborates with industry media, sharing insights, projects and perspectives that make him a reference point for a professional and international audience.
We met him for a conversation about his experience in the world of hotellerie, his relationship with the concept of wellness and his vision of how contemporary hospitality is evolving.
Rocco, you left Italy at a young age to work abroad. How was that transition and how have your Italian roots influenced the way you live and interpret hospitality?
I was fortunate to meet a Brazilian who took me to London at the age of 25. The rest is history. London was, and I believe still is, a city full of opportunities. Being Italian and having a strong cultural background certainly helped me grow and leave my mark.
But I believe that to truly succeed, you need grit, passion for what you do, an impeccable reputation and strong networking skills.
You’ve worked as a hotel general manager and now also as a consultant for high end properties. What do you see as the main differences between these two roles? Do you feel more like an operational manager or a strategist of hospitality?
The ease with which I moved from one role to the other was a pleasant surprise even for me. At first I thought that being a consultant required some kind of “special” qualities, but I eventually realized that field experience and reputation are what truly matter.
For those who want to enter the consulting world, I suggest staying informed and active in the hospitality sector. Trends change constantly, and keeping up is essential.
After many years of international experience, which projects have had the greatest impact on you? Is there one in particular that represents your idea of hospitality?
For me it was Mexico and the opportunity to be the General Manager of one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Chablé Yucatán positioned itself as one of the best hotels (50 Best and Michelin) not only in Mexico but internationally.
My four years as GM of this magnificent resort gave me the opportunity to see what can be achieved with a great team, visionary owners who placed complete trust in me and perfect partners.
It was truly the cherry on top of my career. I am proud of it because after that experience I decided to devote myself to consulting and apply everything I learned in the last 30 years.
Throughout your career you often describe “wellness” as a total experience that goes beyond the SPA. What does wellbeing mean to you today and how do you think hotels are changing their approach to it?
Wellness is going through an evolution, from the SPA to longevity, ancestral techniques and the use of technology. I think we will need a couple of years to see how it will change and stabilize. My main concern is that, unfortunately, wellbeing remains expensive and not accessible to everyone.
In the SPA world, what elements do you think will make the difference in the coming years? Let’s talk about design, but also technology and personalized experiences.
Many talk about AI changing the way we live. I take the opposite view, and I believe the SPA world and hospitality in general must become more human if they want to remain truly relevant. I accept that the world is changing and so are generations and expectations. I hope I will not have to talk to a robot to ask about treatments and therapies but to a real person, an expert. I leave science fiction movies to Hollywood.
With your extensive international experience, what differences have you noticed between European, American and Latin American hospitality models?
Generally speaking, none. A hotel is still a hotel. Guests travel to discover, to have experiences and in return to receive genuine and excellent service. Over the past 10 to 15 years I’ve seen two new generations enter the hospitality world, and they have very different views compared to what I learned almost 40 years ago. I believe service styles will change significantly over the next five years and the nostalgic era in which I learned certain rules will become history, something we will read about in books. A pity... but in my own way I try to revive what I learned from the best. One through an annual conference, the "Summit Mexicano de la Hospitalidad", now in its second edition, and the other with the creation of the "Academia de la Hospitalidad" to be officially launched next year in Mérida, Yucatán. You will hear about it soon.
In your international experience, have you noticed cultural differences in how people relate to water? Do European, Latin American and American guests expect the same thing from a SPA?
There are definitely expectations when it comes to the services offered in a SPA, especially for five star properties. At the same time there is growing awareness about waste and resource consumption. But we must be realistic. A guest entering a SPA or wellness centre is not willing to compromise on their wellbeing, the service or the products offered. It is up to us operators to be more scientific and seek the best and most efficient technologies available on the market.
Today many properties look for consultants who can provide clear direction but also inspiration. What advice would you give to those managing or designing hotels and SPAs to create authentic experiences and not just follow trends?
I am convinced that there is a market for everything. With more than eight billion people, a personal idea can become a real business when you develop a product or service with a clear purpose, avoiding the temptation to please everyone and maintaining consistency between what you communicate and what you actually deliver.
You must believe in your vision and pursue it with determination, inspiring your team along the way. It is essential to study the guest profile carefully and be ready to act quickly based on their needs. Technology should be used only where it provides results that are truly measurable and scientifically proven.
Ultimately, you need to be a tailor, capable of crafting bespoke experiences. Generalising and offering the same product to the masses is not the right path.
We thank Rocco for this inspiring conversation and for sharing the depth of his experience with such clarity and passion. His ability to bring Italian expertise, creativity and sensitivity to the global hospitality world is truly remarkable, and we look forward to seeing how his vision will continue to influence the industry in the years ahead.
- Team Aquaform
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