Mr. Giglio

Gianluca Giglio

Managing Director

Ragosta Hotels Collection

Gianluca Giglio is managing director of Ragosta Hotels Collection headquartered on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Mr. Giglio is credited with creating the three year-old luxury hotel collection and oversees the operations, branding, and development, sales and marketing for the collection. At present, the collection consists of three luxury boutique properties; the 77-room Hotel Raito situated above the villages of Vietri sul Mare and Raito and overlooking the Bay of Salerno; the boutique 22-room Relais Paradiso a private resort housing spectacular suites, private pool and personalize service; and the new 61-room resort, La Plage Resort located in Taormina-Sicily. Under Mr. Giglio’s direction, Ragosta Hotels Collection will expand to include a fourth hotel in the center of Rome.

Perhaps Mr. Giglio’s crowning achievement has been the successful creation and launch of the company’s personalize guest service program. The Define Your Lifestyle guest program enables guests of Ragosta Hotels the opportunity to customize their hotel stay. The program extends beyond the traditional guest loyalty programs featuring in room design, culinary offerings, wellness facilities, therapies and treatments and public spaces. Mr. Giglio’ goal is to target a new generation of traveler desiring a hospitality experience that is exceptional, mirrors their lifestyle in unique destinations. Ragosta Hotels guests have specific tastes and needs and it is important for the organization to ensure it exceeds their exceptations in terms of hospitality during their holiday or business stay. To make this experience work and seem seamless to the guest, Ragosta Hotels combines multiple hotel story elements together such as the architecture, design and service aspects.

In addition, Mr. Giglio also has launched a successful innovative social networking marketing program for Ragosta Hotels Collection. This web-based program allows the company to gain a greater understanding of guests’ needs and communicates directly with past and future clients. Because of the interactive component, the program closely monitors guest feedback and provided a true sense in how the properties are in terms of service.

Mr. Giglio began his hospitality career in 1989 at the U.K.-based De Vere Hotels and Resorts. In 2000, he served as the executive director of the Giglio Group Hotels, which features four and five-star hotels located throughout Italy. While at Giglio Group he held several operations and management positions eventually overseeing hotel operations including food and beverage and revenue management. In addition, Mr. Giglio oversaw operations and held management positions at properties at luxury properties throughout Europe and Italy.

Born and raised in Sorrento, Italy, Mr. Giglio received a diploma in contemporary studies at F. Severi Liceo Scientifico, Castellammare di Stabia, Italy. He received an Executive Master’s degree in Tourism and Management from St. Patrick’s College, London, U.K. and studied German at the University of Wien in Austria. He is fluent in English, German and Italian. Mr. Giglio often attends executive hospitality professional development courses to ensure he remains well-versed in the latest industry trends and issues.

In January 2010, Mr. Giglio was honored as one of “The Finest Hoteliers Worldwide” by the American Academy of Hospitality Science. In addition, Mr. Giglio serves on several expert panels for organizations such as Forrester Research and the Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG).

Mr. Giglio can be contacted at gianluca@hotelierlife.com

Coming Up In The June Online Hotel Business Review


Feature Focus
New Trends in Hotel Architecture and Design
On any hotel design project, architects are generally serving at least three masters - the owner/developer, the hotel operator, and the general public who will utilize the hotel - and each have their own goals, objectives and demands. The owner/developer is concerned with brand standards, the target market and the hotel's locale, while the operator is concerned about achieving the highest possible revenue through efficient design. The public is demanding that architecture and design be fully integrated into the guest experience, based on prevailing tastes and preferences. The architect's role is to respond professionally and efficiently to meet the demands of all and to develop a unified solution. Though each project has its own prerequisites and obligations, there are some general design trends which seem to be prevalent across the industry. First, there is an increased emphasis on the importance of the lobby. The principle here is that first impressions matter and that a hotel has only a few minutes to convince a guest that they have made the right decision. Hotel lobbies are being completely re-imagined - from eliminating front desks altogether to turning lobbies into warm, intimate social spaces, replete with fireplaces and comfortable furniture. There is also an increasing use of ambient natural light, even in large spaces like ballrooms and meeting rooms. In addition, there is greater emphasis on incorporating the distinctive attributes of any given location into the hotel design, which guests are defining as central to their experiences. The June issue of the Hotel Business Review will report on all these exciting developments in the fields of architecture and design.
In this issue...
Experiential Design Across All Sectors
By Ellis Katz, Principal, John Portman & Associates
Challenges of Contemporary Design in Historic Buildings
By Gary Meadows, President, HCI Architecture, Inc.
Ideal Meeting Spaces Should Offer Flexibility, Flexibility and Then Some
By Ronald M. Lustig, Design Architect/Principal, Earl Swensson Associates, Inc.
The Hotel Lobby
By Jennifer Skaife, Senior Associate, DiLeonardo
PLUS: Keeping an Eye on the Return on Design; Check In To the Future; L'AND Vineyards Wine Resort; How to Preserve Architectural Detail; Catering to Women in Hotel Design; Sustainability Retrofits, and much more.