Palmiro Noschese holds the position of Managing Director Italy for Meliá Hotels International as well as General Manager at Meliá Roma Aurelia Antica.
Palmiro likes to talk and like many Italian men, he is naturally charming and self-confident. He knows what he wants and does not hesitate to express his ambitions. He is passionate about what he does and works hard to achieve his goals. Nevertheless, he believes that his family is the most important element in his life.
Meliá Hotels International was founded in 1956 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and is one of the world’s largest resort hotel chains, as well as Spain’s leading hotel chain. It currently operates more than 350 hotels in 35 countries on 4 continents under its brands: Gran Meliá (5-star hotels), Meliá, ME, Innside, Tryp by Wyndham, Sol and Paradisus.
When you were a student, did you study hotel management?
When I was a young boy, I was going to study Economics, but I changed my mind at the last moment. I resolved to study hospitality, although no one in my family was in the hospitality industry.
What motivated you to go into the hotel industry?
I was born and raised in the south of Italy, very close to the beautiful Salerno, where the people, warm and welcoming, have a natural attitude to hospitality. Therefore, establishing good relationships with my internal and external clients is literally in my blood.
You started working for Meliá Hotels in Italy in 2002 but you have been in the hotel industry in Italy since 1991. What has motivated you to work in Italy all these years?
One of my dreams was to travel and gather different experiences as I worked in Belgium and England. I have not yet had the opportunity, but working in New York remains on my to-do list.
When I was a young man, my girlfriend was studying at university and we mutually agreed that while she was studying, I would stay in Italy and when she finished school, she would follow me. I have had plenty of opportunities in Italy since then.
I’ve worked in many Italian regions developing a deep knowledge of the domestic market. Of course, I enjoy working in Italy, especially in Rome, which is one of the greatest metropolises in the world.
On the other hand, more than 65% of my clients are international guests; therefore, I regularly take business trips to various foreign countries. This gives me the feeling that I am a man of the world.
Over the years you have received many awards and recognitions. Which of them are you most proud of? Why?
Every achievement is a confirmation that I am on the right way professionally. In particular, I’m very proud of being an active part and the engine of the “Hotel 6 Stelle”, a project created at the Meliá Roma Aurelia Antica with AIPD (Italian Association of Down Syndrome People) and the collaboration with Magnolia filming company and Rai 3.
Six people affected by Down syndrome were involved in a three-month training on the job, collaborating with the hotel staff in the daily duties to build an exciting working environment integration.
All activities were filmed during the first month of operations by a troupe that produced a docu-fiction, which was broadcasted on the national Italian Channel Rai 3 for six weeks. The programme shows how the growth and the commitment to the job contributed to the stagiaires’ well-being as well as day to day hotel work. “Hotel 6 Stelle” is the first Italian case of a TV series dedicated to disabilities and work.
This actually gives AIPD the opportunity to increase the hiring of people with Down syndrome and spread a new way of perceiving work and disability in Italy.
What are the most challenging issues you are facing on your current position?
I face new challenges at work every day. My personal approach to work is being in it 365 days a year and 24 hours a day. I like my job and I am passionate about it.
Currently, my company has expressed the will to expand the hotel portfolio in the five-star market, both inside and outside of Italy. It’s one of the most challenging tasks I am facing now in terms of communication, marketing, positioning and new opportunities in general.
In the eyes of your employees, what is the single most important quality you should have?
The most important thing for me is to set a good example for my employees, not just professionally but also in terms of business ethics, family and social responsibilities. I don’t know if I am always able to do it, but I try every day to make my presence known to my people and be there whenever they need me.
In your opinion, what is the single best quality your employees can possess?
I spent many years working on internal job satisfaction and approaching the HHRR sphere from a different perspective, using new techniques like the Blue Ocean Strategy, a new way to open minds and face the market. Employees’ motivation, positive attitude and passion are the major qualities of work in the hospitality industry.
Some people say that a GM is not important to his frontline employees. Do you agree?
The GM must be an example for all his staff. He is an essential part of the hotel management and therefore, he is essential to all his staff.
If you must make a choice, would you do the things right or would you do the right things?
I would do the right things in the right way! It’s not easy in the hospitality industry to do everything in the right way, as the aspects of this job range over guest satisfaction, the resources, the procedures and of course using a well-balanced flair.
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
My strength is my creativity. I am willing to experiment with new ways of doing things. My confidence, flexibility and my ability to handle stress are also my strengths.
At work, what puts a smile on your face?
Our “Red Glove” philosophy that is no longer just a philosophy, it’s an attitude. I think that the concept of the white glove service is finished. Our company believes in the Red Gloves because red is the color of the passion we put in our daily work, listening to every single guest, exploring their preferences and building up experiences.
What puts a frown on your face?
Seeing tasks not being performed with real passion displeases me – I need to see people’s commitment. It’s important in our line of work to have passion. A simple example – my wife is a pediatrician and even though she looks after about one thousand child-patients, she always smiles because she is passionate about her job. If you have the right attitude, you will go a long way.
If you could make a 30-second speech to the entire world, what would you say?
I could say a lot answering this question. Professionally speaking, my opinion is that business is important and human resources are essential. The keys to success are being demanding but flexible, indicating the vision with confidence, good ethics and the right autonomy.
If you had all the money in the world, but still had to have some kind of a job, what would you choose to do?
The choice is actually very simple for me, when I retire, I would like to offer my experience and teach the professional younger generations, especially in the south of Italy, where I come from. There is just so much human potential and local resources undiscovered in the south.
If you were at heaven’s gates and God asked you: “Why should I let you in?” What would be your answer?
I feel like I have spent all my time and effort in order to make sure that my bosses and my employees are satisfied with me. When I say my bosses, I also include my wife, my father, my mother and today, my children. I really try to provide my family with the greatest satisfaction.
In what way have you changed in the past five years?
Over the last years I have gained more and more responsibility, but I still feel that I am the same person.
If you didn’t know how old you are, how old would you like to be?
I would like to be 10 years old because my wife says that sometimes I am like a little child.
What’s next?
In the medium term, I’m in charge of the start-up of two brand new hotels, a Golf Resort in Sicily and a 5 star hotel in an amazing location in Milan.
In the long term, I aspire to gather a public responsibility to help develop tourism business in Italy in order to make our country one of the top destinations in the world.
About the author
Lily Lin, MBA, Ph.D. is the author of a well-received book, “Interviewing Successful Hotel Managers”, in which she interviewed 44 hotel managers and executives from major international chain and independent hotels. She is also the partner of Lin & Pavelson B.V., the publisher of the book and the owner of wearehoteliers.com. Her blog can be found at wearehoteliers.com/blog.
Lily’s management experience includes the positions of international marketing manager and VP of Marketing Management. She has taught in American, German and Dutch universities. For more than 20 years, she was the designer and the lead lecturer of a number of courses at the Hotelschool The Hague in the Netherlands. She designed the first Revenue Management course offered at the School. She is also experienced in consulting and corporate training in hospitality and other industries.
Lily Lin graduated with summa cum laude (highest honors) from the University of Maryland (in the US) with a B.S. degree in Business Administration and a B.A. in Psychology. She received her MBA from the California State University and Ph.D. in Strategic Marketing and TQM from the Amsterdam University. She also completed the Cornell University Revenue Management certificate program.
