1. Which of the technical knowledge acquired at EHTP, do you consider to have been and/or are still crucial to your career? Which ones would you highlight?
· Quality;
· Adaptability;
· Planning;
· Discipline;
· Culture of Service.
2. As a people-oriented industry, which personal/human skills do you value as ideal for professionals in the field? Which one would you highlight as the most important?
· Resilience;
· Flexibility;
· Spirit of Service.
3. When you chose EHTP, did you do it because you felt you had a calling, or for other reason(s)? How did that calling become clear to you?
· A desire to see the world: Hospitality is a global industry;
· Profession that adapts;
· Vocation: To grow in Madeira - a destination that has been welcoming tourists for 200 years.
4. What are the main challenges a professional must face without any hesitation?
· The power to transform and add value to companies;
· Entrepreneurship and influence;
· Planning & organising.
5. What was the biggest challenge of your career? Why?
· 10 years | 2 Continents | 6 Countries | 7 Hotels;
· 20 years | Portugal: 6 Latitudes | 5 Openings | 12 Hotels.
6. How does your organization stand out? What makes it unique? (What is your unique selling proposition?)
· PHC Hotels - Portuguese Hospitality Collection: the premium location;
· 4 unique products;
· Franchising with IHG - Intercontinental Hotel Group.
7. Please describe, if possible, one of the most ridiculous scenes you have dealt with throughout your career.
· Hurricane and total evacuation of the hotel and destination: Cancun - 1995;
· Fire in the laundry - Destination: Madrid - 1997;
· The implicit unpredictability of opening and inaugurating 5 hotel projects.
8. Do you have a life lesson you would like to share? Something that deeply marked you and contributed to your transformation as a person or as a professional.
· Developing teams and people;
· The ability to have a positive impact on all professionals who want to evolve and grow in their careers.
9. What are your future professional plans?
· To continue these two years of transformation of PHC Hotels and its assets;
· 2024 - Refurbishment of the World Hotel with the integration of an international brand.
10. What advice do you have for current EHTP students who will soon be your peers?
· Humility and the willingness to accept that learning is a constant;
· Leadership is also knowing how to make the best of evolution in our favour;
· Willingness to transform: bringing value to companies rather than conformity;
· Resilience and adaptability.
11. What sentence would you like to end this interview with?
· Portugal's future depends on our ambition, we have much, much to improve!
