Alejandro Gallegos took over as general manager of Sofitel Montevideo Carrasco Casino & Spa in November 2021 with no less a mission: reopen the iconic hotel in the Uruguayan capital after 18 months of inactivity due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
After the boom in visits that facilitated the reopening of borders at the regional level, it now faces the challenges arising from new ways of doing business and the exchange rate difference with Argentina.
“Although 2022 was going to be a year of little movement, it surprised us and was a very positive year,” Gallegos told Ambitremembering that the hotel went from being closed for a year and a half to achieving 100% occupancy by the end of the South American Cup. “And this year, it has performed more historically than the hotel’s occupancy rate since the day it opened,” he added.
Beyond a good perspective for the last quarter, when air connectivity increases and the cruise period begins for the summer season, the Sofitel Montevideo is not immune to a phenomenon that affects the economy of the Uruguay: the impact of the economic imbalance in Argentina.
“This year has a particular connotation. Normally our two main markets are Brazil and Argentina. One has behaved normally, and the other has not. That greatly affects our flow of reservations from Argentina,” said Gallegos, who lived in the neighboring country for 20 years and said that it causes him pain to see the reality that he currently faces.
The changes in trends in Argentine tourist consumption are not only evident at the individual level, but also at the corporate level, he explained, since companies reduced their business trips to Montevideo. “It is the pivotal year between what the pandemic was and what it was historically,” she reflected.
Added to the cost issue is also a change in the way of communicating, inherited from the pandemic, where conferences by video call were replacing face-to-face meetings, acknowledged the general manager of the Sofitel Montevideo.
“We have had to redirect our efforts to other markets and also compete as a destination. Montevideo “It competes for congresses with Buenos Aires, with Santiago, with Sao Paulo, with Lima, which have also made a lot of effort to grow and have corporate businesses,” said Gallegos, who, although he admitted that the city “is small” compared to its rivals regional, has several attractions that compensate for it.
“The hotel is on one side of Arocena Avenue, which today has a very rich life in terms of services: banks, restaurants, shopping stores. And that is highly valued by our guests who can go out for a walk, to enjoy themselves,” he noted. “Uruguay It gives you peace of mind to be able to enjoy it, walk it, go running on the Rambla. You cannot do that in other destinations with the same security,” she stressed.
“Besides, Uruguay It has a very good reputation compared to other Latin American countries regarding non-corruption. That also adds up, not only to the guest who comes individually, but to the companies. It is the combination of economic stability with non-corruption those that give a different appearance,” he stated.
Source: Ambito
