Special RepoRt : Leadership
Face oF the brand
EnriquE SaraSola , prESidEnt and foundEr , room matE HotElS and BEmatE . com
Until recently , industry watchers looking for hoteliers with the drive and creativity to take on Airbnb-style distruptors could have been forgiven for overlooking Enrique Sarasola . After all , he had more of a track record as an equestrian , competing on Spain ’ s team in three Olympics . But it wasn ’ t just lack of hotel experience that would have left him off the radar ; that ’ s common enough in the young-gun masterminds behind lifestyle flags . The hospitality world wasn ’ t convinced that the vision “ Kike ” ( pronounced “ KEEkay ”) and his three cool-kid partners in Madrid had for a personalized stay at a value-conscious price was even workable . “ I knocked on many doors before finding someone who said ‘ yes ,’” Sarasola says . More people wish they had .
With 21 Room Mate hotels now open in Europe and America , an aggressive pipeline and the last year ’ s launch of BeMate . com ( a serviced apartment concept that is similar to Airbnb but also offers hotel services like housekeeping ), Sarasola has doors being opened for him .
More than a few of them have been blown open by a cult of personality . The entrepreneurial Sarasola isn ’ t exactly short on charisma . And he ’ s the first one to admit the importance of giving his concept a face and voice , just like one of his inspirations , Richard Branson , did for his Virgin brands . “ In my case , Room Mate has a visible face , which is mine ,” he says . “ I ’ ve had to give up many things , being always available for media interviews , conferences , etc . But , in the end , I think it has been very
30 HOTELS April 2015 www . hotelsmag . com