Special RepoRt : Leadership
discipline , perseverance and perfectionism ,” Sarasola says . “ They ’ ve also taught me to plan long term objectives — like a minimum of four years between Olympic Games .” Not that he ’ s waiting for life to come calling .
“ We are opening 11 more hotels in the next two years , including one in Miami , two in Istanbul , one in Rotterdam , one in Milan , three in Barcelona and one in Malaga . Other upcoming destinations include London , Paris , Bogotá and Rome , etc .”
Disciplined he may be , but that doesn ’ t mean Sarasola has monovision . He doesn ’ t see any reason why he should beat or join Airbnb-style concepts . “ I think that hotels and touristic houses must coexist ,” he says . So he decided to do both . With Room Mate out there for travelers seeking the ultimate in personalized stays , Sarasola saw a gap in the market for something that offered the hominess of moving into a pal ’ s digs with the convenience of a hotel stay . Enter BeMate . com , which functions like Airbnb — apartment owners sublet their residences . But Sarasola saw the opportunity to add in more services , from arranging key drop-off to laundry .
He knows he won ’ t score big with every idea , but that ’ s not about to slow his pace . “ My sports career has taught me that both success and failure are brief . I ’ ve created projects that have failed . But one of the most important things I ’ ve learned is to wake up the next morning and try again .” good for Room Mate and , somehow , I also enjoy this frantic rhythm .”
Pull back the curtain of cool styling and hip attitude that defines Room Mate ( each one is named after a fictional friend ), though , and underneath the nonchalant swagger you might expect from a former Olympian , occasional movie actor and scion of political powerhouse , thoroughbred breeder and industrialist Kike Sarasola , there ’ s the hard-headed businessman . Sarasola Jr . knows that guests care just as much about being able to have breakfast at noon or free Wi-Fi as they do about whether the imagined persona embodied in “ Room Mate Grace ” in New York works as a PR executive in the city or the suburbs .
“ Sports have taught me tons of
Public space at the Room Mate in Amsterdam
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