perturbed; rather, they were happy to be part of the journey.“ Many of our regular guests kept on coming— and they never even asked for a discount,” Virgilio shared. In fact, the renovation journey helped to create even more attachment between the hotel and its loyal patrons.“ We made our guests part of every phase and every unveiling,” Virgilio said, stirring excitement by giving guests short tours to see the work in progress.
Keeping guests happy was one thing; keeping staff motivated was another. Shutting down certain areas of the hotel affected service, workflow, logistics— all structures within each operating department were impacted.“ Keeping everyone together, on the same page, was a big area of focus for me,” Virgilio said.“ The goal was to preserve the soul of the hotel while allowing for a graceful evolution. It was time.”
HIS JOURNEY Virgilio’ s development as one of the preeminent GMs in the hotel industry has been an odyssey that surprisingly started at a later stage in life. While many who excel in a particular role start their journeys at a young age, almost drawn to it innately, Virgilio’ s love for hospitality blossomed well after his teenage years and following a compulsory stint in the Italian military. A friend of Virgilio’ s mother happened to read a magazine article about hotel schools in Switzerland and teased the idea to him.“ I
The Dorchester originally opened at its Park Lane address in 1931. Photo credit: Mark Read
didn’ t even need to read the article. It just clicked,” he said.
He matriculated at the famed Les Roches and while he couldn’ t foretell where his hospitality career was headed, he always knew that he wanted to work in a luxury environment for both the variety and challenges it presents.“ It’ s hard work, but if you have that love and passion, it doesn’ t feel like working at all,” he said.
Becoming a great general manager takes practice and patience, but there is one
The Hyde Park Suite includes three Juliet balconies and views of the park. Photo credit: Mark Read
22 hotelsmag. com November 2025