Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Meliá Hotels International
Gabriel Escarrer Jaume | CEO Grupo Meliá
“Sostenibilidad, capital humano
y digitalización, los ejes
del futuro turístico”.
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About Gabriel Jaume
Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, chairman and chief executive of Meliá Hotels International, has emphasized sustainability, human capital, and digitalization as the pillars of tourism’s future, stating in a June 2023 interview that the three factors “van a ser los tres factores claves en el futuro.” He also discussed the company’s expansion in Mexico, where it operates nine properties and plans upcoming openings in Guadalajara and Nayarit, and expressed that the brand is “debemos mucho a México.” Escarrer described himself as “muy cortante, muy apasionado de lo que hago y amigo de mis amigos” and said he prefers to “cuidar muy bien a los amigos” when discussing the company’s social media strategy. In earlier 2018 interviews, Escarrer highlighted the group’s focus on Southeast Asia as a growth region, noting that more than one-third of 56 properties in its pipeline were in that area. He also discussed Meliá’s inclusion in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, noting it was one of only three hotel companies in the ranking alongside Hilton and InterContinental. Escarrer detailed a €248 million investment in the regeneration of Magaluf, describing the results as “above our feasibility study” and expressed a commitment to an asset-light management model, with the company owning 13% of its hotels while opening 25–26 properties annually.
Transcript (22 segments)
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Interviewer0:06
When did you discover that you were a black sheep?
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Gabriel Jaume0:07
Well, since I was very young, I'm not at all conformist and I love to question everything and try to improve every day, so if that's being a black sheep, I was born saying black sheep and I hope to die being a black sheep.
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Interviewer0:20
How do you spell Gabriel Jaume? In three adjectives: very...
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Gabriel Jaume0:25
...sharp, very passionate about what I do, and a friend of my friends.
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Interviewer0:30
Don Gabriel Jaume, when does the Meliá group arrive in Mexico?
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Gabriel Jaume0:36
It's a love story from the beginning. We started with seven projects at the same time in the Cancun area, the Vallarta area, and the Los Cabos area, and since then our commitment has been 100% to Mexico, with its people, its kindness, and its hospitality, and we never regretted it.
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Interviewer0:55
Where does Meliá group have presence in our country?
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Gabriel Jaume0:55
In Mexico we currently have nine establishments and almost four thousand rooms. We are going to open one in Guadalajara soon, in the next five or six months, and there are also projects we are carrying out in the Nayarit area.
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Interviewer1:14
After three decades in Mexico, do you plan to have greater expansion in the near future?
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Gabriel Jaume1:21
It is a project that is very well located in the city center and we are convinced that it will be a great asset.
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Interviewer1:28
What is your opinion regarding Mexico?
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Gabriel Jaume1:30
Mexico is a great country. It has done things very well, very professionally, and above all, when the Mexican has not been temporary, it has not suffered, with kindness, with sympathy, with affection. It is one of the places where I feel most at ease. And I am convinced that not only is it a world tourism reference today, but it will continue to be in the coming years, particularly the Mexican Caribbean.
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Interviewer2:11
What does Mexico owe to the family group?
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Gabriel Jaume2:17
It has also been part of the tourist development of Mexico and of Meliá. So no, no, we are the ones who owe a lot to Mexico.
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Interviewer2:27
Where is the tourist trend going worldwide?
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Gabriel Jaume2:32
Through the axis of people, our main asset is people, and the issue of digitalization for me are going to be the three key factors in the future.
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Interviewer2:41
You are a disruptive person. Boredom bores me. If you were a country, which one would you be, Gabriel?
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Gabriel Jaume2:53
What is the new tourist player internationally? In the world of the hotel industry, in Southeast Asia, where everything is yet to be done, where developments and investments are being made that we have never seen before. And that must be acknowledged. You have to get out of your comfort zone. And that training, that traveling, that desire to conquer the world — that is what makes you come to Meliá. We want people like that, without a doubt, the culture of entrepreneurship.
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Interviewer3:31
What is your opinion on the culture of entrepreneurship?
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Gabriel Jaume3:37
Extremely respectful of people, their mentality, their religion. It is something that we have sometimes underestimated, and it takes time. And for that, the best thing is to partner with a local partner to somehow accelerate that learning curve. So my recommendation is: everyone talks about growing, everyone talks about expanding; it is much harder than you can imagine. The first years are not easy, they are painful, you lose money, but you learn, you learn, you learn. And if you can go with a local partner who shares those values, and who often are family businesses with a long-term vision that I mentioned earlier, it helps a lot to speed up that entire process, that entire learning curve, and to learn how to be respectful of where you establish yourself, not immediately but very quickly.
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Interviewer4:25
What do you think is the impact of social media on tourism?
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Gabriel Jaume4:30
Fundamental. I think social media is the transparent world, and it is very important to make yourself known, but above all it is very important to maintain communication. When I talk about social media and we see that I have 9 million followers, I don't know how many, I say: yes, it is very important to establish follower metrics, but equally important to establish affinity metrics of talking with them. In other words, I can say I have 100 friends, but I prefer to have fewer friends but take very good care of them. So with our 9.5 million followers on our social networks, we have to make an effort to maintain contact with them, to take care of them, to anticipate their demands, because I am convinced that that will turn into reservations and a greater feeling of affinity as a customer with the company. For me, it is a very powerful weapon. I don't know how many hours I dedicate, and my irresponsible publication manager María knows it, to social networks. I am delighted if you want to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn. I try to answer everyone, sometimes it's very difficult, I admit. Late at night or when I'm traveling, but I think it's very important to keep the pulse, maintain contact, and above all it's not a question of having a lot but of taking care of them, taking care of them.