Meet Hotelier of the Year Claudio Meli

Host: Josiah McKenzie
Guest: Claudio Meli

Josiah: Claudio Meli was named Hotelier of the Year by Virtuoso. And if you've been listening to the show for a while, you'll know that I love hearing the story behind the people shaping our industry. And that's what you're going to hear here today, including how Claudio's perspective was shaped by his time as a DJ. Let's get into it.

[Introduction to Hospitality Daily]

Congratulations on your win, winning Virtuoso's Hotelier of the Year. Incredible recognition. Your hotel has also been named #1 hotel in Europe. The accolades go on and on. I want to hear the story behind how you got into leading this incredible property. Maybe take us back by way of a little bit of introduction. How do you get started in the world of hospitality? What attracted you to working in this business?

Claudio: Thank you very much first of all for inviting me, and it's an honor to be here. The award from Virtuoso was amazing. The journey started when I was 20 years old. At the time I was studying law and I used to be—and now you will laugh—I used to be a DJ. I love music and I was traveling a lot, especially to Germany.

Just by chance, I did my studies in tourism, but not really hotels—more like travel advisor and travel agent. And I had the opportunity, by chance, at the Hotel Savoy in Florence, in my beloved Florence, which is my city where I was born and raised. I'm a proud Florentine. At the time, there weren't so many five-star hotels, and this was an Italian company—a grand hotel with 100 rooms. It was really like the Grand Hotel Budapest of Florence.

I went because I was curious. I had never worked in a hotel. I only slept there as a guest when I traveled around Europe playing my music. And I was very lucky because I had this interview with the head concierge, who had the big Clés d'Or—the Golden Keys Association. This man was really incredible because he told me about how you can be a concierge, how fascinating it is.

We had an interview, I believe, for more than two hours, almost three hours, because it was so interesting and I was so attracted. He said, "Come and try, but I really believe that you are the perfect person to be a concierge." From there I started—first of all, I started to cut my hair because I had very long hair, you know, different vibe—and then from there I fell in love with hospitality.

I always loved organizing travel for my friends, parties and things, because hospitality is all about fun—letting people have fun, having guests that really enjoy themselves. And I was always in love with my city, with the art, with the Renaissance, surrounded by beauty. When you grow up in a city like Florence that is all about history, traditions, great food, amazing wine, incredible art, you are so lucky. I feel so lucky to be Florentine.

Josiah: What you just mentioned, I was going to ask you about—is there anything from the world of being a DJ and living and working in that environment that shaped how you think about hospitality? You mentioned providing a good time for people. Is there anything else that you recall early on that shaped how you view hospitality and hosting?

Claudio: When you are a DJ, you have your dance floor and the people need to dance. Because if the DJ spins and there's nobody dancing, it's not a good sign. The people need to have fun. So you have to understand the crowd, you have to understand them.

So hospitality is all about trying to meet expectations and go above and beyond. And when you see that people really enjoy it, they tell you. For example, at The Place, we have very big conversations with our guests, and they become friends. You arrive really as a guest, and then you leave always as a friend. This happens every day, and this is the best part of my job.

As a general manager, being the general manager of a 20-room boutique hotel, I have the possibility to greet and meet almost all my guests. That is not possible if you are the general manager of a big hotel, because at the end of the day, I have 40, 50 guests in the house every day, no more. So for me, it's a luxury—it's really a luxury to be in such a small world as The Place where humanity is the most important thing.

Josiah: Before we go, Claudio, I would love to hear what you're excited about now. What's next for you? You are named number one hotelier in the world. Your hotel's been named number one on so many lists. Incredible accomplishments so far. What are you excited about coming up? What are you working on now?

Claudio: I believe that in discussion with the Babini family, who are the owners, we want to have other Place hotels around. But again, since we are not standard at all, we are looking for new locations in Italy. But we are very picky because the destination and the location are super important for a place like The Place.

So I really hope that we can develop new hotels, new places like The Place. That would be a dream because I know how many other places in Italy you can have amazing experiences like you can do in Florence. And also what we are doing already—like in Venice and in Umbria—expanding the events for The Foundation of The Place of Wonders to help the community. We feel the responsibility because nowadays there are so many big hotels opening everywhere, and most of them are from big companies coming from other countries. We would love to deliver a proper sense of place. So this is my dream.

And then another project that I have—I wrote different books about Florence, about guiding Florence. Now with some other friends, I would love to write a book about my vision of hospitality that we are talking about now. And also, of course, what my beloved Florence means to me and some hidden places that I would love to write about in the book.

Josiah: I hope you write both of those books and would love to have you back on this show to have a conversation when you do. But Claudio, thank you so much for taking the time to speak today.

Claudio: Thank you very much for your time.