Redefining the Norm: Innovative Operating Models in Hospitality - Rocco Bova

Josiah: I'm really excited to talk with you. I think before we started recording, from the first seconds of our conversation, your excitement and passion for hospitality shines through. That's what we do this show for, right? We're showing people what's possible in hospitality. I'm going to put you on the spot a little bit because we're going to try something new. We're going to go first, last, best, and worst. We're going to talk about your jobs in hospitality, starting with your first job. What was the very first job that you had in hospitality?

Rocco: Oh my God. I was 13 years old and it was my first job. My mom told me, "Rocco, go and get yourself a job, go and earn some money." Because I was born in a small touristic village in the South of Italy, it was very easy. Everybody was always looking for staff. So I went to this bar and asked for a job, and the guy said, "Okay Rocco, sure. Tomorrow you start."

So I started my first day, my second day, my third day. But every day I made damage, like broke glasses, bottles of beers. The last day, I was going with another young boy, maybe a year younger than me. We were going with a big trolley with maybe six or seven boxes full of beers. The whole trolley fell over; we made a mess.

The owner called me that afternoon. He told me, "Rocco, come here." He said, "Rocco, you're a nice guy, but you cost me more than what I'm paying you. How much is your due?" I think we had agreed on ten dollars a day. Ten dollars a day for me was a lot of money. I'm talking about 40 years ago. He gave me the equivalent of 30 dollars and said, "When you learn how to hold the tray, you come back to me."

So I went back home a bit sad, but then I was talking to myself in my head and said, "I have to learn how to hold the tray. I have to make sure that next time this job doesn't last three days." And I did. I trained all winter with empty bottles and glasses. The next summer I went looking for a job. I got a job that lasted a month. The following summer it lasted two months, and the following again lasted three months. Then I became very hot; everybody wanted to employ me because naturally, I think I was good with customers. I was always happy, smiling. I had the service in my genes, and so I became very popular. Everybody wanted to employ me. So it was a good ending in the end.

Josiah: Amazing. Well, we're going to get onto all that, but we have to go around this speed round here. We're going to get into the rest of your career, but what was the worst job you ever had? You've had a lot of roles. What was the worst one?

Rocco: Probably the worst was when I had no communication with my immediate manager and I felt, "What am I doing here?" If I don't know if I'm doing it right, if I'm doing wrong, if I'm doing okay, if I'm doing bad, with no sort of communication or feedback at all, that was probably the worst. On the other side, I had appreciation from my team, from the guests, and so on. The business itself was not going so bad after all, but that was probably my worst experience.

Josiah: Interesting. What about your best job? What is the best job you've had so far?

Rocco: This one. I tell you, I was lucky. I came to Mexico about eight years ago. It was my first time in the Americas; I had never touched American soil. So it was like Columbus landing on American soil. I came here, was very surprised about what I was seeing because I had an idea about Mexico. I did the interview and got the job.

The owner of this hotel, which is Chablé Yucatán, literally told me these few words: "Rocco, you are the keys of the hotel." He handed over the literal keys of the hotel and told me, "We only ask you for one thing. We want to have the best hotel in the world."

(Full transcript available to members of The Huddle)