Her Story
About Cristina
I have been in the hospitality industry for more than 25 years, starting very young in Cancun, Mexico, where tourism is the lifeblood of the region. My career began at a travel agency before I moved to destination management companies, where I spent about 10 years providing ground services for incentives, corporate events, congresses, and MICE business. I then transitioned to the hotel side, joining my current company 18 years ago as a sales manager. After proving myself for 3 years, I was promoted to Corporate Sales Manager and Director of Sales for the LATAM region, a role I've held for 13 years. In this position, I lead a team spread across Central America and South America, managing business relationships with travel agencies, wholesalers, and tour operators in the leisure and travel segment. I originally studied International Affairs because I was drawn to working at an embassy or the UN, but the universe took me in a different direction. Still, hospitality has given me what I love most: the ability to learn from different cultures and travel worldwide. The company recently expanded into Europe, acquiring a brand with properties in Italy and the Maldives, and we just opened a new hotel in Punta Cana on June 1st. I now oversee more than 5,000 hotel rooms across the Mexican Caribbean, Jamaica, Italy, and the Maldives. I love languages, culture, and traveling, and my role allows me to build cross-cultural relationships while supporting my team and maintaining the human contact that is so important in Latin American markets.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Cristina
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think one of the themes that we need to consider to be successful in whatever area you are is passion for what you do. You have to love what you do, and everything else comes from that - passion and curiosity for learning. Building relationships is crucial, and through the years, those relationships become friendships. You get a community that supports you in business and also in personal life. I believe in going the extra mile with your clients and giving exceptional customer service. That makes them build fidelity or loyalty with the brand, which helps us achieve our numbers and budget goals. You also have to keep your balance between leading a team and being understanding. Sometimes I feel like I'm kind of the psychologist for them. This year has been very different from the trend we had last year after the pandemic, so we need to be creative. It's not easier nowadays with more hotel brands opening - we just opened a hotel in Punta Cana on June 1st, so now we have 5,000 hotel rooms to sell, and you are not alone in this world. You need to do your best to show the client that you are the option to go, and not because we are the cheapest one. It's about attitude, customer service, and loyalty with the brand.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
This year, particularly, has been very different from the trend that we had last year after the pandemic. We need to be creative because it's not easier nowadays with more hotel brands opening. We just recently opened a hotel in Punta Cana on June 1st, so now we have 2,000 rooms to sell at that property alone, and over 5,000 hotel rooms total within the Mexican Caribbean, Jamaica, Italy, and the Maldives. You are not alone in this world, so you need to do your best to show the client that you are the option to go. And not because we are the cheapest one - we are all-inclusive resorts deluxe. So it's about attitude, customer service, and loyalty with the brand that you represent. The challenge is standing out in an increasingly competitive market while maintaining our premium positioning.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Professionalism is very important to me, as well as being loyal to your personal values like honesty and stability. You can tell I value stability because I've been with this company for 18 years now, and I love my job. I love doing what I do. Even though I'm more now in management, I still support my team directly. If one of my team members says, 'Hey, would you join this call? Because I have this client that I'm having a hard time convincing them,' I'll jump in to support my team and the client. In the Latin American markets, the human contact is still a very important key factor to close business. I want clients to be able to put a face to the name and not feel that they are just talking to an email or that I'm the boss for them. That gives them the confidence to say, 'Okay, let's do this with you guys.'
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