Navigating Challenges and Opportunities

Guillermo Quesada, Group Operations Manager, Hero Experiences Group

Guillermo Quesada, Group Operations Manager, Hero Experiences Group

1. What are some of the major challenges and trends that have been impacting the travel and hospitality space?

Indeed, the pandemic has been the most significant challenge the world has faced, causing w idespread t ravel r estrictions, cancellations, and a forced decline in demand across practically all i ndustries. The pandemic forced many businesses to close down, resulting in massive job losses and financial losses. Also, the world is becoming increasingly globalised, with more people travelling to different parts of the world, leading to a greater need for cultural understanding and sensitivity among business and travellers, a trend that is aligned with the changing demographics as we keep seeing a shift with millennials and Gen Z travellers becoming a more significant segment. These travellers tend to prioritize experiences over material possessions and are more likely to use social media and technology to research and plan their trips.

At the Hero Experiences Group, we were fortunate enough to have a very proactive team that made the right decisions at the right time. When travel bans were implemented, we shifted our focus from international visitors and tourists to the local and resident market. We created and curated products that will appeal to them and offer them the opportunity to break away from their lockdown life, like fine dining in the desert, glamping, and cross-country overland safaris. This meant that when international travel commenced again, we had a good market share with international travellers a nd t he r esidents w ho were now aware of our products. We were able to come out stronger.

2. What keeps you up at night when it comes to some of the major predicaments in the travel and hospitality space?

A shift in customer expectations as travellers are looking for more personalised experiences. They expect seamless and frictionless travel experiences throughout their journey, from booking to post-experience. Industry players need to adapt to these factors to remain competitive.

Technology is also rapidly changing how people travel and experience hospitality, transforming the industry.

Failure to embrace these technologies could result in reduced competitiveness and market share losses.

Another key aspect to keep an eye on is the rising cost of doing business (food, fuel, labour), which puts pressure on businesses to raise prices, resulting in reduced demand. Here is where expertise in the industry becomes critical to increasing profitability and competitive advantages for the company.

3. Can you tell us about the latest project on which you have been working, and what are some of the technological and process elements that you leveraged to make the project successful?

We just upgraded our Platinum Heritage desert camps from a hybrid solar power system to 100 percent s olar o ff-grid s ystems, allowing us to generate and store our energy, reducing our reliance on the traditional grid and generators. This upgrade is aligned with our mission to protect the local environment and preserve the local culture and heritage. Off-grid systems are ideal for remote areas where grid connections are difficult or impossible to obtain, which works perfectly for our business model. We considered high-efficiency panels to produce more power per unit area, reducing the total number of panels needed to meet the power requirements. Additionally, we considered batteries to help store excess energy produced during peak times and use it during periods of low generation and inverters to convert the DC electricity produced by solar panels into AC electricity used in normal homes and businesses, with the capacity to optimize energy production and consumption.

This Meant That When International Travel Commenced Again, We Had A Good Market Share With International Travellers And The Residents Who Were Now Aware Of Our Products. We Were Able To Come Out Stronger

As sustainability is at the core of everything we do, Hero Experiences Group is constantly looking for ways to use the latest trends and technology to ensure we minimise our impact on the local environment.

4. What are some of the technological trends that excite you for the future of the travel and hospitality space?

I would say the Internet of Things (IoT) can bring several applications to our business environment, as we have multiple moving parts to be able to deliver Platinum Heritage’s guests a memorable experience. Installing IoT sensors to monitor vehicle health in our vintage Land Rover f leet t o i dentify a ny i ssues at an early stage and prevent breakdowns in remote locations; or monitoring environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed, which can produce information t hat c an b e u sed t o provide a better understanding of the conditions in the desert and help us plan our activities in an even more efficient manner. These are only a few examples of how technology can b e a pplied t o e nhance t he overall customer experience across all the moving parts of the company.

I’m also curious about virtual and augmented reality to create immersive experiences for our guests, s howcase o ur p roducts, and enhance the overall guests' experience, and artificial intelligence t o a nalyze d ata a nd trends to improve our marketing and business strategies.

We are very forward-thinking and always welcome new ideas from both guests and staff on how to improve how we run our operations and focus on guest satisfaction.