PS

Shaping a Global Perspective on Luxury Hospitality

My career in hospitality began in São Paulo and later took me to Europe, New York, and Los Angeles. Working across such different markets shaped how I think about luxury hospitality because every city and culture has its own expectations around service, quality, and what makes an experience feel special.

That perspective is also what ultimately brought me to PS. After years in more traditional hospitality environments, I was drawn to the opportunity to apply those principles to something completely different and help redefine what luxury hospitality could look like within the travel experience. At PS, the guest may only see a seamless and highly personalized experience, but there is an incredible amount of coordination happening behind the scenes to make that experience feel effortless.

As PS has grown, my role has also evolved. Today, much of my work focuses on hospitality standards, procurement, and operational strategies across multiple locations. That experience has reinforced one of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career: consistency does not have to mean sameness. The foundation of the experience should be consistent, while still allowing each destination to reflect its own culture, products, and personality.

I have also learned that many of the elements that define exceptional hospitality are the ones guests never see. Procurement, training, inventory management, technology, vendor relationships, and operational processes all directly influence the experience. When those systems work properly, the complexity disappears, and the guest simply experiences great hospitality.

Improving Efficiency without Compromising Luxury

I do not see cost efficiency and luxury as competing priorities. Strategic procurement is about knowing where investment has the greatest impact on guest experience, while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency through smarter sourcing, standardization, negotiation, or technology can improve efficiency without compromising quality.

Price is only one factor in a purchasing decision. I also consider quality, consistency, reliability, lead times, scalability, and whether a vendor has the ability to grow alongside the organization.

One principle that has become increasingly important throughout my career is that the most expensive product does not necessarily create the greatest value. Luxury comes from how thoughtfully the overall experience is designed and delivered.

This requires close collaboration between procurement, operations, culinary teams, finance, and hospitality leaders. The objective is not simply to reduce costs. It is to make better decisions about where we invest while creating greater visibility into spending, consumption, and performance.

Creating a Reliable Foundation for Every Guest Experience

For me, consistency starts with clearly defining what should remain constant and where there should be room for local expression.

There should be strong core standards around service, product quality, presentation, purchasing, inventory, and operational processes. These create the foundation and ensure that guests receive the same level of quality regardless of location.

At the same time, I strongly believe that consistency should not mean creating a copy-and-paste experience.

When entering a new market, I spend time researching the destination, its culture, local businesses, products, and guest demographics. Whenever possible, I look for opportunities to incorporate local coffee, chocolates, juices, snacks, and other regional products into the experience.

The goal is to maintain a recognizable brand identity while giving each location its own sense of place. The standards remain consistent, but the experience should still feel connected to the city.

Pairing Strategic Sourcing with Local Understanding

Strong vendor partnerships are essential to my approach to procurement. I prefer to view strategic vendors as partners rather than simply suppliers.

The best partnerships create transparency around pricing, forecasting, product development, availability, operational challenges, and opportunities for innovation. As an organization grows, it becomes increasingly important to have partners who understand its standards and have the ability to grow alongside it. 

Market research is equally important. When entering a new city, I spend significant time understanding the local market, from established suppliers to smaller producers and emerging brands. Supporting local businesses when possible can create a greater sense of authenticity while also introducing guests to something distinctive about the destination.

Having worked across São Paulo, Europe, New York, Los Angeles, and now with teams and operations across several U.S. markets, I have learned never to assume that something successful in one city will automatically translate to another.

The strongest sourcing decisions combine commercial discipline with curiosity. Data provides the structure, while understanding the market and the guest keeps procurement connected to hospitality.

Building the People behind Operational Excellence

Working with diverse teams across different countries, cities, cultures, and operational environments has taught me that standards alone do not create excellence. People do.

You can build detailed procedures, technology, training programs, and operational systems, but teams need to understand the purpose behind them. I have found that people become much more engaged when they understand not only what the standard is, but why it matters to the guest and to the business.

Leadership also requires listening. Some of the most valuable operational insights come from the people delivering the experience every day. Creating an environment where teams feel comfortable identifying challenges, proposing solutions, and taking ownership is essential.

My own leadership style has evolved throughout my career. Earlier in my career, I was much closer to the individual execution of hospitality. As my responsibilities have expanded, my focus has shifted toward building the standards, systems, partnerships, and teams that allow exceptional hospitality to be delivered consistently at scale.

After more than 15 years in the industry, one principle continues to guide me: operational excellence and genuine hospitality should never compete with each other. The strongest organizations create the structure behind the scenes so that, for the guest, the experience feels completely natural.