Giuseppe Rossi, the nobility of serving

Ten years have passed since my last interview with Giuseppe Rossi. He had just been appointed director of the Splendide and there were great challenges ahead of him, also because the previous director, Aniello Lauro, had been highly appreciated by both customers and staff. His sunny character and passion for work certainly helped him and thanks to him the Splendide was able to renew itself, maintaining that historical and unique atmosphere of the Palace, which started luxury tourism at the end of the 800th century.

I meet Giuseppe on a Saturday morning for breakfast directly in the hotel lobby. He has just returned from Paris.

What was Paris like? As hot as Lugano?

"More and more. I've been there for work, so I was constantly busy. You may not know it but in Paris we have twelve beautiful suites and a restaurant, the hotel is also called Splendide Royal and the Tosca restaurant, every now and then I have to go and see if everything is fine (smiles). The hotel is located in the heart of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, in the house where Pierre Cardin lived, and I must tell you the truth: I am surprised by how the French themselves love Italian cuisine. Of course I also took advantage of the trip to go for a ride in the other hotels ».

But then is it true that there is a sort of espionage in restaurants and hotels?

«Of course (amused), on some occasions I introduce myself or get recognized, while other times I go as a simple customer. For example, this time I went to visit the new garden of a very famous hotel, this is because here at the Splendide we are completing the external area of ​​the new Spa and therefore I wanted to understand how to make the most of it. You know in the hotel the aesthetic part is obviously important, but we must not forget the logistics, which is essential ».

When I arrived this morning I breathed the same atmosphere as always, it is as if here at the Splendide time never passes, even if you have invested a lot to renovate it ...

“The last time we met here was ten years ago… things have naturally changed since then. You know very well that it was not easy to happen to a person who had worked at the Splendide for 41 years, and had been director for 30 ... ».

But you were his protégé ...

“Yes, but it all happened suddenly, and that didn't make my job easier. Fortunately the customers, the owner Dr. Naldi, the staff have trusted me and today I can say that I am satisfied.

(They serve us coffee with biscuits and we take advantage of it immediately) Ours is a clientele that frequents the best hotels in Europe, yes because the Splendide has always been part of that Grand Tour circuit, first with the royal families and the nobility , then with the wealthy and successful entrepreneurs and today with elite tourism, so in these ten years we have had to undertake a process of restructuring and enhancing the hotel to keep up with the times ».

But without upsetting the soul of the hotel ...

“This was one of the primary goals. Often with the arrival of a new director we tend to want to change, it was not our case. The Splendide, compared to other hotels, has always had a regular clientele. Here we don't have ostentatious luxury, here we focus on service and quality. We focused on the renovation of the rooms, keeping the charm unchanged - with a low profile - and making important technological improvements. At the same time we have expanded the service with the new gastronomic restaurant I Due Sud. As regards the La Veranda restaurant, some classic proposals, always very popular, have been reintroduced, such as the flambé service. The bar instead has been placed at the entrance and we also have an open cellar, the Forziere del vino, with many local labels. One of our wishes, in fact, is to connect with the territory, offering local experiences even to those arriving from abroad. Those who come from afar want to experience the city, in comfort, yes, but still want to enrich themselves with new sensations, therefore all experiences are essential: the gastronomy, the panorama, the inhabitants of the city, the staff ... in short, everything that manages to convey emotions , after all there is no better publicity than word of mouth (smiles) ».

And what about the new terrace?

"After I show it to you, however it is not the only structural change, we also have a new banquet hall and a Spa. We have transformed ourselves from a" city hotel "into an" urban resort ", that is a hotel that, despite being close to the city, offers all the comforts of the holiday. I challenge anyone to find a structure where you wake up in the morning and see this panorama from the windows (look at the lake) ».

Every now and then we forget that the hotel is also open to those who live there in Lugano ...

«Of course, we also want to open up even more to those who live in the city all year round. The Splendide has remained one of the few Palace Hotels still alive and should also be enjoyed by the people of Lugano. With the new square, the banquet hall and the restaurants we want to enrich the general offer of the city. Every year we enjoy organizing a series of events aimed primarily at our local guests. Our international guests also want to get to know the Ticino people, they want to discover their habits, in order, as mentioned before, to enrich themselves with emotions. In this sense, the concept of urban resort is extremely important, because it is a structure open to all, capable of enriching the city's offer ».

You talked about the last Palace, but on the Ceresio there are many hotels, even luxury ones, and all with their own characteristics. Do you think there is a good balance between supply and demand?

«You know (he reflects) in the past there was competition among hotels, today, and I am convinced of it, we are no longer in competition with each other and we hoteliers have understood that. The basic concept is that all of us must do tourism and to do so we must be cohesive, we must have the ability to enhance, united, the destination ".

When you talk about your work your eyes light up, but why so much passion?

«It comes from my strong desire to give, to be able, through a gesture, a service, to please someone. And this, I guess, is the main reason why Lauro has decided to trust me. For years the Splendide has been a great school, Lauro has always been very generous, he has seen in me my willingness to always be at the service of others. It should not be forgotten, and I want to say it, that the word service is a noble act, because through a gesture you make someone happy ».

But how do you do with difficult guests, I imagine there are some, especially with your customers, very demanding and used to the best hotels?

"For me it is a challenge, because those who do my job, and I am not just talking about the manager, but also about the barman, the doorman, the waitress, do it because they have the ability to give themselves".

It would be nice if all those who work in the hotel and restaurant were like this, unfortunately you are not always greeted with a smile or with your hospitality ...

(Pleased) “The truth is, finding staff is the hardest thing ever. In this sense, I adopted Lauro's strategy: I trained my staff and, I say it with pleasure, I am very satisfied. When I talk about training I am not just talking about teaching them a trade, but also about the psychological aspect, about the ability to foresee what the needs are, to catch that signal that the client gives me in order to surprise him. It is about something complex, about emotional intelligence that helps me anticipate the needs of those around me. Just think that we invest 300 hours a year in training ».

The Swiss schools are excellent, I am thinking of the very famous Lausanne, is this not a guarantee of quality?

"You may have been the best student but if you don't have, in the noblest sense of the word, the ability to give yourself to the other, the degree is useless."

So it is a gift, something that someone has or does not have ...

«Yes, I am absolutely convinced of it. It is a mission, a vocation and I immediately see if a young person has this ability, if he is able to go to the guest and grasp his requests before they arrive. Do you know how many times I happened to tell a young man to change jobs because you could see that he didn't like him and even the customers noticed it? Although it may seem like the lesser of evils ... if you don't like what you do, you start a vicious circle and because of job dissatisfaction you risk putting your private life at risk as well. On the contrary, I have already hired a boy who has never attended a hotel school, but who with his smile and his availability manages to win over and give the right confidence to our guests ».

I guess when you visit other facilities you also observe the staff?

«Above all the staff, because the staff must have the same values ​​as the structure that hosts you. If my values ​​are the same as those of the hotel, of the company where I work, I will be able to give my best, but if my values ​​are in opposition ... this is where the problems arise. Has it ever happened to you to go to a beautiful hotel where, already at the entrance, they look at you from top to bottom because you are wearing jeans? Here this is not welcome, this is judging ».

To tell the truth, unfortunately, it also happens in shops ... but let's go back to word of mouth, before you said that it is always the best advertising ...

"Absolutely! Today it is no longer important what I say about myself, but what others say about me. Over the years I have learned that you should never flaunt a product, because you risk disappointing your customers. The more you present yourself with a low profile, the less expectations you create and therefore you can play the surprise effect. This concept is very important because if I create an unreal image of a place I risk obtaining the opposite effect, in a nutshell I risk that the guest will not even be able to perceive the real beauty of the place where he is ».

How many things to think about, but your wife and your kids? They will be grown up by now ... did they follow in your footsteps?

“No, maybe they were scared of how much I worked when they were little (laughs). You know my wife has always understood me, she immediately understood that my work was important because I did it with love. For my children it's different, now they see a fulfilled man, while when they were little they always saw me traveling, also because my family has always been in Lugano and I went and came back, I was always with suitcases in hand ».

You could have worked in other beautiful cities, but you returned to Lugano to stay there ...

«I believe that Lugano, from the point of view of those who visit it, is an exceptional city, but which unfortunately suffers from not having been able to convert this change of tourism in real time and I say this with the utmost respect. In the last ten years, things have changed a lot, previously 60% of our guests were businessmen, currently we mostly have tourists. I think now we all have to work together to enhance the destination. We must realize that we are perceived in a positive way abroad, when the guest arrives in Lugano he is happy, what we should learn to do is to communicate it to the whole world, but it's not that simple ".

So once again communication is fundamental ...

«Yes, just think of everything that can be done in Ticino, I am thinking of cultural offers, but also sports ... there are many and sometimes we take them for granted, but if we became good communicators we would certainly be more successful. We should simply be able to tell our story, without exaggerating, placing ourselves exactly as we are, because we cannot help but fall in love with Lugano ».

We end the chat by walking. The banquet room is splendid, white, bright and the raised terrace allows you to stand by the lake without seeing the road. We also enter the Spa where there are several massage rooms, saunas, corners where you can relax in maximum privacy and an indoor swimming pool. But what remains most impressed on me by the meeting are the words addressed to the staff, people who dedicate their lives to service with an enviable nobility of soul.