From an early age, Andrea Chapur paid her dues working in the trenches for the family business, Miami-based AIC Hotel Group (formerly All Inclusive Collection). She took on entry-level jobs ranging from housekeeping to front desk management, customer relations and spa operations, and after college, sales. Two years ago, she accepted the biggest challenge yet, developing and launching Unico, AIC’s first homegrown concept, a culturally immersive all-inclusive luxury brand that debuted in Riviera Maya, Mexico, in 2017. Now 30, she is an owner and operator, focused on building out Unico along with expansion, brand management, marketing and partnerships for the company’s complete portfolio.
Chapur is one of 20 rising stars (all 40 and under) HOTELS interviewed for our May feature. All shared their insights about their lives in the business and thoughts about some of today’s challenges and opportunities. In a Wall Street Journal-sponsored series, read Chapur’s responses to our questions and click here to link to the full list of interviews with HOTELS 20 Next-Gen hospitality leaders.
Contributed by Megan Rowe
HOTELS: What’s the state of career opportunities in the hotel industry?
Andrea Chapur: I think now more than ever millennials are paying more attention to the business because of the disruption. It’s not the typical old-school mentality. Creativity and new experiences are more important. Luxury has been redefined — it’s not as straightforward as before. New ideas and innovation are taken into consideration. It’s always growing.
H: Do you see evidence that glass ceilings and old boys’ networks are falling?
AC: The glass ceiling is still there, but it’s being shattered in certain areas. For demanding jobs like finance, unfortunately when women start their families there is a glass ceiling. But I see more and more women at trade shows, and we have more female GMs.
H: Do you think company cultures are shifting in a timely manner to meet hotel staff and corporate needs?
AC: We’ve been hiring a lot younger, especially in corporate sales. We manage different brands — we have Hard Rock, Nobu and Unico. Younger people choose careers and brands they can relate to, and each of our brands has a different culture. Hard Rock stresses “be yourself.” Nobu is more about luxury.
H: What are the changing needs and priorities of next-gen leaders?
AC: For me, priorities are technology and social media — something that my father’s generation does not understand as well. Being able to learn about our customers is very important, as are social media and being transparent to our guests and employees. Transparency is one of the biggest things this generation values. We share numbers with everyone — the numbers they need to know.
H: What does the industry need to do to become more attractive?
AC: I think we could make it a better place to work — through flexibility and empowerment. Maybe there are better ways to offer internships that would make it easier for college students to really experience the hospitality industry at an early age. I just hired an entry-level manager who asked where he would be sitting. So a good back of house is important. When developing Unico, we focused on developing the back of house and making it nice. We had a small budget and doubled it.
H: What do you care about the most when it comes to hotels and careers?
AC: My passion is creating, innovating and seeing an idea develop from A to Z. That’s why I put so much passion and love into Unico. Very few people have the chance to create a brand and see it flourish. I also feel responsible for our employees. We want them to feel that work is a place to feel safe, where they can continue to grow. And my biggest passion right now is a nonprofit organization my sister and I created to encourage economic development in small towns near our hotels.
H: What about the business keeps you up at night?
AC: Making sure that we are ready to take over the business when my dad is not around. It’s a family business, with six of the kids in some role here, but we want to make it a little more corporate, and we know that will be a big leap.
H: To what do you most attribute your success and growth?
AC: Being persistent, not giving up and not being scared to try things, even when you fail, and seeing failure as a lesson. I think it’s important to listen and learn from other people who are experts.
H: What would you say to people entering the business now?
AC: Try as many things as can when you are young, especially internships, so you can find your passion.
H: Describe the things that you try to do every day, and why you do them.
AC: I always try to have a positive attitude and to be available, no matter what’s going on around me.
H: Where do you find inspiration?
AC: Travel inspires me. Traveling has always been my passion. That’s when I can connect with others, learn about other cultures and explore the world. Personally, my parents inspire me in different ways. My dad inspires me in work — I’ve never met anyone who works as hard, he is so humble, and the way he treats people is amazing. My mom inspires me because she had six kids and we’ve always gotten along, and she has always been there and been amazing.
H: What’s one prediction you’re willing to make about the coming year?
AC: Trendy limited-service hotels are going to start flourishing. We’ll see some that combine luxury and limited service coming together with something that’s high end, but at the end of the day very affordable.