Hello Mario, how long have you been in the Gstaad region and where do you work?
I’ve been in Gstaad since May 2022 and have been working in marketing at HUUS Gstaad ever since.

How did you get into marketing? What training did you do?
I got into marketing simply because this area appeals to me in terms of creativity and understanding people.
I didn’t do any official hotel management training, but studied international business in the Netherlands with a focus on entrepreneurship. So you could say that I came into the hotel industry as a career changer. Before that, I worked in Austria and helped set up a new type of tiny house accommodation under the “cabinski” brand. I was involved in project management and marketing there

How does hotel marketing differ from marketing in any other industry?
The range of good hotels in Switzerland is very large and varied and the competition is intense. So marketing in this industry is definitely not easy. Many hotel guests appreciate their valuable vacation time and want to make the most of it. Hotel stays are therefore an important planned decision. In hotel marketing, we have to successfully address the guest as many times as possible in the so-called customer journey, “pick them up” emotionally and ultimately convince them to stay with us.

Do you want to stay in the hotel industry? What do you like about it?
Yes, I would like to stay in the hotel industry for the time being. Traveling is one of my greatest passions, so this industry is a perfect fit for me. And it’s always nice to be able to welcome travelers from all over the world and introduce them to this hotel and the vacation region. I enjoy creating unforgettable experiences for our guests. We also have a lot of returning guests and it’s fun to maintain these relationships

What are your tasks in marketing? What does your typical working day look like? Do you work with a team?
As Marketing Director, I am responsible for developing and implementing strategies to increase hotel occupancy. This includes maintaining our online presence, creating engaging content and working with magazines, travel suppliers, photographers and videographers. My team consists of me, myself, and I. However, I have support from our management and sometimes involve employees from different departments in the creation of content.

My typical working day consists of email correspondence and a range of online marketing activities, including researching market trends, creating social media posts, checking the success of organic and paid online media as well as general content maintenance and graphic design work. You also coordinate with our management and plan influencer & content creator collaborations.

What do you like about your work? What is your biggest challenge?
I particularly like the creative freedom and the opportunity to use different media to show guests how much fun and relaxation we can offer them here and in the region. The biggest challenge is to stand out in such a competitive market while remaining true to the hotel’s image.

What do you like about Gstaad?
Gstaad fascinates me with its breathtakingly beautiful nature and the wide range of leisure activities on offer. I like to spend my free time here doing sports, hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, ski touring and motorcycling. You also meet a unique and interesting mix of people from all over the world in Gstaad – I particularly like that!

Thank you, Mario, and have lots of fun in Gstaad!