INTERVIEW WITH MR. ALVARO MORENO & MR. JACOBO PRIEGUE – SODA HOTEL MANAGEMENT PLATFORM
July 5, 2024
- 1. Kindly tell us something about your work profile/business including yourself.
We, Alvaro Moreno and Jacobo Priegue, founded and established SODÅ in Vietnam in 2023. As two proud hoteliers from Spain with over a decade of experience in Vietnam’s international hotel management scene, our mission is to redefine the ways hotels are managed. Our essence is simple: we make hotel management.
We offer hotel management services for pre-opening hotels that are preparing to open their doors, as well as for operating hotels that are looking to enhance their growth. Our clients include free-spirited hotels, emerging hotel groups, and visionary hotel developers.
- 2. What made you / your company decided to develop in Asian market especially in Vietnam?
After a decade working in Vietnam on different projects, we saw that there was an opportunity and that the country and society are advancing very rapidly; meteoric development of the hotel business with a need for professionalization and quality resources, as the number of tourists grew each year. The management has become more complex and required more flexible approaches. We have seen that today’s hotel management needs came from all levels, from project management of openings, asset management, to team management and the implementation of systems
- 3. How has your professional career or your company’s career developed since then?
The company has just celebrated its first anniversary, and we are thrilled with the progress made. Since our inception, we’ve been serving a select group of hotels for an international hotel client, taking pride in the quality of our partnerships. We anticipate more partnerships to emerge this year, and our team is expanding rapidly. We couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome.
- 4. As far as your sector stands today, what services SODA offers to their clients?
SODÅ offers all-in hotel management services for pre-opening hotels gearing up to welcome their first guests, as well as for operational hotels seeking to boost their growth. Our clientele encompasses free-spirited hotels, emerging hotel groups, and visionary hotel developers.
- 5. What do you think are the biggest challenges for this sector in the future?
Although the sector has some challenges, it often brings valuable opportunities. These opportunities include the growth of tourism, stabilizing the market, sustainable development of emerging destinations, improving professionalism within the industry, and creating more positive impacts on local communities.
- 6. What type of promotional and communication campaigns do you work on?
At SODÅ, we prioritize delivering high-quality work to our clients. Rather than focusing on specific promotional or communication campaigns, we rely on the positive feedback and testimonials from our satisfied clients to speak about our track record and results. Our goal is to consistently exceed expectations and let our work speak for itself.
- 7. What is your advice to companies interested in your services?
For companies interested in SODÅ’s services, we encourage embracing innovation and showing a passion for hospitality. We are committed to supporting hotel owners and teams in realizing their dream hotels. By partnering with us, you join forces with a partner passionate about the art of hospitality, and together, we can create your dream hotel.
- 8. Please tell us a little about future plans of your company in Vietnam.
We’ve been inspired by the early growth that we’ve witnessed during our first year of operation, and we look forward to a potential future ahead. We’ve been building strong relationships with our clients and bringing in experts to our team. Not only this will help our company but also our clients and partners grow more sustainably. Our primary focus for this second year is to make sure our team works well together and to improve what we offer to our clients.
There’s foreseeable future of business expansions to other countries, however, we have our commitment to grow the business in Vietnam and we would like to set a strong foundation that powers our limitless growth in the future.
Many thanks to Mr. Alvaro Moreno and Mr. Jacobo Priegue for sharing your experience with us.