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BLOGS & COMMENTARY
The Travel & Hospitality Industry in Review.
This space serves as a comprehensive resource, blending actionable commentary drawn from my consultancy work with the personal journey that informs it.
You will find in-depth articles covering critical areas such as strategic growth planning, effective operational scaling in high-value sectors, and best practices in high-impact mentorship.
Furthermore, I publish my candid views and opinions on emerging industry trends, alongside reflective pieces that trace my past experiences and the significant lessons learned throughout my career path.
Explore the full spectrum of content to gain both strategic tools for your business and personal insights for your leadership journey.
The Operational Shield: Structuring Hospitality Contracts to Prevent Scope Creep
In the fast-moving global travel and hospitality sectors, a new commercial contract is always a cause for celebration. Whether you are a luxury hotel group securing a high-volume corporate account, a Destination Management Company partnering with an international tour operator, or an elite concierge service signing a boutique corporate client, a new agreement represents revenue growth and strategic scale. But far too often, the initial excitement masks a silent, profit-eating
Carlo Rappa
8 hours ago5 min read
Beyond the Pitch: Shifting Your Team to Consultative B2B Sales
If you sit in the sales office of almost any B2B company, service provider, or consultancy, you will hear a very similar sound. It is the sound of passionate sales managers pitching features. They talk about their new software interface, their fast turnaround times, their long list of services, or their state-of-the-art facilities. While these features are important, pitching them upfront is a fast track to failure in today’s corporate market. When your commercial team relies
Carlo Rappa
Jul 24 min read
Leaving Margin on the Table: High-Stakes Negotiation Flaws Costing Hotel Operators
If you review the commercial performance of almost any premium hotel, resort portfolio, or travel brand, you will see a massive amount of effort dedicated to driving top-line revenue. Teams invest heavily in dynamic revenue management software, sophisticated digital marketing, and pristine asset upgrades to squeeze an extra percentage point out of RevPAR or average daily rate (ADR). Yet, millions of pounds in pure profit margin are quietly leaking out of the business every si
Carlo Rappa
Jun 45 min read
The ROI of Resilience: Why Your Business Strategy Needs a Crisis Playbook
In the travel industry, we operate in a landscape of "when," not "if." From sudden geopolitical shifts and climate events to technical outages that ground entire fleets, disruption is the only true constant. Throughout my twenty years moving from Operations to Strategy, I have observed a recurring pattern: companies that treat crisis management as a reactive chore rarely survive the long haul. Conversely, those that view Resilience as a high-yield investment stay ahead of the
Carlo Rappa
Jan 282 min read
Data vs. Intuition: How I Help Travel Brands Navigate Complex Commercial Decisions
In the boardroom, we are often told that "data is king." We are surrounded by real-time analytics, passenger load factors, and complex revenue management algorithms that promise to predict the future. However, in the nuanced world of high-end travel, data only tells half the story. After twenty years of navigating Operations and Commercial Strategy, I’ve realised that the most successful decisions are made at the intersection of hard evidence and seasoned intuition. As a Cons
Carlo Rappa
Jan 282 min read
The Art of the Strategic Alliance: Why Most Travel Partnerships Fail (and How to Fix Them)
In the travel industry, "partnership" is a word we use with incredible frequency, yet true Strategic Alliances are remarkably rare. We sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs), exchange logos for our websites, and announce "collaborations" with great fanfare—only to watch them wither into administrative burdens or quietly disappear within a year. In my two decades across Sales and Operations, I’ve seen that a failed partnership is rarely due to a lack of intent; it is usually
Carlo Rappa
Jan 262 min read
Sourcing with Purpose: How to Build a Supplier Network That Values Quality Over Cost
In the fast-paced world of travel procurement, the temptation to chase the lowest bid is ever-present. We’ve all seen the spreadsheets where "cost-saving" is the only metric that matters. But after twenty years in the industry, I’ve learned that the cheapest contract often carries the highest hidden price—be it in operational friction, brand damage, or traveller dissatisfaction. Sourcing with Purpose is about shifting the narrative. It’s about building a resilient, high-perfo
Carlo Rappa
Jan 242 min read
The Art of the Win-Win: Three Rules for Building Long-Term Travel Partnerships
In the travel industry, we are inherently dependent on each other. A customer's experience—and therefore your brand's reputation—is a chain built of airlines, hotels, technology providers, and local operators. Having worked across Sales, Sourcing, and Strategy for two decades, I’ve learned that the most reliable, profitable, and enjoyable relationships are never transactional. They are purposeful partnerships—strategic, mutually beneficial alliances built to last years, not m
Carlo Rappa
Dec 1, 20253 min read
The Crisis Pivot: Lessons Learned in Travel Commercial Strategy
In my two decades in the travel industry, I've seen the market shift dramatically—from global economic tremors and natural disasters to unprecedented industry shutdowns. If my time in Operations taught me the value of detail, my years in Commercial Strategy taught me the necessity of the pivot. A crisis is a commercial stress test. It’s not just about managing losses; it’s about making immediate, decisive changes to your core commercial levers: pricing, inventory, and cancell
Carlo Rappa
Nov 3, 20253 min read
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