Saro Spadaro: AI will change hospitality management, but people remain essential

GREAT BAY--Artificial intelligence is creating new opportunities for the hospitality industry to improve efficiency, control operating costs, and strengthen guest services, but technology should support rather than replace the people responsible for delivering the hospitality experience. That is the position of Saro Spadaro, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Maho Group, who believes that the future of hotel management will increasingly depend on how effectively businesses combine technological innovation with professional judgment and personal service.

In a feature published by North East Londoner on October 29, Spadaro reflected on the evolution of hospitality management, the growing importance of artificial intelligence, and the responsibilities of operating tourism and real estate businesses in an environment such as St. Maarten.

With more than 25 years of experience in Caribbean hospitality and property development, Spadaro sees artificial intelligence as a practical management tool with applications extending well beyond online reservations and customer communication. Among the opportunities he identifies are predictive maintenance, improved food preparation planning, and more efficient management of cleaning and laundry supplies.

These applications could allow hotels to anticipate equipment problems before they disrupt operations, better estimate the resources required to serve guests, and reduce unnecessary expenditure. For large resorts managing hundreds of rooms, extensive facilities, and multiple departments, even relatively small improvements in resource management can have implications for operating costs and service reliability.

However, Spadaro's position is that technology alone cannot deliver the hospitality experience. While digital systems can analyze information, identify patterns, and support management decisions, employees remain essential to interpreting that information, handling unexpected situations, and responding to the needs of individual guests.

His approach reflects a broader change taking place across the international hospitality sector, where digital booking platforms, online reviews, and new travel research technologies have already transformed how customers select destinations and accommodation. Artificial intelligence introduces another stage in that evolution, requiring hotel operators to reconsider how they manage their internal operations and interact with customers.

For Spadaro, the central challenge is ensuring that new technologies produce measurable operational benefits without weakening the personal relationships that remain fundamental to hospitality. Introducing intelligent systems must therefore be accompanied by sound management, trained personnel, and an understanding of where technology can improve existing services.

Hospitality Businesses Must Consider Their Local Environment

Beyond technology, Spadaro's experience also highlights the relationship between tourism businesses and the destinations in which they operate. In St. Maarten, where tourism supports a substantial portion of economic activity, the performance of major hospitality and real estate businesses is closely connected to the surrounding community, infrastructure, natural environment, and services.

The Maho Group operates across several areas of the local tourism economy, including resorts, vacation ownership properties, residential developments, commercial facilities, and entertainment. Its portfolio includes Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa, Royal Islander Club La Plage, Royal Islander Club La Terrasse, AquaMarina, BlueMarine, Maho Village, Casino Royale, and Diamond Casino.

Managing such a portfolio requires more than maintaining individual buildings or providing accommodation. It also involves considering how hospitality properties, commercial activity, residential developments, and surrounding infrastructure interact with one another and contribute to the overall visitor experience.

The October 29 feature highlighted the importance of this broader business environment, noting that a visitor's experience is influenced not only by the hotel but also by the quality of the destination and the services available around it.

The Maho Group's stated approach to development includes considering environmental impacts and the relationship between buildings and their natural surroundings. It also recognizes that tourism and real estate businesses operate within communities whose long-term development can be affected by commercial decisions.

These considerations are particularly relevant for St. Maarten, where land availability, infrastructure capacity, environmental protection, and tourism development must be managed within a relatively small geographic area.

For hospitality operators, the connection between business performance and the local environment creates a need to consider long-term sustainability alongside financial performance. Decisions involving property development, energy consumption, maintenance, and infrastructure can influence both operating costs and the surrounding destination.

Although the group's stated approach emphasizes environmental considerations, the North East Londoner feature did not provide independently measured environmental or social outcomes. The principles nevertheless reflect the growing importance of incorporating community and environmental factors into tourism-related business planning.

Lessons From Operating in a Hurricane-Prone Destination

Another important aspect of Spadaro's management experience has been operating in a destination exposed to severe weather and the possibility of major economic disruption.

Hurricane Irma's impact on St. Maarten in September 2017 demonstrated the vulnerability of tourism infrastructure and the difficulties businesses face when essential services, buildings, transportation networks, and supply chains are disrupted.

For hotel operators, recovery from such events involves more than repairing damaged properties. Businesses must also address employee welfare, operational continuity, supplier relationships, infrastructure availability, and the financial requirements of reopening.

The experience reinforced the importance of long-term planning, maintenance, and management systems capable of responding to emergencies. These responsibilities remain relevant as Caribbean tourism businesses confront changing operating conditions, environmental risks, and expectations for more resilient infrastructure.

More Than Two Decades of Hospitality Leadership

Spadaro's career in St. Maarten began while he was still completing his university education in Italy. He studied Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan, graduating in 1999 with a specialization in the Management of International Corporations.

In May 1996, he was appointed Managing Director of Resort of the World N.V., operating as Sonesta Resorts St. Maarten. He subsequently became President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2003, assuming responsibility for the company's overall management, financial operations, and business development strategy.

Over the following decades, his management responsibilities expanded across several hospitality and real estate enterprises, including Great Bay Beach Hotel & Casino, Royal Islander Club La Plage, Royal Islander Club La Terrasse, AquaMarina, and BlueMarine. His work combined daily hospitality operations with property development, project management, and longer-term financial planning.

That combination of experience now informs his perspective on the industry's technological transformation. While artificial intelligence may change how hotels analyze information, allocate resources, and make operational decisions, Spadaro maintains that effective hospitality management will continue to depend on human expertise, sound judgment, and the ability to deliver reliable service.

His observations point to a future in which successful hospitality businesses will need to balance innovation with practical management, employee capabilities, and the long-term interests of the destinations in which they operate.

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