Show Notes:

In this episode of the Business Growth Spotlight, Heidi Schalk sits down with David Saadia, Director of Operations at Rove Travel, to explore how luxury hospitality is evolving in a remote first, AI driven world.

Broadcasting from Mexico City, David shares his global hospitality journey, from studying in Switzerland to leading hotel operations across major international cities, and how he transitioned from traditional hotel management into a fast growing luxury property management startup.

This conversation dives into experiential travel, operational excellence, company culture, AI implementation, and what it truly takes to scale a hospitality brand without sacrificing service standards.

Bio:

I was born and raised in Mexico City from a French father and American mother. At 16 I attended a hospitality summer program at Cornell and knew this was the path I wanted. I studied at Les Roches in Switzerland and later completed a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Beverage and Revenue Management at Kendall College in Chicago.

My career has taken me through several countries and brands. I worked in Barcelona at the Ritz Carlton, in New York at the Eventi Hotel, in Thailand, Italy, and Chicago. At 23 I moved to California to run operations for a 93 room hotel, overseeing housekeeping, front office, reporting directly to the General Manager.

After 8 years abroad I moved back to Mexico City to be closer to family and stepped into the startup world. I joined WeWork in its early stage and worked across operations and sales. I eventually led all building openings across Latin America during a period of rapid growth. I later joined Oyo Rooms, where I led Sales Operations and helped build processes for a business development team of around 300 to 400 people.

A few years later, my passion for hospitality brought me back when I got recruited as General Manager at Habitas. I managed their flagship hotel in Tulum and their new property in Bacalar, overseeing about 200 team members and 77 rooms.

A year ago I joined Rove Travel as Director of Operations. I oversee the guest experience across multiple US markets and manage a fully remote concierge team. My work focuses on operational systems, quality control, vendor management, training, and building consistent hospitality standards across our luxury rental portfolio.

To connect with our guest, click on the links below:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rove_travel?igsh=MTZvZDd3bXhtMGgzZg==

Website: www.rovetravel.com

Connect with me:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidischalkcoaching/

🎁 Grab your Spotlight to Scale Blueprint: https://spotlighttoscale.com/blueprint