ELiana Guercio is currently the President and Managing Partner of Global Resorts Network, an international property development consultancy. She is also a Senior Partner of the Trusted Leadership Institute at the University of Toronto. While this may seem like a pretty cushy job for someone in her thirties, with a Masters in Business Administration, Ms Guercio sees her opportunities for growth as endless. “I am not looking for a promotion, I am not looking for a change in location, I am simply looking to enhance my current role. I do not want to be tied down to one area. The more areas that I can manage within one company, the better.”
Guercio has been involved in the hospitality industry for the past twenty-five years, most notably as a member of the board of directors of the Coromandel Hotel and Estate. She has also worked at the prestigious Dorian and the Marriott Marbella, which she loves as both a base for entertaining guests and a place to run her business. She is proud to call herself a “marketer” and loves the “feeding frenzy” for which being a hotel manager attracts.
The question on many people’s minds will inevitably be: how old should one be to start building up a career as a resort manager? Ms Guercio points out that one’s personal brand is as important, if not more important, than age. In her opinion, “What you do in your business does affect you, even if you are in a position of seniority. I believe you can use your personal brand to help your career. I just think it takes a little longer.”