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OPERATIONS · TECHNOLOGY · INNOVATION · PARIS

Felipe Díaz Marín

Built in hospitality.

Now I build what's next.

20 years building systems at scale — from a $3M procurement operation at IHG to a Franco-Vietnamese joint venture that ran for 8 years. Now focused on product, innovation, and the intersection of hospitality and technology.

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Felipe Díaz Marín

20+

yrs ops leadership

4

continents

8.8

mag. earthquake

3

ES · FR · EN

Background

Operations first. Everything else followed.

Two decades inside luxury hotel operations — from purchasing at InterContinental Santiago at 21 to F&B management at Westin Kuala Lumpur, full operational recovery after the 8.8-magnitude earthquake at Sonesta Concepcion. Four continents, three languages, every department from kitchen to front desk.

For the last decade, I've led international academic programs at CY Cergy Paris Universite — including a Franco-Vietnamese joint venture with HUTECH that ran for eight years, delivered EUR 300K net contribution, and trained 60+ students across two countries.CY Cergy Paris Université

I build products, design systems, and ship software. My next chapter is at the intersection of hospitality operations and technology product leadership.

AS FEATURED IN

HUTECH UniversityHUTECH UniversityHUTECH UniversityUEF UniversityUEF University

Previously at

IHG
Westin
Sonesta

How I help

EXPERTISE & CAPABILITIES

Operational Transformation

Your team knows something is wrong but can't name it. I run structured diagnostics rooted in 20 years of hotel operations to surface the root cause — and design a fix your frontline will actually adopt.

Leadership & Team Development

Managers promoted for technical skill, now struggling to lead. I build capability programs anchored in real hospitality scenarios — multicultural teams, pressure situations, shift dynamics. Not theory.

AI & Digital Integration

Most hotel tech deployments fail because the vendor never managed a shift handover. I evaluate, select, and deploy digital tools your teams will actually use — from PMS to F&B analytics.

Training Architecture

One-day workshops get forgotten by Tuesday. I design modular training systems built around real job tasks — the same methodology behind 80+ university cohorts, adapted for your operations team.

The Process

How I work.

01

Diagnose

One week embedded with your team. I observe workflows, interview staff at every level, and identify the 2–3 root causes behind visible symptoms — the handover gaps, unspoken bottlenecks, and training holes nobody has named.

02

Design

A system built for your context — not a template. I design frameworks your team helped shape, so adoption happens because they own it, not because you mandated it.

03

Deploy

I stay through implementation. Adjusting in real time, training your managers to run the system after I leave. You keep the capability — not just the deliverable.

Blog

Writing

·5 min read

How AI Is Reshaping Guest Experience in Paris Hotels — Felipe Díaz Marín

A former hotel director and hospitality lecturer examines how AI is actually changing guest experience in Paris — beyond the buzzwords.

·9 min read

Cara a Cara: What I Got Right in 2014 — and What I Missed

In 2014 I published research arguing that hotels should use telepresence to create more human moments. 8 out of 10 survey respondents said they'd try 'teledining'. It never happened. Here's what that tells us about technology adoption — and what the industry still gets wrong.

·7 min read

20 Years in Operations — Beyond What School Teaches

Twenty years in hospitality operations across four continents. The theories work — but they're not enough. What the classroom cannot give you.

Read → →

The Approach

Most transformation projects focus on: frameworks, deliverables, and reporting.

I focus on: the human behind the problem.

Curiosity · Responsibility · The Work

Let's build something.

30 minutes. Whether you're hiring, collaborating, or exploring an idea — I'll listen and tell you honestly what I think.

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