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HomeColumnsArticlesRocabella Santorini: The first Greek hotel that embraces the charity cause ‘Bucatini all’amatriciana’ for earthquake stricken Italy

Rocabella Santorini: The first Greek hotel that embraces the charity cause ‘Bucatini all’amatriciana’ for earthquake stricken Italy

Observing the evolutionary path of the hotel marketing we see a shift from the strategic targeting to the mind of the guests, to their heart, and finally today to their spirit (hospitality marketing 3.0), meaning that customers and hotels co-create the product, formulating and imagining in tandem the cultural aspirations of the destination, enhancing the local and global community and sharing common values for the social good.

Hospitality has always meant welcoming feelings with succulence, aromas, memories of flavors and pictures..

It is all about pictures evoking the traditional smell of the Greek coffee on the coals and grandmother’s flavors, rose water, sugar, honey and rose dessert made with petals and love in a tiny garden of the Aegean, pictures of a local “raki” drink in the afternoon in a tranquil seashore, the unique shades of the blue of the Greek sea, the virgin olive oil, a drop of sea, a few pebbles of the smallest beach and a rosary that your grandfather gave you one night when you were talking about fishing on the island, the chrysanthemum scents, honeysuckle and violet, the tight hugs of a "Zorba" whom you met the great Greek summer and will take him back home with your thoughts, and the warm smile of a young man who will welcome you like an old friend to your hotel and the very next day will call you with your first name..

What is more, the creation of taste in the hospitality was an affair of the heart; a challenge of being able to ascribe feelings and small "moments" of art and imagination to the dish. But taste, before anything else and above all, is a story, a cultural experience, a special home.

In this vein of culinary essence, due to the earthquake in Italy a worldwide movement has been organized in which restaurants and hotels around the world add in their menu the spaghetti dish "Bucatini all'amatriciana" named after Amatrice, one of the most beautiful villages of Lazio hit by the severe earthquake. Adding this dish in their menu, they donate part of its value to the victims of the earthquake. More specifically, for each dish 2 Euros are given to the cause: one from the guest and the other one from the hotel.

As Mr. Georgios Kalfopoulos, Chief Operating Officer and Owner of the Rocabella Hotels, notes: “We are proud and genuinely happy for being the very first Greek hotel that embraces this cause, and my valuable team and I wait for you with a wide smile to try this dish and enjoy it even more, knowing its social hue.

As the Executive Chef of the hotel, Mr. Nikos Anagnostou, remarks: “Hospitality [“Philoxenia” (in ancient Greek) – “Φιλοξενία” (in modern Greek) that comes from the words (“philo” (in ancient Greek) =love and xenos (in ancient Greek) = foreigner ] refers to the treatment and care of a stranger in one's home. Also for the ancient people it was an institution to welcome and pamper foreigners, having the moral debt to be offered at each occurrence, regardless of the foreigner’s economic, political or social status. At the end of his stay the farewell was done with wishes and gifts.

And so we feel the moral indebtedness to host these feelings, take part in this cause, and send together with you wishes and gifts to people who really need them.

May this dish, tasting it for the first time at our hotel, be always a reminiscence of the happiness that you helped a fellowman with a problem so far away, so close to us and in a way so powerful, so simple ..

Observing the evolutionary path of the hotel marketing we see a shift from the strategic targeting to the mind of the guests, to their heart, and finally today to their spirit (hospitality marketing 3.0), meaning that customers and hotels co-create the product, formulating and imagining in tandem the cultural aspirations of the destination, enhancing the local and global community and sharing common values for the social good. Rocabella Santorini Hotel & Spa, adopting this technology of thought and through its participation in the movement "Bucatini all'amatriciana", teaches its guests not only to dream but also to participate in the dream. But above all, it passes a very strong message, a clear message:

Important is to (do what you) love!

 

Creator of The Storytelling Hotel - The Storytelling Hotel | + Posts

Alexia Charoupa has graduated from the Department of Communication, Media and Culture, of Panteion University (with a specialization in Marketing, PR and Communication). She is a Hospitality Storyteller on Travel Daily News and Hospitality Net. Furthermore she is Guest Experience Expert at The Cloud Keys. She has performed Concierge at The Romanos, A Luxury Collection Resort, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., Concierge d'hôtel at Katikies Hotel, Santorini, and Guest Relations Manager at Rocabella Santorini Hotel & SPA, Santorini.

Moreover, she is the Creator of "The Storytelling Hotel". With "The Storytelling Hotel”, Alexia represented Greece in the 3rd Annual European Thesis Competition of Edcom by EACA (European Association of Communication Agencies) after being nominated by the Greek Institute of Communication to do so and was given a place among the TOP 10 European Finalists.

"The Storytelling Hotel” was also awarded the Silver Tourism Award 2016- in the Section: Strategy & Innovation/ Award Category: 1.7 Research & Writing Work: ΤEMES (Costa Navarino) in cooperation with Alexia Charoupa, Bachelor Thesis, Panteion University. 

In March 2017 she was distinguished with “The Storytelling Hotel” as Best Hotel Management Consultant (silver award) in the Greek Hospitality Awards 2017.

Her expertise lies in the branding narrative management of hotels, the experience economy as well as the creation of storytelling and "wow" factors in the field of hospitality. Cognizing hotels as narrative platforms, with any hospitality brand that she works, she tries to increase its uniqueness in terms of service innovation, accomplish personalized signature experiences and, last but not least, manage the emotional connection of the guest with the brand. 

She is also a Stanford’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Professional Certificate student. 

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