Matt Ward
BACKGROUNDER —
Luca Rutigliano has a wealth of luxury hospitality experience, having enjoyed a successful 15-year career with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. As Managing Director of Rosewood CordeValle, Rutigliano oversees all areas of the property, including the luxury resort’s 45 rooms and suites, three signature dinging venues, Sense®, A Rosewood Spa and championship golf course.
ITHE RUTIGLIANO STORY —
I’ve been with Rosewood CordeValle for over four years as managing director, following a 15-year career with Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. My various hospitality experience allows me to full serve our guests and members.
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You wake up in the morning — what’s the driving passion?
Making things better and how can we can better serve our guests and the community. I’m not talking about material things, I’m talking fiscal and spiritual items. How can we influence our society in a better way? How can I be better to my family, my team and my community? It is amazing when you simplify things and focus on yourself, how much that positively impacts everything else in your work and life.
Who is the customer who comes to CordeValle?
The golf course at Rosewood CordeValle attracts several types guests, which include local members, social golfers, corporate groups, business travelers and professional players. The course was designed with the belief that championship golf courses should be built to appeal toboth amateur, as well as professional-level golfers. This design approach enables players of all levels to truly enjoy a round on the course.
You’ve been involved with various properties globally. What are the clear advantages gained from having such a broad swath of experiences?
I’ve served various roles around the globe in the Middle East, the Caribbean, Europe and throughout the United States, and from these roles I have experienced and learned to serve guests from many different cultures. I have seen the best in customer service around the globe, and I am able to bring this experience to the guests I serve today at Rosewood CordeValle.
When you visit a property — whether on vacation or business — what are among the first things you notice?
When I travel to a property it is the people I met that make the difference. I like to observe the staff and guest interaction and determine if the team is involved and if truly invest time with the guest or if they just go through the motion of their day.
Customer service is routinely touted by many facilities. Define the term, the approach followed at CordeValle and how you know if your efforts are successful?
Excellent customer service is to anticipate and recognize guests’ individual needs and meet those needs with warm and genuine service. The team at Rosewood CordeValle has a passion for exemplary personal service and makes guests feel at home by developing one-on-one relationships with guests. Our level of repeat customers is evidence in our success in serving guests.
The California market is an extremely competitive one — how do you plan to differentiate CordeValle and have it among the top 2-3 resorts in the state?
Situated on nearly 1,700 acres in the countryside of San Martin, with stunning scenery of rolling hills, Rosewood CordeValle’s location sets it apart from other California golf courses. While the course has been included in the top 100 golf courses across the United States since its launch in 1999, it is more than just the grounds that attract golfers.
We offer a range of amenities for our guests and members that include Sense®, A Rosewood Spa for relaxing post-golf treatments, as well as dining outlets that serve contemporary California cuisine, such as One Iron Bar and Lion’s Peak Grill both overlooking the golf course and provide pleasant al fresco dining.
In the course of any day — how much personal interaction do you have with guests?
I have a lot of interaction with our Internal and external guests and I personally take time to talk too all CordeValle associates. Each day I make sure to do a walk through each department where I speak to both my team and guests. Both visually and emotionally, I like to experience what our guests experience and the only way to do this is to spend time with them throughout the day.
The 18-hole layout at CordeValle was recently updated by Bruce Charlton from Robert Trent Jones, Jr’s firm. Given the facility’s past history in being the venue for various major golf event — what is being contemplated for the future in this regard?
We always look for ways to make things better for our guests and members. For now, our focus is on the health and playability of the golf course. Our final hole is magical, and guests can play it in different ways. It gives guests and members who are risk takers an opportunity to go for the green over the water. For the future tournaments the course will speak for itself and I’m sure down the road we will get asked to host another top tournament.
The biggest short and long term challenges facing CordeValle is what and the steps are you taking in dealing with them.
The game of golf and how we bring in new players are our biggest short- and long-term challenges. We have a responsibility to promote the game and in return the investment in the youth. Honestly, we all have this responsibility at work as well at home and in our community.
As a leader and as a parent this doesn’t really stop just at work, we need to become more involved with local organizations to promote the game and the passion for the sport. Here at CordeValle, we assist with helping local schools with their golf program by hosting practice and tournaments on our course. We also internally host junior golf camps and junior championships.
Best advice you ever received — what was it and who from?
I been lucky to surround myself with great people including my family and especially my wife. If I must share one piece ofadvice, it would be from my mother from when I was in high school. She always let me do anything I wanted but she always told me “don’t’ forget I will wake you up in the morning.” Meaning, I gave you the freedom to do whateveryou want, but you also must own the responsibility. I had to get up each morning for swim practice and as well as going to school and work.
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For more info go to:
https://www.rosewoodhotels.
Photo Courtesy of Rosewood Cordevalle.