The 17 Stunning Properties of Jean Franken

By Rudina Hoxha & Jose Pinto

With an experience of more than 30 years with Starwood, Jean Franken, Owner of Franken Asociados for the last 15 years, comes to TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE to talk about the uncommon small boutique hotels he is after.

In his rich portfolio, there are 17 properties located in the Latin America. He represents them in the European markets. “I am only working with boutique hotels because today when I am travelling in Europe and meeting with owners of travel agencies or tour operators, we realize that the clients are more after the boutique hotels than really big five-star hotels with 200 or 300 rooms,” Franken said in this exclusive interview.

Full interview below:

You have been with Starwood for about 30 years of your career. What have been the takings you have gained from this big experience within this international hotel company?

For me, it was a great experience. When I was still at the University in Madrid, I had to do some practice during the summer time. It was 1977. As doing my practice, I was contacted by the General Manager of the Hotel in Brussels.

He asked me if I was interested to be a management trainee in all the departments of the hotel during the next two years. Of course, I was very interested.

I accepted. I was able to continue my studies in Madrid, presenting only the exams at the end of the year. Once I finished my management trainee for two years in all the departments, I started my career as a front office manager and slowly I grew during these 30 years travelling all around the world.

Hotel Sol & Luna (Urubamba, Perú)

Hotel Eolo (El Calafate, Argentina)

For me, it was a great experience because I was not only able to grow in my career but also to know different properties and different countries. So, I visited Europe, Africa and I was in South America.

Given your rich property portfolio, what are the hotels you represent in Latin America and among them, can you mention any best conceptualized one?

The thing is that two years after I finished my career with Starwood, I was contacted by a very exclusive property in Buenos Aires – the Alvear Palace Hotel – which is really the best hotel in Argentina and member of the leading hotels in the world. I was asked to help them reinforce the sales department and the idea was to stay for 3 months. At the end, I stayed about two years in Buenos Aires in charge of the property. Of course, my idea was not to continue as director of sales of the property. After two years, I told them that

I will go to Europe and I could represent them in the European market.

I did so from 2012 until 2020. What happened is that after the pandemic, I lost some properties like the Alvear Palace. Since then, I started in 2012 with three properties and today I have 17. I really look for properties in 4 countries in Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Peru.

I am only working with boutique hotels because today when I am travelling in Europe and meeting with owners of travel agencies or tour operators, we realize that the clients are more after the boutique hotels than really big five-star hotels with 200 or 300 rooms. This is the reason why now I am focused on boutique hotels. All the properties are independent properties, all have different owners except two in Chile and two in Brazil.

They are members of Virtuoso or Small Luxury Hotels or Relais & Chateaux. My job is to position them in the European markets.

Hotel SLS Puerto Madero (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

The smallest hotel on my list of properties is Chez Georges in Rio, Brazil with 7 rooms and the biggest is in Peru – Sol Y Luna with 44 casitas.

I do sales calls like the recent ones I did in Barcelona and in Amsterdam last November. Previously I was in Munich. I also participate at some travel shows such as Pure in or Emotions in Buenos Aires.

You are such a successful expert in many departments especially in the sales department. Can you describe a day of yours within this department? What makes you so successful?

I have to say that after 30 years I spent with Starwood, I was able to work in the operations of the properties, sales department and the accounting department. I know exactly what I can promise to the clients if it is regarding food and beverages, banquets, reception or any kind of operations which I was able to learn in Starwood. Today I am looking for small properties, very well located, not very much well known.

So, my duty is to position these properties in the European markets. I was able to visit all of them at least two or three times. I have excellent communication relations with the GMs and the Director of Sales. Every time there is something new that the hotelier offers to the client, they inform me. Most importantly, when I travel to visit these properties, I also visit their competitors as well. More and more boutique hotels are prevailing. I would say that 70 percent of the business to these hotels is more leisure. I work closely with all the local DMCs in these countries. If needed I can recommend them. So, it is a win-win situation. I can recommend very good tour operators in Argentina or Chile and of course, in a certain way, they are ‘obliged’ to recommend my properties. So, it is a win-win situation.

In your view, what makes a good hotel concept?

The location is very important. The service and the facilities they are offering. Try to be exclusive, meaning to offer something special than the other properties do not.

La Ferme de Georges (Atins, Brasil)

In most of the cases, the owners recommend me because they like the list of the properties I represent. Important is that when I have a new property on my list, automatically the travel agencies, managers and tour operators think that if this property is on the list of Jean, undoubtedly it is a great one or it is a great location. Most of the properties are well-known ones such as Lima in Peru, the Sacred Valley near to Machu Picchu or a property in the coast – Hotel Kichic in Máncora, Peru.

I can tell you that five years ago, nobody knew that you can swim in Peru. You could go for great and particular food, archaeological sites and others but nobody knew that you could go to Pacific to swim. Today it is one of the main top destinations that we are selling the most because we are presenting the property to the clients and we know it is a great asset. Likewise, we have the property of LAGOS DEL FURIOSO Hotel in Argentina. It is a very small boutique hotel with 11 rooms and suites. Whereas Furioso is a very small river dividing the two most important lakes in Argentina. Of course, you won’t perhaps visit this location the first time you visit Argentina, but why not the second time if the clients are really interested in horse racing, trekking or they want to be near the nature. They will go to visit the property and my job is to put this property on the map and the clients are thinking of this destination for the next trips.

Do you plan to expand your map in unexplored markets, like Albania or the Balkans in general?

It is a very good question. Many time people ask me if I can represent other properties. I say no because I am working by myself. Sometimes I get help for the arrangement of the mailing list or the data base. But I am really concentrated on the four countries: Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina, these are the ones I have actually. And to tell you the truth, representing 17 properties is already enough job.

Do you represent any travel shows as well?

I also represent a travel show which is held yearly in South America which is called “Emotions.” I am in charge of the European markets in this event. Next year, this event will be held in Buenos Aires on April 23-26. My job is to bring 60 travel agencies from Europe to participate in this show.

Jean Franken