Daniela, what do you remember about the early days?We have been managing this hotel over 30 years. I remember so many happy moments with my brother Gerry. We organized dinners at midnight here in the salons of the
Sarah, at what point did you remember those wonderful times which your mother has described?At first, I experienced all of it with a lot of fun, basically through the eyes of a child. I took over the business 9 years ago with the opening of Hotel Straf.hotel based on herring and beer rather than champagne and caviar! But most wonderful thing was my insight of the fashion world. At that time I was married to fashion photographer Manilo Mancino and we entered the prêt-a-porter world when we thought of renting spaces and transforming them into showrooms. This gave us enormous prestige. It was great fun! The hotel was full of mad, creative people! It took a lot of effort and responsibility, but it was very fascinating! I was the boss’s daughter, and though I had entered with great modesty, everyone eventually bowed-down to my ideas! We even ended-up having waiting list of companies that wanted to participate.

This business is run and dominated by women, how does this role make you feel? S. : It’s always been predominately women, in all areas of our business and life. There really has never been a man at home and out dad was generally coming and going. So, I’d say we are used to it. D. : The only male presence after the death of my father was my beloved and truly sensible brother, Gerry. He was always able to offer great creative input. S. : I never had any experience at a typically male-oriented company so I really cannot make a comparison

Has your private life been affected by the position of power you have in your professional life? D. :

Yes, and how! With a few exceptions, there have been man who’ve made me pay for it. A woman who is professionally powerful brings some of that with her in her private life and men rarely tend to appreciate that. S. : I am less glamorous but I have a strong personality and inevitably personal relationships are affected. This has to do with one’s personality and not about posturing; and your personality you bring home with you!

Daniela, The Grand Hotel is like a child for you… I love this hotel in a physical way! It’s like my fourth child, the son I never had and all of the work done to it was done with tremendous love and in defense of everything that is antique without turning it into a museum and at the same time providing the necessary leve

l of modernity. I have protected it and will continue to protect it from any kind of excessive modernity in an effort to keep it going without make it seem artificial. It’s a real declaration of love! I’d also like to mention that we have a non-profit organization, which works to bring water to Mali by providing wells. We have already brought water to four villages. For every reservation made at our hotel, one euro is donated to our IN-VITA society.

historic one in the city. I became part of the family business when Straf opened. I didn’t have a truly defined role but I was prepared and I learned a lot on working on site and made headway. Passion is a key element in this; passion which then turns into dedication. The human aspect is very strong in the work environment, probably because it’s conveyed by us women.

What are the advantages or the disadvantages of being a female executive in the working world?            D. : As far as I’m concerned there are only advantages! If you are clever and do not lose your sense of being a woman, which women often tend to forget when they hold an important position, then a pretty smile and a seductive glance can certainly have its advantages in the male world. S. : Let’s not forget about that famously typical female intuition! It is critical to understanding who you are dealing with. D. : I would also like to clarify that mine is not so much about seduction as it about femininity. I relish my role and I’m good at it. When there’s I have to take someone on, I do so without getting into fight and use my femininity to speak to the person that did wrong. In essence we think that whoever is born a man, act like a man and if you’re a woman, act like a woman.

What kind of woman don’t you like? D. :The only kind of woman I loathe is the one who acts fake. After all, all women have their issues to deal with! But, a phony woman scares me. S. : I completely agree. I have a hard time dealing with that type of woman. I can recognize her, but have a hard time dealing with her. D. : You always have to act like you’re indulging to a woman who’s phony, so that you can do as you see fit.

By  SILVIA SBRIGLIO

 

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