International Master in Tourism & Hospitality Management Alumnus Mário Mouraz is the co-founder & CEO of Climber RMS, a hassle-free smart Revenue Management Solution (RMS) that helps independent hotels maximise profits. Mario was recently named as a semifinalist in World Tourism Day Tourism Startup Competition that took place in September of 2018. In this article, he shares a bit about his experience at EADA and his entrepreneurial journey.
What made you decide to do a master in the area of hospitality management?
I wanted to study hotel management when I first started university, but I decided not to focus my bachelor on such a specific area and instead went for a broader field – Management. After three years, I still wanted to work in hotels, so it became obvious that I needed to study hotel management. I wanted to study abroad, so I chose EADA because it offered the best quality for the price, and of course because it was located in Barcelona!
What was the highlight of your EADA experience?
For me, there were two main highlights: first, the multicultural environment. The fact that there were 50 different nationalities was just amazing. I never ever imagined I could see and experience so much of the world in just one place. I still remember the first day when we were asked to raise our hands if we were there to take a step forward in our professional careers. I reached really high!
The second most valuable aspect of the programme was the experienced professors. I remember moments in classes that taught me life lessons, like when we were asked to write down where we wanted to be in 5, 10, 25 and 50 years.
How did your experience in EADA contribute to your career?
After EADA, my career development was non-stop. I worked in Peru, London, Iran and Burkina Faso; launched 3 companies; taught at a university; and, most importantly, found what I love to do — be an entrepreneur. While at EADA, I met representatives from the global investment community Keiretsu Froum; little did I know, 6 years later I would be pitching my own company to some of those same investors.
I understand that Climber RMS is your third startup. How did you come up with the idea?
Climber RMS is a revenue management tool that helps independent hotels maximise their revenues and save time through a dynamic price optimisation tool. How did I come up with the idea? There were two key factors. The first factor was something I learned while speaking with hundreds of hoteliers during the running of my second company: they were missing a tool that would price their rooms automatically according to market offer and demand.
Such a tool was inexistent or unaffordable in the market for the majority of the hotels, so I decided to create it. The second factor was something related to my studies at EADA. I remembered that, while at EADA, there were two areas I was particularly interested in: expansion and revenue management. This seemed to confirm that it was the right moment to create Climber RMS.
What advice would you give to future graduates of the master?
First, build your network. I understood the importance of building my network while at EADA, and right now my professional network has over 5,000 contacts, which brings in something interesting every day – business opportunities, job offers, meetups, invites, etc.
Second, exclude options. If you don’t know what do to in the future, find out what you don’t want to do. Try different stuff.
An finally, know when to say “no”. Do everything you want to do and not what your family, friends, professors or partners want you to do. It’s your life. Follow your passion.
Interview conducted by Laila Tatel Bazham, International Master in Tourism & Hospitality Management 2016.