Nuno Neves

Nuno Neves graduated in Tourism and Hotel Management and began his working life as a flight attendant. Since then, experience has made him a global citizen, having travelled to three continents and experienced different cultures. The art of hospitality has always been in his heart, which is why Nuno Neves is now the managing director of the InterContinental Luanda Miramar, the hotel chain he loves. In between managing teams, the challenges of the hotel business and the international chain he represents in Angola, Nuno looks back on his life in a pragmatic and sincere way. 

You started out as a flight attendant. How did the opportunity to take over as managing director of the InterContinental Luanda Miramar arise?
I’ve been travelling all my life; in fact, I often say that I’m a citizen of the world. Since my days as a flight attendant, I’ve worked in Europe, the Middle East and in Africa. The opportunity to become the general manager of the InterContinental Luanda Miramar arose in 2020, when COVID-19 had already started to spread and I was in Oman. I received a call from the Corporate Office in Dubai saying that the IHG was looking for a managing director to work in Africa, and I accepted. I ended up having a meeting and realised that it was the InterContinental in Luanda. I remember asking: «So, a chain with 5,000 hotels around the world doesn’t have anyone who fits the bill?». I was told that the characteristics they were looking for fitted my profile, firstly because I speak fluent Portuguese, because I have experience of several continents and luxury hotels and because I can easily adapt to the habits and customs of different cultures. And here I am today, at the InterContinental Luanda Miramar. 

How does the hotel complex contribute to the country’s economic and social progress in daily life?
Angola is still dominated by oil & gas and minerals, accounting for 90% of the country’s GDP, but the InterContinental’s contribution comes from the fact that it is the first hotel of an international chain in Angola. Just to give you an idea, InterContinental is spread across five continents and has around 6,000 hotel complexes around the world. It is present at important world tourism fairs in Dubai, Berlin, London, the United States... 
In fact, when someone wants to come to Luanda for business travel, many people recommend the InterContinental. The hotel does indeed adhere to worldwide wellbeing, sustainability and safety policies, and this is recognised at all levels. We have hosted world summits attended by heads of state, so they always tell me that they never imagined finding a hotel like this in Luanda. We’re showing the world a new image of hospitality in Angola, not least because it’s not an area with much history or tradition and we want to be a model for the future. 

«The hotel industry is on standby»

What has the InterContinental brought to Angola that is different?
The internal management systems we use, which are new to Angola. I often give a simple example: when we were about to open the hotel, our accounting management system was not recognised by the Angolan economic authority, and it took us seven months to get it approved and integrated. The system in force in the country is a very simple one, so we implemented a platform with global ramifications, which had never been heard of before in Angola.
We also implemented delegating responsibility to all managers so that decisions can be made to benefit the operation, without depending on the director. In Angola, it’s common for everything to go through the boss, with no intermediaries, so we’re committed to a management approach based on delegation, ethics and responsibility. This process requires a lot of training, patience and education.  

What is the general outlook for the hotel industry in Angola and what are the challenges?
The hotel industry is on standby. It’s neither good nor bad; it’s responding to the requirements. The biggest challenges in implementing a luxury project like the InterContinental were the human resources and their training, the consistency of the suppliers’ work and the foreign currency financial market.  

Do you see potential in young Angolans?
Yes, a lot. Ten years ago, I was the deputy director of the Hotel Sana and today the people I worked with are the parents of this new generation. So, I know that the young people are very keen to learn and to know what’s going on in the world. They want to work for an international company, they have goals. It’s a generation that’s united in the digital world, open to the world and, in a way, different. 

How does a good leader motivate his team?
With compassion and attitude. You have to be a father and a coach, with a high degree of patience and a refined level of efficiency. You have to set an example and be present at all the key moments. 

What does it mean to you to be the general manager of one of the world’s best-known hotels?
Pride and honour. I saw the first international hotel chain in Angola develop and it’s an honour to leave this legacy. I believe that this hotel will be greatly honoured in the future, with many more events and world figures passing through.