A conversation with Sara Digiesi, Chief Executive Officer of BWH Hotels Italy & South-East Europe, recorded for the Italy Answered podcast.
March marks Women’s History Month and, in Italy, Festa della Donna on March 8. For this special edition of Italy Answered: Chat with an Expert, I spoke with Sara Digiesi, CEO of BWH Hotels Italy & South-East Europe.
An expert in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and recognized among Forbes Italy’s “100 Women in Leadership” and Fortune Italy’s “50 Most Influential Women,” Sara represents a modern model of Italian executive leadership — one rooted in responsibility, inclusion, and sustainability.
This conversation was recorded during the final days of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics and is presented here as a formatted, follow-along interview. The dialogue has been lightly edited for clarity while preserving Sara’s voice and original statements.
Background and Career Journey (04:27)
Where are you from, and what shaped your path into hospitality leadership?
I’m from the very south of Italy. My hometown is Gravina, a small city not far from Bari. I moved to Naples for my university studies. Then I worked abroad before returning to Italy for a master’s specialization in tourism economy.
Afterwards, I started working for another major international hotel chain. Then I joined BWH, where I built the bigger part of my career. I moved step by step from roles in marketing to sales and distribution, then sustainability, up to my current responsibility.
What has been exciting is that the job changes every day. The specialization in ESG became the basis for everything I’ve done since.
The Impact of the Milano-Cortina Olympics (02:56)
How has hosting the Olympics impacted Italy and your company?
It has been an exciting event for Italy and for the entire world. For our company, operating in hospitality and tourism, it has had a strong impact — not just in the number of visitors during the Olympic weeks, but in the exceptional visibility the country is gaining.
It’s my first Olympics living in the host country. The energy is special. The host feels the responsibility to give the absolute best to international visitors coming to live the Olympic spirit. It’s an exercise for the entire citizenry of the cities involved. I think the legacy will last for a long time.
Understanding ESG in Hospitality (06:38)
How do you define ESG in practical terms?
ESG is the basis of how a company should think about and manage its business. It means considering all impacts — beyond immediate economic profit — across a larger set of stakeholders.
We are measuring different metrics and giving ourselves additional KPIs [Key Performance Indicators]. Economic growth is necessary, but we cannot forget the beneficial reflection on society, on the people working in the company, on clients using the brand, and on the environment.
Working in tourism, which depends on the well-being of landscapes, we must ensure we are not destroying value but protecting and regenerating it. We must support what exists outside our company.
Growth of WorldHotels and Experiential Travel (08:46)
How is WorldHotels evolving within the Italian landscape?
We have 185 properties in Italy. The majority are under the Best Western brand, but we are growing faster with the collection brand WorldHotels, which addresses the upper upscale part of the market.
Through this brand, we can reach destinations outside traditional tourist paths. We select boutique properties in marvelous places, buildings that represent their country, restaurants offering unique local flavors, and hotels that express the elegance of their location.
We act as a bridge for traditional properties to the future, helping them adapt and evolve while preserving their identity.
Grand Hotel della Posta and Olympic Legacy (12:11)
What does the addition of Grand Hotel della Posta represent?
In the Milano area, we have 12 hotels. If we consider the entire Olympic region, we are talking about roughly 50 properties.
Grand Hotel della Posta, located in Sondrio, is hosting a lounge for the Olympic organization. Guests can sit in the square and watch events on screen. Each hotel becomes a key player in welcoming not only international guests but also local citizens.
The Olympics have impacted not just Milan but Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino. It’s interesting to see how each place reacts and benefits from such an event.
Net Positive Hospitality (15:47)
What does “net positive hospitality” mean?
Yeah, this is the way we think about our activity — always with the idea that we have to give back to the places more than what we take.
Tourism, like any other human activity, takes something. It means consumption, or can mean the production of waste. It can damage the environment or absorb from society itself. So we have to be very careful in what we give back. We have to generate additional value.
That sometimes means reinvesting part of what we get to support specific projects for the requalification of spaces. But the reflection does not necessarily have to be only environmental. It can also mean supporting social projects, especially for clients with specific or special requirements.
We have a special project for autistic guests and guests with disabilities. We support families who are away from home for medical assistance and reflect part of our business toward those who are less fortunate.
This is really crucial for us. But it also means supporting very particular and niche local productions that need help to be valorized — specific products that are typical of certain locations and risk disappearing without support.
Women’s Leadership and Responsibility (18:42)
What does being recognized among Italy’s most influential women mean to you?
It means great responsibility. You become a model for those who want to grow.
You must represent what a woman can do and the values she brings to business — care, empowerment, flexibility, understanding different needs. We must consider the balance between family and professional life and recognize that there are different ways to bring results.
What counts is wellness, capability, and determination to create growing initiatives.
Conscious Luxury (22:17)
How do you define conscious luxury?
There are three things that should never be missing.
First, the atmosphere must be welcoming in an authentic way.
Second, the local essence must be defended. We must not create spaces where you forget where you are. The uniqueness of each destination must be valorized.
Third, attention to style in every detail. We are not in a restaurant just to eat or in a room just to sleep. We are in a place to live and feel its style. Details create true experience.
Carrying the Olympic Torch (24:10)
What did carrying the Olympic torch mean to you?
I applied to participate, and my application was selected. It was a great honor.
That flame represents something bigger than us, bigger than our time. I felt I was holding something that has traveled through centuries. It spreads energy and brings people together. It transmits values of peace.
Sport teaches commitment, sacrifice, effort, and overcoming limits. At the figure skating event, the strongest applause went to the athlete who fell. Humanity becomes visible during the Winter Games. Success matters, but humanity matters more.
Discover the Beauty of Italy (26:33)
I want to thank you for the opportunity and invite everyone to discover the beauty of our places in Italy. I wish everybody the best for the future.
For more information, visit www.worldhotels.com.Discover Grand Hotel della Posta, WorldHotels Distinctive. Follow @grandhoteldellaposta on Instagram.
