CON-X Interview Juan Pablo Lafosse, CEO at Almundo

In today’s interview, we’re talking with Juan Pablo Lafosse, CEO at Almundo, on how to stand out in a crowd of competitors.

Can you tell us a little bit more about Almundo?

Almundo is the fastest growing omnichannel travel company in Latin America and has headquarters in Argentina and strategic offices in São Paulo, Mexico City, and Bogotá. Our company has one of the most innovative technologies and relies on the talent of more than 800 professionals who offer travelers to digital and mobile platforms to search, book and manage trips with the best product, at the best price, and with the best financing options.

Almundo accompanies its clients at every step of their vacations: before, during and after each trip. We offer the best customer service, 24/7 and every day of the year. We are proud to say that Almundo is democratizing the travel experience and revolutionizing the industry.

There are more and more players joining the game, and big players are growing exponentially…is there a limit?

There is no limit, although there are some game rules. We have to understand that this is how the market is working. In the travel industry, scale is extremely important and big companies have a competitive advantage over the rest. Smaller brands have to focus on improving their value proposition by investing resources in innovation, as it is usually more difficult for big guys to innovate.

How does your brand stand out from the crowd?

As an omnichannel travel agency, we work differently from OTAs, and that’s a way of standing out from the rest. I believe that the key to success is to understand our own value proposition and communicate it properly to our customers. Of course, it’s also extremely important to innovate and be agile to create differentiation tools, features, and strategies.

How is the consumer experience in your company different?

A mix of the online and offline customer service is what makes the difference, something hard to find elsewhere or with OTAs. We have the capability of offering our customers the channel they prefer, and the possibility to connect with real people, travel experts that can help them organized their trips, and support them in each step of the process.

What is your relationship with metasearchers and how do you think this will evolve?

I believe that we are frenemies. We understand their value, but we also believe that we are competing over the same customers.

How are you using AI to add value to your customers?

Mostly for personalization. To connect customers with relevant content and also to connect them with the most relevant travel expert.

How crucial are technology and creativity to your business?

Technology and connectivity are essential to us. We consider ourselves a tech company that connects people. So connectivity is also vital to our business, especially now that speed is mandatory as most traffic is coming from mobile.