Ribas Management Turns a Hotel Idea into a Functional, Profitable, and Vibrant Business

Yuliia Kosenko, CEO of Ribas Management, part of Ribas Hotels Group

One of the key factors in the hotel business that determines the quality and appeal of an offer is the level of service provided to guests. It directly influences the overall impression guests have of a hotel, creates positive emotions, and fosters loyalty. People who turn a hotel concept into a profitable business that guests love and want to return to repeatedly play a crucial role. At Ribas Hotels Group, Yuliia Kosenko, CEO of Ribas Management, is responsible for ensuring that hotels have a clear management system, predictable profitability, strong teams, and consistently high service quality. In her interview, she shares how she manages to operate at the intersection of business, service, and management so that hotels not only open successfully but continue to thrive over time.

— As a child, you dreamed of becoming an actress, but you went into the hotel business. Was it a conscious choice or a coincidence that later became your life’s work?
In fact, it was a coincidence that I am sure wasn’t really a coincidence. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to this field.
Looking back, I joined the company as the network’s Chief Operating Officer, since at that time there wasn’t yet a group of companies. There was only Ribas Hotels, where I was responsible for the hotels, recruiting, and guest care department. That’s when I realized I was managing hotels through other people, and I needed to move to a higher level of management and responsibilities. When I was managing on-site, I could quickly handle everything directly, but from the office, with hotels located hundreds of kilometers across the country, decisions and actions had to be very different.

— What role does Ribas Hotels Management play in the Ribas Hotels Group ecosystem, and what makes your company key to the network’s success?
Essentially, it is the operational and managerial core of the group. A place where ideas, concepts, and investments turn into consistently functioning hotels, with management quality remaining predictable and controllable regardless of location or hotel format.
The key value of Ribas Hotels Management is the ability to scale the business without losing quality. We take on the complexity of operational activities, launch risks, team building, and daily management, allowing owners and partners to focus on growth rather than hands-on control.
In fact, Ribas Hotels Management transforms the network from a set of separate hotels into a cohesive, sustainable ecosystem, where each new property strengthens the entire group instead of creating additional burden.

— Comparing Ribas Hotels Management at its launch and today, what has changed the most — approaches, scale, or mindset?
Ribas Hotels Management is still a fairly young company; it will turn two years old in May. This time has been devoted to building the right structure and management model. In the early stages, more effort was focused on stabilizing operational activities and establishing new communication between the management company and on-site teams. Today, it is a company looking to the future, with ambitious goals, a project division for implementing changes and introducing new ideas in hotels. Additionally, the hotel project support division has joined the company at the implementation stage, giving us even more opportunities to influence the final product.

— Which part of hotel management is the most challenging, even though people who look at a hotel “from the outside” rarely think about it?
Professionals know that the most challenging part of managing a hotel is not the service or a beautiful design, but the daily maintenance of the system, while simultaneously dealing with changing staff, external conditions, and workload. From the outside, it may seem that a hotel is about atmosphere, hospitality, and emotions. In reality, it involves dozens of decisions every day: staff, schedules, supplies, equipment, finances, and guest communications. If even one link doesn’t work according to the process, the system starts to fail.

— Has there ever been a moment when the system broke down, making it clear why growth is impossible without standards and processes?
There isn’t a single moment of breakdown in day-to-day operations. Instead, it’s immediately obvious where a process isn’t working or a standard is missing. Guests or the audit department can point this out.
Honestly, errors and breakdowns will always occur. The key is identifying systemic issues and working to fix them.

— Has a guest’s feedback or criticism ever changed the company’s approach?
The company’s overall approach hasn’t changed, I don’t think. But guests certainly give us great ideas, and we gladly implement them. For example, our “pets lovers” initiative began from guest suggestions: we created towels for dog paws, then collaborated with the Savory brand to provide complimentary treats for pets and more.
Another interesting case: a guest once mentioned that we didn’t offer a tea suitable for nighttime drinking, since both black and green teas contain caffeine. That’s how our signature teas “Good Morning” and “Sleep Sweetly” with different blends were created. This is how we implement many new ideas thanks to guest feedback.

— Where is the line between simple service and creating a unique guest experience?
In short, service is what we do: processes, standards, cleanliness, a smile, etc. Experience is what the guest feels, which cannot be described in a single sentence. It is what makes them want to return, even if they don’t consciously understand why. It is a unique set of feelings toward the brand and the overall experience we have managed to create during their stay at the hotel.

— What do you personally take the most pride in at Ribas Hotels Management today: the team, standards, or guest service?
I definitely take pride in the team, especially in the hotels. Working in the hotel sector in Ukraine today is a daily challenge. I’m proud of how my colleagues overcome these challenges and continue their work, creating a level of service that I am proud of as well.

— When did the realization come that “we need to not just manage, but also teach others”? How did Ribas Hotels Academy originate and what is it today?
Ribas Hotels Academy is a practical educational platform created based on the real operational experience of Ribas Hotels Group. Essentially, it is an environment where accumulated knowledge of hotel management, service, and team building is transformed into structured training products and implementation tools.

Importantly, the Academy does not exist separately from the business — it is an extension of it. All programs are built on real network hotel cases, new property launches, and scaling operational processes.
Today, Ribas Hotels Academy is not just staff training but a systematic tool for hotel business development, allowing standardization of processes, improvement of service quality, and the creation of strong teams.

— What is the main goal of Ribas Hotels Academy?
The Academy’s main goal is to transform practical hotel management experience into tools that provide measurable business results. We focus not on theory, but on the efficiency of the hotel as a business system. The Academy helps standardize processes, improve service, build strong teams, and reduce operational risks. It is, in essence, a tool for the stable development of the hotel business.

— What are the main products and learning formats offered to students?
We structure learning as a multi-level development system — from basic operational skills to strategic hotel management. Key formats include practical online courses, ready-to-use tools for implementing standards, and professional intensives working on real business cases.
Our approach ensures that students gain not only knowledge, but also ready-made algorithms, templates, and standards that can be applied immediately after training.

— How does learning at Ribas Hotels Academy differ from standard university theory?
Our key distinction is that the training is created by practitioners who manage hotels daily. Since we work with real business processes, programs are built around operational algorithms, cases, and work standards. Students do not just receive knowledge — they learn tools they can immediately implement in practice.
In short: university education provides a general understanding of the profession, whereas Ribas Hotels Academy equips students to work effectively in real hotel operations.

— Who can become a student at the Academy?
The Academy is open to a wide professional audience. Students include Ribas Hotels Group employees, hotel owners, managers, HoReCa staff, and entrepreneurs planning to launch a hotel business.
Thus, the Academy serves as an educational center that shapes professional standards and service culture.

— What results do participants achieve after completing courses and using the Academy’s tools?
Learning outcomes are directly linked to business effectiveness. Owners gain a more manageable and predictable hotel. Managers acquire systematic processes and strong teams. Staff benefit from faster adaptation, clear work standards, and improved service. Overall, the hotel transitions from intuitive management to a systematic and stable business model.

For example, several professional intensives are starting in the coming months:

• March 12 — intensive “B2B Hotel Sales: Stable Occupancy Strategy”, helping to set up systematic work with corporate clients and establish a stable sales channel.

• June 9 — intensive “Systematic Financial Management for Hotel Managers”, teaching management through financial metrics and data-driven decision-making.

• August 17 — program “Hotel General Manager”, helping to build an effective hotel management system that ensures operational stability and predictable results.

Additionally, practical courses are available on specific hotel operations: marketing, social media, upsell and upgrade strategies, and guest feedback systems.