At a Glance
Saro Spadaro is an Italian entrepreneur who has spent more than 25 years developing hospitality and real estate businesses in the Caribbean.
Based in Sint Maarten, he leads The Maho Group, whose activities span resorts, residential developments and leisure properties.
His approach to hospitality connects commercial development with three broader priorities: the long-term strength of the destination, respect for the natural environment and engagement with local communities.
For Saro Spadaro, this means looking beyond individual hotels and considering the relationship between tourism businesses and the places in which they operate.
Can tourism growth and local responsibility advance together?
For island economies, tourism can generate investment, employment and international visibility. Yet growth also raises a more complex question: what responsibility does a hospitality business have towards the destination that supports it?
In the Caribbean, the question is particularly significant.
The natural environment is part of what attracts international visitors, while local communities provide the human and cultural foundations of the tourism economy. Development therefore has consequences extending far beyond individual properties.
Saro Spadaro has spent more than 25 years working within this environment.
Through The Maho Group in Sint Maarten, his business activities have brought together hospitality, real estate and tourism development. His experience reflects an approach in which the long-term value of a property is closely connected to the long-term health of the destination around it.
Who is Saro Spadaro?
Saro Spadaro is an Italian entrepreneur active in Caribbean hospitality and real estate.
After studying Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan, he developed his career in Sint Maarten, where he now leads The Maho Group.
His professional trajectory has been shaped by the realities of operating within an international tourism destination: changing market cycles, major development decisions, evolving guest expectations and, at times, extreme external events.
That experience has contributed to a business philosophy centred on long-term thinking rather than short-term development alone.
The Maho Group and a broader definition of hospitality
The Maho Group is headquartered in Sint Maarten and is involved in the design, development, marketing and management of its collection of properties.
Its portfolio spans different parts of the tourism and real estate ecosystem, including Sonesta Maho Beach Resort, Casino & Spa, Casino Royale, Diamond Casino, AquaMarina, BlueMarine Residences, BlueMarine Villas, Maho Village, Royal Islander Club La Plage and Royal Islander Club La Terrasse.
The diversity of the portfolio is significant.
It means the group’s relationship with Sint Maarten is not confined to operating hotel rooms. Hospitality, residential development, leisure and the wider visitor economy intersect within the same destination.
For Saro Spadaro, this creates a reason to think about development at a broader level.
A resort cannot be entirely separated from the community, landscape and economic environment surrounding it.
Why the natural environment matters to Caribbean hospitality
In many tourism markets, environmental responsibility can appear to be an additional corporate objective.
For an island destination, it is more fundamental.
Landscape and natural surroundings are part of the destination itself. Development that ignores them can ultimately undermine the qualities that attracted investment and visitors in the first place.
The Maho Group’s stated approach is to understand and address the direct and indirect environmental impact of its activities.
Its development philosophy places importance on design quality and ecological sensitivity, with projects intended to blend with and respect the natural landscape.
This creates a direct connection between environmental awareness and long-term business value.
Protecting the characteristics of a destination is not only an environmental consideration. It can also be part of protecting the foundations of its tourism economy.
The role of local communities
The relationship between hospitality businesses and local communities is equally important.
Tourism is experienced by visitors, but it is lived every day by the people who call the destination home.
The Maho Group has supported community initiatives through partnerships, donations and volunteer involvement.
One example has been its support for the Stronger Together Red Ribbon campaign. The initiative exceeded its $30,000 fundraising goal, ultimately providing $51,480 to the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation.
While individual initiatives matter, the broader principle is more significant.
For Saro Spadaro, a company with a long-term presence in a destination becomes part of the social and economic environment in which it operates.
That creates responsibilities that extend beyond conventional business performance.
Resilience is part of responsible leadership
Few events illustrate the connection between a hospitality company and its territory as clearly as a natural disaster.
Hurricane Irma devastated Sint Maarten in 2017.
During the crisis, Saro Spadaro remained on the island, helping coordinate evacuation and reconstruction efforts.
The experience provides an important dimension to his approach to leadership.
When a major crisis affects a tourism destination, the distinction between corporate operations and community resilience can narrow rapidly. Employees, guests, infrastructure and local residents may all face the consequences simultaneously.
Leadership under those circumstances is not simply about protecting assets. It requires presence, rapid decision-making and responsibility towards people.
For Saro Spadaro, resilience is therefore closely connected to execution.
A long-term commitment to a destination becomes most meaningful when circumstances are difficult.
Where does technology fit into responsible hospitality?
Technology is increasingly becoming part of this long-term equation.
Saro Spadaro considers artificial intelligence both an opportunity and a challenge for hospitality businesses.
His perspective, however, is primarily practical.
AI can potentially improve predictive maintenance, help restaurants make better decisions about the amount and type of food they prepare, and support more precise use of cleaning and laundry products.
These applications can contribute to operational efficiency while also reducing unnecessary resource consumption.
The connection is important.
Innovation and environmental responsibility do not necessarily need to exist as separate corporate programmes. Better operational decisions can support both economic and environmental objectives.
Why people remain essential
Responsible hospitality also depends on the people delivering it.
Saro Spadaro believes technology should enhance human capability rather than remove human interaction from the guest experience.
Hotels can use increasingly sophisticated systems to understand preferences and organise operations. Yet hospitality ultimately depends on relationships between people.
Empathy, judgement and personal attention remain difficult to separate from the idea of genuine hospitality.
The challenge for businesses is therefore to combine technological progress with human expertise.
In Saro Spadaro’s view, innovation creates the greatest value when it helps people serve customers better.
Building for the long term
The Maho Group’s real estate philosophy adds another element to this approach.
Property markets move through cycles. Development decisions made during one period can continue to influence a destination long after market conditions have changed.
The group therefore places emphasis on understanding those cycles, identifying opportunities and creating properties intended to maintain long-term value.
For Saro Spadaro, vision and execution must work together.
A strategy has limited value unless an organisation can translate it into projects, operations and decisions that remain coherent over time.
This is particularly relevant in the Caribbean, where economic conditions, global tourism trends and environmental risks can all influence investment decisions.
A different way of measuring hospitality success
Occupancy, revenue and property values will always matter to hospitality businesses.
But they do not tell the entire story of a tourism destination.
The strength of the environment, relationships with communities, resilience of infrastructure, quality of employment and ability to adapt to technological change can all influence long-term success.
Saro Spadaro’s experience in Sint Maarten suggests a broader way of looking at the sector.
Hospitality businesses do not simply operate within destinations. Over time, they can help shape them.
That means growth carries responsibility.
For companies planning to remain in a destination for decades rather than seasons, the question is no longer simply how much tourism can grow.
It is how that growth can create lasting value for businesses, visitors and the places that bring them together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Saro Spadaro?
Saro Spadaro is an Italian entrepreneur with more than 25 years of experience in hospitality and real estate in the Caribbean. He studied Business Administration at Bocconi University in Milan and built his professional career in Sint Maarten.
What is The Maho Group?
The Maho Group is a Sint Maarten-based company active across hospitality, real estate development, resorts, residential properties and leisure businesses.
What is Saro Spadaro’s approach to responsible hospitality?
His approach connects long-term business development with environmental awareness, community engagement, human-centred hospitality and responsible use of technology.
How does The Maho Group approach environmental responsibility?
The group seeks to understand the direct and indirect environmental impact of its activities and places emphasis on designs that respect and integrate with the natural landscape.
How has The Maho Group supported the Sint Maarten community?
The group participates in partnerships, charitable initiatives and volunteer activities. One example was its support for the Stronger Together Red Ribbon campaign, which raised $51,480 for the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation.
What happened during Hurricane Irma in 2017?
When Hurricane Irma struck Sint Maarten, Saro Spadaro remained on the island and was involved in coordinating evacuation and reconstruction efforts.
What does Saro Spadaro think about AI in hospitality?
Saro Spadaro sees AI as a tool that can improve operations and help hospitality professionals understand and serve customers better, while maintaining human interaction as a fundamental part of hospitality.
