Manuel De La Garza – Experienced Business Leader Making International History In The Health Wellness And Beauty Industry

Being a leader requires you to provide a clear and compelling role. It is also essential that a leader provides the right structure and a culture of trust to their followers. Every leader has a unique definition of success. Manuel De La Garza, Founder & CEO of Mayan Luxury Group S.L. states that success for him has always meant taking his dreams and transforming them into reality. Building from scratch, he worked very hard until achieved everything he set his mind to. “This can only be achieved by refusing to take NO for an answer, setting clear goals, and be determined to accomplish them. Success is built by learning from a lot of mistakes, but always trying again,” he states.

It Is From Failure That Most Growth Comes

Setbacks and challenges are what help us learn and grow into greater human beings.

Manuel completely agrees with the fact that challenges make you stronger. He adds that “they make you stronger, as well as wiser enough to know you have much to learn. You become more agile, faster, and even more capable of dealing with situations you would never have imagined.” He has learned that from every failure, there is something to rescue for the next project. The learning curve never stops.

Growth Of Mayan Luxury Group Under Manuel’s Leadership

The Wellness sector has never been as important as it is today. Manuel has always believed in it and bets everything to get the awards and recognition they have today, which already exceed 13 awards by the World Luxury Spa Awards, 4 Conde Nast’s Gold List as well as nominated by the World Spa & Wellness Awards 2022, as Spa Group of the Year. Their first goal was to bring to Europe the history of his great grandfather, paying homage to him, K’inam Canek, priest of the “House of the Sun” and to share Ancient Mayan Sounds, Rituals, and Treatments inherited from one generation to the next. “I would also highlight as an innovation the project I carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic, SPA BCN Connect, when all the Hotels, and indeed our Spas, closed. I wanted to create a community with the competition to be noticed so that the government would also take this sector into account and get help,” says Manuel.

“I could mention that Mayan Luxury Group has been affected many times by the lack of staff or trained personnel to follow our strict protocols since we work in 5* hotels, belonging to The Leading Hotels of the World,” he further adds. This however has never stopped them from moving forward, looking for staff in all parts of Spain and Europe. Manuel claims that the magnitude of the growth is very big since he started by himself with two of the most important people in his life supporting him, his wife and his sister, growing this family business until today. Little by little and over the years, he has advanced and today they have more than 25 persons in the Mayan team, with projects all over Spain, and with a great desire to continue expanding the Mayan traditions and new brands like Égoïste Spa, the most recent brand.

Best Recognition As A Leader

Having ideas and not being able to accomplish them, working in international companies, is what determined Manuel’s entrepreneurial spirit. He knew that if he wanted something, he would have to take it by force by himself.

The company has been recognized with many awards, but until this day, the best recognition Manuel claims is to see the customers, once and again, exiting one of their Spas, saying it has been the best experience in a Spa. He states that “I have been re-born” is the best recognition they can receive from a customer, or a Mayan Spa Lover as they call them. “To see his staff become a family, to see how they grow, how they learn from each piece of advice and learn from them as well, is extremely satisfying. I am nothing without my staff and I’m lucky to have the best team a Director could expect, starting with Antonella Romano, Spa Manager of the Group,” he further says.

Responsibilities As The CEO of Mayan Luxury Group

Manuel, who defines himself as a ‘Perfectionist’ states that his responsibility as CEO oversee all aspects of the business. The Group aims for perfection. There is not a day that goes by that he does not invest the maximum and necessary hours to move forward with all new projects, problems that may arise, situations with the team, as well as Marketing procedures. “I am 100% involved in every detail, having the best advice from my team leaders,” he exclaims. Before the Mayan Luxury Group, Manuel devoted himself to Marketing and Sourcing. Putting together great ideas to reach different fields.

Being a total nonconformist, this is not everything he has always dreamed of. Because every day that goes by he claims to want more. “I want more projects, I have new ideas, I want to create all the time… So I could say that I am proud to have achieved this expansion of the Mayan Luxury Group and to have contributed to the industry, but the day I stop dreaming and creating, will be the day I die,” he states proudly.

Plans For The Future Of The Company

Manuel has many plans for Mayan Luxury Group. He says that he cannot reveal all of them, as they say: If I tell you everything, you will know everything. “But just to give you a glimpse of what’s to come, we like to be innovative and to be able to expand our concepts. “For example, we are developing our own cosmetic brand, L’âme Maya, focused on the ‘Mayan soul’ under the French cosmetic quality”, he further adds.

Regarding his personal life, he says that he is proud and happy to have been able to enjoy being the new father of a wonderful daughter. “I’m 53 years old, and this is my first baby. My personal goal now is to reach my potential to give my daughter, Aitana, the best possible future. To enjoy seeing how happiness can be so simple,” he states.

A message from Manuel to aspiring business leaders: “Be grateful. Be grateful to your family, your friends, to your co-workers. I’m grateful to my wife, my newborn, and all my family that have supported me. Especially my sister and my parents. Be a sponge. Follow your heart. Follow your dreams and ideas. You will fail more than you will succeed, but the times you succeed taste sweeter. If you have a dream, wake up, and start working on it!”