When we opened CasaJOMO, I thought I understood what we were offering.
Beautiful rooms.
A homemade breakfast.
Local artwork.
A peaceful garden.
A stunning view across Rio de Janeiro.
I thought we were creating a beautiful boutique hotel.
Then one guest said something that completely changed how I thought about our business.
She looked around the property, smiled, and quietly said,"This place feels like a sanctuary."
She didn't say hotel.
She didn't say accommodation.
She didn't even say vacation.
She said sanctuary.
At first, I smiled and thanked her.
But later that evening, I couldn't stop thinking about that word.
Because she was right.
During my interview with Sarah Riley, we talked about what guests experience from the moment they arrive.
One of the things I've noticed over the years is that something changes almost immediately.
Guests walk through our gates carrying the energy of airports, traffic, deadlines and busy lives.
Then they enter the garden.
They see the turquoise walls.
They hear birds instead of traffic.
Almost instinctively, their shoulders begin to relax.
Rio is called the Magnificent City for a reason.
It's energetic.
Colourful.
Exciting.
Sometimes overwhelming.
Many of our guests spend the day exploring Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Santa Teresa and the beaches before returning in the afternoon.
Again and again I hear the same words.
"We're back."Or,"We're back in paradise."
I used to think they simply meant they were back at the hotel.
Now I realize they were talking about something much deeper.
They had returned to a place where they could finally exhale.
That word—sanctuary—changed how I began making decisions.
Instead of asking,"Would this make the hotel nicer?"
I started asking,"Would this help someone feel more at peace?"
Those are very different questions.
The answer influenced everything.
The artwork we selected.The colours we used.
The gardens we maintained.
The breakfasts we served.
Even the pace of conversation.
Sarah Riley observed something during our interview that resonated deeply with me.
She said many hospitality hosts want to show guests everything.
But often what guests truly need is permission to rest.
I couldn't agree more.
Some guests arrive believing they need to see every attraction in Rio.
Others intentionally book us because they already know they need to slow down.
By the end of their stay, both groups have something in common.
They're calmer than when they arrived.
That's what a sanctuary does.
It doesn't remove life's problems.
It creates enough space that people can face those problems differently.
Looking back, I don't think that guest realized what she gave me.
She gave me the language to describe what CasaJOMO had quietly become.
Not simply a boutique hotel.
A sanctuary in the middle of one of the world's busiest cities.
And ever since that conversation, I've realized something important.
People don't always travel because they need another destination.
Sometimes they travel because they need somewhere that allows them to feel like themselves again.
If we've created that for even one guest, then we've achieved something far greater than simply providing a beautiful place to stay.