Christian sits down with Anuar Chapur and Gabrielle Bufrem to recount how they transformed Palace Resorts, a Mexico-based hospitality company with 15,000 employees and more than 6,000 rooms across seven countries. Together, they unpack the cultural shifts, mindset changes, and problem-solving approaches that helped a hospitality company start thinking and operating like a tech company.

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Today’s discussion unpacks:

How transformation drove 5x higher conversion rates and millions in cost savings
Concrete examples of how the company worked before and after transforming
The role of coaching, trust building, team topology, and pilot teams
The biggest challenges on the transformation journey
Advice for anyone considering or undergoing transformation

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References:

Changing How You Solve Problems: https://www.svpg.com/changing-how-you-solve-problems/
SVPG’s Transformation Series: https://www.svpg.com/transformation-series/
Transformation Defined: https://www.svpg.com/transformation-defined/

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Where to find Palace Resorts

Company website: https://www.thepalacecompany.com/es
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palaceresorts/
Resorts website: https://www.palaceresorts.com/

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Where to find SVPG:

SVPG’s newest book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/
Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/
Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/
Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/workshops/
Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/

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Where to find Anuar Chapur:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anuar-chapur/

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Where to find Gabrielle Bufrem:

Website: https://www.gabriellebufrem.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabriellebufrem/
Newsletter: https://theproductleaderinsider.substack.com/

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Where to find Christian Idiodi:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(00:55) The company before transformation

(06:24) Bringing in a coach and building trust

(09:49) Gabrielle’s initial assessment

(11:20) Setting up a pilot team

(16:44) Problem discovery and problem solving

(18:26) Measuring success

(21:19) Using data to inform decisions and build trust

(23:12) An example of the product-mindset shift

(27:18) Changing team topology

(30:42) Biggest challenges on the transformation journey

(35:02) The results of transformation

(39:07) Advice for anyone going through a transformation

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Disclaimer:

While this podcast is named “Product Therapy”, it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/

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Production:

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