Who are founders
FRANCO GRASSO and FRANCO LAICO
It took the vision of Franco Grasso, an encounter with Franco Laico and countless trips around the world. The biographies of the Franco Grasso founders are anything but boring, just like our company. They reveal how success can be achieved with true entrepreneurial vision, which is what brought Revenue Management to Italy for the first time, breathing new life into the hospitality sector.
biography
Franco Grasso
Proudly born in Rome
Franco Grasso started working in luxury hotels in his hometown in the 1980s, while studying for his degree in Political Sciences.
He wanted to travel
In 1990, he left his job and Rome because he wanted to travel. Luxury hotels in England and France were happy to take him on, along with his wife Carla who applied her skills as former Head of International Branches for an Italian tour operator.
First collaborations
In the late 1990s, Franco Grasso began to hold training courses and started a partnership with the Domina hotel chain, where he introduced Revenue Management to the chain's hotels, travelling to their properties all over the world. This experience was a great success and he founded the Domina Hospitality School alongside Jose Varriale and Vincenzo Presti, which for a few years would be a flagship training programme thanks in part to the employment opportunities available within the chain.
Franco Laico
In 2005, he started working with Franco Laico, an old friend he had met during his time working in England, and this led to the first freelance Revenue Management consultancy and the creation of Franco Grasso, the first specialist Italian pricing company to offer consultancy and training in the Hotel Revenue Management sector. While demand for training courses continued to increase, taking him all over Italy, so did the consultancy work. Despite these many commitments, Franco Grasso also found time to graduate in Geography.
Revolution Plus software
Next, he teamed up with Stephen Cantini to release the first version of the Revolution Plus software designed to shape the logic behind “his” Revenue Management application techniques. A few years later, Paolo and Simone Sacchetti would take charge of the software for necessary updates and the implementation of new functions.
First book
In 2006, his vision was also released by Hoepli with his first book Il Revenue Management Alberghiero (Hotel Revenue Management), to be followed in 2012 and 2020 by two other books: Oltre il Revenue Management (Beyond Revenue Management) and La Revenue Economy (The Revenue Economy), also published by Hoepli. His first book was the first book ever in Italy to tackle the theme of Hotel Revenue Management and has been adopted as a university textbook, even abroad where the Spanish edition is used at the University of Quilmes in Buenos Aires.
General Managers
From 2010 to 2014, he and Franco Laico were General Managers at the Hotel Capannelle in Rome: an invaluable experience both technically and personally speaking, which complemented their work as consultants.
Revenue Academy
In 2015, he co-founded the Revenue Academy with Francesco Mongiello and Franco Laico.
Knight of the Republic
In 2022, he was appointed Knight of the Republic by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella.
biography
Franco Laico
Family of hoteliers
Born in Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, he was born and raised in a family of hoteliers.
Franco Grasso
He began working in luxury hotels in England in the early 1990s, which is when he met Franco Grasso, later continuing his career in Germany and France.
Hotel Director
In the late 1990s, he returned to Italy where he worked at the reception of a prestigious hotel before working his way up to the role of Director. During the years spent managing his own small accommodation facility in Florence with his wife Donata, who also worked in the hotel world, Franco Laico earned a degree in Sociology.
Revenue Management
He now holds Revenue Management training courses alongside the consultancy work that has increased consistently since 2005. Thanks to the collaboration with Franco Grasso, those first success stories went on to become so well-known in the industry.
Establish the Company
The limited company was established in 2009, marking the beginning of Franco Grasso.