Purpose

This is the playbook we use at Borgo Santolina for important external meetings and hosted visits, onsite or virtual. It is written so another small, full-service property can copy the approach and replace our choices with its own.

The goal is to run an efficient meeting while making the experience feel unusually thoughtful, personal, and easy. We prepare enough that the guest experiences a natural flow rather than seeing the preparation behind it.

This applies to travel advisors, planners, media, podcasters, suppliers, partners, prospective hires, and other visitors where the quality of the interaction matters.

Principles

• Start with desired outcomes, not just an agenda. Everyone should know what the purpose of the meeting is before the meeting begins.
• Adjust preparation time to the importance of the meeting. A few minutes of research can materially improve an ordinary introduction; a high-value visit warrants a fuller dossier and more deliberate preparation.
• Personalize without making the meeting feel staged. Research and preparation should help us connect, remove friction, and make the experience more relevant.
• Remove logistical friction before the attendee has to ask. Directions, parking, meeting links, room setup, refreshments, and name pronunciation are part of the meeting.
• Protect the attendees time. A memorable meeting still needs to be well run, clear about its purpose, and conscious of time.

Roles & Ownership

The meeting owner is responsible for the meeting from preparation through follow-up. When several of us attend, we assign the roles below before the guest arrives.

• Meeting owner / lead: defines the objective, sets the agenda, decides the level of research, leads the conversation and tour, watches the time, and owns the follow-up.
• Note taker: captures decisions, commitments, useful context, and next actions during the meeting or through an approved AI note-taking method.
• Host: handles arrival, coffee and water, room readiness, and small hospitality details when that should be separate from the meeting lead.
• All attendees: review the research dossier and prior CRM history, understand the desired outcome, and know their role before the meeting.

Before the Meeting

Define the Desired Outcome

Before doing research, confirm that the organization and every attendee are in the CRM and review any prior interactions. This prevents guests from having to repeat themselves and lets us build on what the team already knows.

Record the purpose of the meeting and what a good outcome and a great outcome would look like. The CRM is the preferred place to keep this.

• Good outcome example: we meet a travel designer, trust their approach, and agree on a useful next step.
• Great outcome example: the visitor is excited enough to build a trip around the property, refer appropriate guests, or share the experience with an audience that matters.

Research & Internal Briefing

Scale the research to the stakes. For an ordinary introduction, a few minutes may be enough. For an important visitor, prepare a short dossier and share it with everyone attending.

For important meetings, use the Meeting Dossier Researcher to prepare a starting report, then verify and add anything we already know from the CRM.

• Prior interactions with us and why this meeting matters.
• Common connections or experiences that may create a natural point of connection.
• The person's likely motivation for meeting with us and what value we may be able to provide.
• Relevant interests, preferences, articles, interviews, podcasts, social posts, or other public material that may help us understand the person.
• Name pronunciation. We should be comfortable saying every guest's name before they arrive.

Confirm Logistics

The goal is to remove avoidable friction and have the meeting space, materials, and people ready before the guest arrives.

• Send a calendar invite with the agenda or meeting objective. For an onsite meeting, include the address and any useful parking or arrival instructions.
• For a virtual meeting, include the video link in the invite and send it separately by email as well, since guests sometimes miss links in calendar invitations.
• For important meetings, send a confirmation email the day before.
• Share the one-page backgrounder, Borgo overview deck, Directions PDF, or other material only when it will help the guest prepare.
• Decide how we will greet the guest. If useful, ask them to WhatsApp when they are close so we can be outside or otherwise ready for the arrival.
• Confirm the meeting location, seating, AV needs, and any screen sharing or presentation setup. Test equipment before the meeting.
• Power on the espresso machine and have water ready. Stage refreshments in advance so offering them feels easy rather than like an interruption.
• Check the weather and access conditions. If rain is possible, decide the covered route and whether umbrellas are needed.
• Choose the tour route and the stories we may want to share, then adjust both to the guest's interests and available time.
• If a personalized touch or gift would be appropriate, decide it before the meeting. It should feel specific and useful, not like generic corporate swag.
• Assign the lead, note taker, and host roles when more than one of us is attending.

Current Renovation-Era Onsite Setup

During renovations, La Taverna is our current coffee, water, and meeting hub. The source notes call for the coffee machine, a mini-fridge or water supply, and a meeting table to be ready. This is renovation-era guidance and should be verified as work progresses.

The current default tour route is:

1. Park at the entrance to the bar.
2. Walk to the current bar entrance and offer pre-staged water or refreshments for the tour.
3. Continue through the future bar and into the kitchen.
4. Return through the dining room and exit toward Casina.
5. Tour Casina as an example of the rooms, then exit through Room 4.
6. Continue to La Taverna and offer coffee or refreshments for the rest of the visit.
7. Take in the view from La Taverna, then continue to the Terrazza.
8. Walk to the pizza oven and bocce court. If it suits the visitor and conditions, a fire at the pizza oven can be part of the experience.
9. Continue to the pergola and pond.
10. Loop to the pool, then return to La Taverna.

Do not force the full route. Shorten, reorder, or skip stops when the guest's interests, mobility, weather, construction conditions, or available time make that better.

Earlier comments expected the Terrazza to remain available during construction. Verify current access and safety before each visit rather than relying on that older assumption.

Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings follow the same standards for objective, research, CRM history, agenda, time management, notes, and follow-up. The onsite hosting details simply drop away.

• Send the meeting link in both the calendar invitation and a separate email.
• Test camera, microphone, screen sharing, and any deck or media we plan to use.
• Share materials in advance when doing so will make the conversation more useful.
• Confirm who is leading and who is taking notes when several of us are joining.

During the Meeting

The meeting should feel natural, but it should still be clearly run.

• For onsite meetings, greet the guest by name and offer coffee or water at the beginning.
• Restate why we are meeting, the main agenda, and the time available.
• Keep track of time and avoid letting a good conversation turn into an unnecessarily long meeting.
• Follow the agenda without forcing every planned topic or tour stop. Let the conversation move where it is most useful.
• Use the property and our stories when they help the guest understand what we are building and why. The relevant stories include both the history of the property and our vision for its future.
• Look for one naturally memorable moment when it fits. A simple pause at a view to share part of the vision can be more effective than something elaborate.
• Capture notes during the meeting, either directly or with AI, without making note-taking interfere with the conversation.

Ending the Meeting

The end of the meeting should be deliberate rather than an awkward fade-out.

• Summarize the main decisions, commitments, and next steps before the guest leaves or the call ends.
• Make clear who owns each follow-up item.
• End on time unless there is a clear reason to continue and the guest is comfortable doing so.
• If a takeaway or gift is appropriate, choose something distinctive and useful. Current ideas include a Moleskine-style notebook or Borgo espresso cups.
• A later handwritten note or thoughtful gift may be better than handing over an item at the meeting itself.

After the Meeting

Complete the follow-up while the meeting is still fresh.

• Update the CRM with the meeting notes, decisions, and relevant context.
• Add useful context the person shared, such as key dates, family context, or stories, when it will genuinely help a future interaction.
• Create tasks for every promised next step and assign ownership.
• Send a thank-you email within 24 hours and note the follow-up items or commitments.
• For a high-value meeting, consider a handwritten note or a thoughtful thank-you gift in addition to the email.