The following article was written by Les Roches Marbella’s Bachelor student Valentina Stefanini.
Les Roches Marbella takes immense pride in highlighting the remarkable journey of one of our distinguished alumni: Arnold Amrhein.
His journey from student to successful entrepreneur serves as living proof of the power of education and the boundless opportunities within the hospitality industry. Arnold, a native of Costa Rica, was welcomed back to our campus 6 years after his graduation. In 2014 he joined the Bachelor program at Les Roches Shanghai to pursue an interest in hospitality with a focus on hotels. His journey began with a fascination for Rooms Division, however he ended up developing a career in Finance. He decided to transfer to Les Roches Marbella where he graduated with honors as an ambassador leader.
During his formative years at Les Roches, Arnold recognized the importance of practical experience alongside academic learning. He seized every opportunity to immerse himself in internships. He understood that real-world exposure is key to figuring out what a student does not want to do in the future. Arnold’s first internship with the esteemed Rosewood Hotel Group provided invaluable insights into the Rooms department and operations side of the industry. For his second internship, he kept working for Rosewood Hotel Group, but switched to Corporate. He reached out to the connection he made in Rosewood and was able to be inserted in a rotational internship in different corporate departments: Design and Project Services, Sales & Marketing, and Human Resources. These experiences showed him how much he can do in this industry apart from just hôtellerie.
His role as a transformation strategy analyst at Hotel Investment Partners allowed him to develop an expertise in finance and project management. Overseeing the team’s main responsibilities included the deployment of CAPEX and asset repositioning programs as part of the investment cycle, with over 500 million euros in renovation budget for more than 60 + hotels throughout the Iberian peninsula, the balearic islands and the canary islands, Arnold played a pivotal role in enhancing guest experiences and optimizing asset value. However, as his manager once told him, “In order to learn we sometimes have to be thrown to the sharks”. His skills were not always enough to complete core finance tasks; however, such teaching pushed him to keep studying and learning without giving up or losing spirit.
Despite his initial reluctance to return to his homeland, Arnold felt a magnetic pull towards Costa Rica, where he found a new sense of purpose at CREO Capital. As an investment associate, he provided investment and feasibility analysis to ongoing real estate private equity opportunities in Latin America with a focus on hospitality transactions. His commitment to generating positive social and environmental impact through investment strategies earned him recognition and, within two years, a promotion to Junior Partner.
Yet, Arnold’s entrepreneurial spirit pushed him to develop something new, propelling him towards his next chapter: co-founding Nummi, a groundbreaking financial technology startup. Nummi’s mission to democratize access to credit solutions and investment opportunities resonated deeply with Arnold’s vision of empowering individuals and communities. Through innovative peer-to-peer lending platforms, Nummi seeks to revolutionize the financial landscape in Costa Rica and beyond.
Arnold’s recent visit to Les Roches Marbella served as a reminder of the importance of students’ connection to our institution and commitment to giving back to the next generation of hospitality leaders. He showed professional interest in the ambassadors present to hear him. He emphasized how Les Roches transformed him from an introverted eighteen year-old, to a man who has the power of optimizing his soft communication skills to reach his goals, both in personal life and career.
Arnold Amrhein exemplifies the spirit of Les Roches Marbella— passionate for inspiration and a promoter of change. His story serves as a testament to the transformative power of education and the limitless potential within each of us to shape a brighter future.
