August 10, 2026
Carlos Tarrero leads luxury hospitality with respect
Manager for The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott values ‘service from the heart’
- Name: Carlos Tarrero
- Title: General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo; Area General Manager, Luxury Hotels Japan, Marriott International
- URL: https://www.ritzcarlton.com/tokyo
- Hometown: Bilbao, Spain
- Years in Japan: 7
The Ritz-Carlton name is synonymous with exceptional service the world over. Since June, Carlos Tarrero has been at the helm of The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo while concurrently overseeing Marriott International’s luxury hotel portfolio in Japan as area general manager.
Growing up in Spain, Tarrero knew he didn’t want a job where he spent all day staring at a computer. Since he had done well in his English studies, his parents suggested hospitality management. “Once I started studying and then completed an internship at a luxury hotel, I discovered a world of opportunities,” he said.
As someone who doesn’t necessarily want to be in the spotlight, Tarrero appreciates the fact that the guest is always the focus in the hospitality industry. His career has taken him around the globe, including the United Kingdom, the United States, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, before arriving in Japan in 2019.
Key to understanding
Japan had been on Tarrero’s radar well before he moved here. Having been impressed during a business trip to Japan in 2015, he was delighted when the opportunity arose to take up a posting in Osaka. He quickly realized that the service culture was unlike anything he had experienced before, and illustrates this with an anecdote about buying a car for his family.
After choosing a model, he asked his assistant to check if a discount might be available, as had been customary in his previous experience. The car sales representative was initially worried, thinking there had been some major problem, but was reassured to learn that nothing was wrong. “He then came back and said, ‘My boss says that if you buy the car, we will give you a keyring!’” Tarrero recalled.
He was underwhelmed at first, but accepted the keyring and put it down to cultural differences. A few months later, the car picked up a small scratch. Tarrero didn’t see the need to make an insurance claim.
However, someone at the hotel informed the dealership, and soon a representative arrived with a replacement vehicle so the scratch could be repaired — all at no additional cost. “That was when I really started understanding Japan,” he said. “When you buy something or make a deal here, things work well. People are true to their word and uphold their side of the agreement.”
The art of caring
Prior to assuming leadership of Marriott’s luxury hotels in Japan in July last year, Tarrero was the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto for four years. He stayed on in Kyoto until the opportunity arose to serve in his newest role at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo this year.
At the time of this interview, Tarrero had only been in Tokyo for two weeks, having swapped the brand’s tranquil riverside property in Kyoto for the 53rd floor of Midtown Tower in Roppongi. “I’m still like the intern,” he said with a smile.
He notes that The Ritz-Carlton’s brand values are well suited to Japan, aligning naturally with the country’s own tradition of top-class hospitality. While acknowledging that the meaning of “luxury” differs from person to person, he believes the common denominator is the desire to feel genuinely cared for, right down to the smallest gestures, which he calls “service from the heart.”
He also extends this concept to taking ownership of the service one is providing — another core value in Japanese customer service, reflecting the pride that comes from excelling at one’s role, whether as a chef, concierge, housekeeper or valet.
For Tarrero, respect is a key theme in his approach to hospitality and leadership, including the recognition of responsibility to the local community and culture. “It’s interesting because, while it varies per market, we tend to have a larger footprint in the domestic market than the competition,” he noted, adding that a luxury hotel is not only a destination for international travelers, but also a place used and valued by local people for dining, events and family celebrations.
Raising expectations
With the prevalence of social media and review platforms, guests have become far more vocal about their experiences in recent years. “It’s not only about things such as ‘the room was dirty’ or ‘the curtain is broken.’ It’s more about, ‘I didn’t feel welcome. I didn’t feel looked after.’ So people are expressing their feelings much more,” Tarrero said candidly.
He sees this growing openness as a positive thing. More feedback makes it easier to understand what guests are really thinking and identify where improvements can be made — provided a hotel is willing to listen and act on what it hears.
Guests are also becoming increasingly sophisticated and discerning in their expectations. Reflecting this shift, Marriott International offers the Good Travel with Marriott Bonvoy program, a collection of curated experiences to help travelers connect more deeply with local communities and environments, including selected properties in Japan.
The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo is part of Marriott’s Serve 360 sustainability program, which includes initiatives to improve energy efficiency, reduce water consumption and waste, and strengthen responsible sourcing in partnership with suppliers.
As a hotelier, Tarrero admits it can sometimes be hard to disconnect from work when he travels privately with his family, and that certain issues may trigger his professional instincts. “I’m picky about things that are easy to address, such as being kind to staff. It doesn’t cost anything to be polite and respectful to others.”
In closing, Tarrero expressed the wish for his team to genuinely enjoy what they do, not matter how hectic the job may be. “We have difficult days like everyone, but we do have a blast while working,” he said. “I think we put in enough hours on the job that we should have fun!”
