My name is Giacomo and I was born and raised in the mountains of Val Pusteria, in Brunico, a city I love and where I work and study at the university, and since childhood, I’ve been immersed in tourism and hospitality.
Here, tourism isn’t just a sector: it’s part of our identity.
People come from all over the world, not just to ski or hike, but to experience that authentic atmosphere that only a place like ours can offer.
My School, the Starting Point
It all began at the Hotel Management School in Brunico, where I studied and learned what true “hospitality” means.
It’s not like other schools — it’s a vibrant, dynamic, modern environment.
There, you don’t just learn how to manage a hotel or serve tables: you learn to understand people, to collaborate, to view tourism as a system that involves everyone — the hotelier, the shopkeeper, the tourist, and the community.
The school gave me practical tools, but above all, an open and curious mindset.
Thanks to the school, I understood the value of the territory and saw how every act of hospitality translates into wellbeing for the entire community.
The StayPlus Concept
The idea of StayPlus was born from an already functioning reality:
here, tourism creates real, daily economic benefits.
Tourists shop in stores, participate in tastings, visit markets, and bring wealth to restaurants, artisans, and local producers.
And so I asked myself:
“Why not create a system that makes all of this more visible, more measurable, and that rewards those who choose to stay and spend in the local area?”
This is how the StayPlus Card Was Born
StayPlus wasn’t created to “convince” people to do something new, but to recognize and enhance what they already do: experience the territory.
The StayPlus Card allows hotels to offer their guests a small credit or benefit to use in local shops and activities.
It’s not a “push to consume,” but a way to complete the value circle: the tourist who stays, spends, and the territory that grows — all tracked, transparent, and shared.
It’s a card that tells the story of what already happens every day, but makes it tangible, digital, and sustainable.
This way, the hotel can show its guests how much value they leave in the territory, and businesses become active participants in a virtuous local network.
Tourism that Values People
StayPlus is my way of saying thank you to my valley.
It’s a project born from the education I received, but above all from the love for the place where I live. In South Tyrol, we don’t need to invent tourism: we just need to tell its story and organize it better.
StayPlus aims to be a simple tool to do exactly this: acknowledge the value that already exists, and ensure that everyone — hotelier, shopkeeper, visitor — feels part of a community that grows together.
The Future I Envision
My dream is simple: that one day, every tourist who arrives here — in Brunico, San Candido, Dobbiaco, or elsewhere — can feel like part of the local community, not just a passing visitor.
With StayPlus, I want to make this possible:
a more human, sustainable, and authentic tourism.
StayPlus doesn’t want to change South Tyrolean tourism, but to celebrate it:
highlighting the connection between those who host, those who visit, and those who work every day to make this territory unique.
StayPlus – Hospitality That Generates Value.
