AltoVita's Spotlight Series: 5 Minutes with Emma Schweder

Meet Emma Schweder, AltoVita’s Hospitality Growth Manager for the Americas. Originally from Brazil, Emma is responsible for expanding and maintaining AltoVita’s network of corporate-ready accommodation across the region. From sourcing and onboarding new suppliers to conducting in-person property visits, she helps ensure every stay meets the safety, quality, and service standards expected by global organisations.

We recently sat down with her to discuss what it takes to build a trusted accommodation network at scale, the red flags she looks for when vetting properties, and the unique challenges and opportunities shaping the corporate housing landscape across Latin America.

What does the pipeline look like from first contact with a property to it being bookable on the AltoVita platform? 

"The onboarding pipeline is a rigorous process that prioritises "corporate-grade" reliability. It begins with legal and compliance vetting to ensure the supplier meets our requirements especially around safety and quality standards. We then conduct a comprehensive quality audit of their inventory. Throughout the process, the goal is to ensure the new supplier is fully ready to service our corporate clients."

 Walk us through what happens during an in-person property vetting. What are you actually checking? 

"During an in-person vetting, I perform a "stress test" on the property’s infrastructure to ensure it meets the demands of a high-level executive. I’m not just looking at the decor; I’m physically testing the Wi-Fi stability in every room, checking water pressure, and ensuring the ergonomics of the workspace, like chair height and desk lighting, are suitable for a full workday. Most importantly, I’m verifying "invisible" safety standards, such as the functionality of smoke detectors, the security of secondary door locks, and the overall building access control, to ensure the property provides a seamless and secure environment that photos alone can’t guarantee."

 What are your immediate red flags when visiting a property for the first time? 

"My immediate red flags are excessive ambient noise and signs of "sensory" neglect. If I can hear heavy street traffic or construction through closed windows, it’s an automatic rejection, as a corporate traveller cannot work or sleep in that environment. I also look for "cover-up" scents like heavy air fresheners, which often mask underlying maintenance issues like mold or poor plumbing. Finally, I pay close attention to the building’s common areas. If the lobby is chaotic or the elevators are poorly maintained, it indicates a lack of professional management that will inevitably lead to a poor guest experience regardless of how nice the individual unit looks."

 Are there markets in LATAM where quality supply is particularly scarce, and how do you work around that? 

"In LATAM, high-quality corporate supply is notably scarce in secondary industrial hubs like Neuquen (Argentina) and Macae (Brazil), where the rapid "nearshoring" boom has caused executive demand to far outpace the professionalized housing inventory. To work around this, we move "upstream" by partnering directly with luxury residential developers and emerging "Build-to-Rent" (BTR) operators who typically focus on long-term residents. We act as strategic consultants, helping them "corporatise" their units by advising on the specific furniture packages, high-speed mesh Wi-Fi systems, and 24/7 support protocols required to meet the "duty of care" standards of our multinational tech clients."

Has speaking Portuguese made a material difference in the relationships you've been able to build in Brazil? 

"Speaking Portuguese has been a total game-changer, as it allows me to move beyond a transactional relationship and build genuine collaboration and trust. In Brazil, business is deeply personal; being able to navigate cultural nuances and local bureaucracy in the native tongue signals that I respect and understand the local reality. It opens doors that English-only communication simply cannot, allowing me to find creative solutions—or that famous jeitinho—to solve complex logistics or maintenance hurdles much faster because my suppliers see me as a partner who truly "gets it.""

 What's the one thing a property can never compensate for, no matter how nice it looks in photos? 

"The one thing a property can never compensate for is poor location in terms of safety and noise. You can easily replace a sofa, upgrade the Wi-Fi, or add a luxury coffee machine, but you cannot fix a neighbourhood that feels "insecure" for a foreign traveller or a street corner with 24/7 sirens and construction. In corporate housing, our primary responsibility is the guest's well-being; if a professional cannot get a quiet night's sleep or feel safe walking into their building at night, the most beautiful, "Instagrammable" interior design in the world is essentially worthless."

Managing a programme in LATAM? Get in touch!