Forbes Romania continued its mission to connect ideas, people, and opportunities across continents through the second edition of Forbes Business Bridges 2025, held on October 8th at the iconic Forbes on Fifth in New York City.
Mirela Dogărescu, Co-Founder of Alma Health & Spa Retreat, shared her vision on the intersection of business, well-being, and conscious leadership. Here are the main insights:
Hello everyone, it’s a pleasure to be here today. First, I’d like to share what ALMA is for those who don’t know us or where we are located. We are a four-star hotel in Lacul Sărat, Brăila, on the lake’s shore. It’s a family project—our heart project. We opened three years ago after a significant investment. We built a health center that focuses on natural resources: sapropelic mud and the lake’s salt water. We also use technologies that combine these natural resources so people can come to recover and heal. In addition, we developed a spa and wellness area—with rituals designed to de-stress and help guests disconnect from daily life. We have 185 rooms and conference facilities for companies that want to host team meetings and off-sites.
We also have restaurants for à la carte dining and private events—so all these services are available in one place. Coming back to your question, I would say that hospitality everywhere in the world is built on three basic principles. For me, the first is empathy—especially important at ALMA. When guests come for treatments, our team speaks with each person to understand their story and needs. We focus on personalizing their programs, whether they visit the health center for therapy or the wellness area for relaxation. The second is authenticity, which is also essential for us—we are fortunate to have unique natural resources on site, and we build around them.
And the third is consistency. It’s important that guests receive the same high-quality service—whether they are in the health center, at the restaurant, or attending a corporate teambuilding. Yes, people everywhere expect these things, but what matters most is to personalize the experience and truly connect with each guest.