María José Galleguillos

María José Galleguillos has spent more than a decade growing alongside Tierra Hotels, building a career shaped as much by people as by place. Over eleven years with the company, she has developed a leadership philosophy centred on building strong teams, helping people grow, and creating the kind of hospitality guests remember long after they leave. Leading Tierra Atacama brought those values into one of their most demanding settings. High altitude, extreme conditions, and the realities of operating remotely require resilience and flexibility, but that challenge is precisely part of what drew her here. “I love challenges that have a purpose,” she says. As General Manager, María José also guided the lodge through its recent transformation, including new suites, apartments, private plunge pools, and more personalised ways to explore the region, always with one guiding principle: “Atacama must always remain the main character.”

Living in San Pedro has taught María José to see the desert differently. What first captures the eye is its immensity, but over time, she says, attention shifts to the details: a plant growing in seemingly impossible conditions, mountains changing colour at sunset, a perfectly clear night sky, or the rare experience of true silence. “Atacama teaches you humility,” she says. That reverence for the landscape also informs her approach to hospitality. Guests are encouraged to leave the lodge, get dust on their shoes, watch sunrise at the geysers, explore the lagoons, and experience the desert for themselves, while her team quietly takes care of everything around those adventures. For María José, the greatest reward comes when guests leave remembering not only what they saw, but the people they met along the way. “True hospitality will always be human,” she says. “Above all, they remember how we made them feel.”