Photos by Henry Bourne (headshot) and Beatrice Amagat (hotel)
1. What were you and your husband, Lord Alistair McAlpine (who passed away in January), looking to create at Il Convento?
Alistair and I never had a business plan. We jumped into this. We got engaged, and he dropped into the conversation that he had this run-down Franciscan monastery [located in Puglia, Italy] that he didn’t know what to do with. Without even having seen it, I said, ‘Well, why don’t you just turn it into a bed and breakfast and use it as a backdrop for your [extensive art] collection?’
2. Did you have a hotel background?
Alistair’s background in hotels was literally from the day he was born in the Dorchester Hotel, which was built by his family, the McAlpine Construction Company. He used to joke that his bottle was brought to him by roomservice—so he spent a lot of his life in hotels, and he loved them. He was a great entertainer and host. My beginnings were much humbler, and I had no hotel training or background at all. But I’ve always liked people and liked them to be happy and comfortable. Together we worked to create something that suited us with no format at all.
3. What are your guests looking for when visiting your property?
Some people want to have a sense of where they are, whether it’s through the food or smells, or the fact that a 500-year-old monastery isn’t going to have a power shower, flatscreen TV, or air conditioning. Alistair used to say guests want a bit of fantasy as well. We try to give them an authentic experience but with a touch of magic.
4. How do you create those experiences?
I wanted to create similar holidays for people that I had as a young girl in Greece—a kind of barefoot luxury. The Convento does have its physical limitations, so we can’t offer certain modern conveniences. That’s why we concentrated on really good food, abundant breakfasts, the linens and towels. I can’t help feeling it’s more about the service—the way you make people feel—that probably leaves a lasting impression. People work very hard for 50 weeks out of the year to have a two-week holiday. It’s important that you make them feel special during that time.
5. Do you take your own vacations?
India was a [recent] big break for us. But the thing is, when you live in southern Italy, even though I’m running an inn or small hotel, it’s actually a very relaxing way to make a living. My desk is the kitchen counter, I’m on a mobile phone, I’m moving—you’re on your bicycle to go into the village, you’re walking the dog, you have a pool, you have the sea. I’ve never really been one of those people that felt the need to check into a spa to decompress. Alistair was certainly not that type at all. So our breaks tended to go at a gallop.
