Describe your role at Capella Hotel Group, the management company of Capella and Solís hotels, spa brand Auriga, and independent properties.
I support owners and developers in the planning, design, procurement, and construction of luxury hotel and resort projects safeguarding product quality and functionality. I also assist our properties in ongoing CapEx projects.
You’re currently working on your fifth collaboration with Peter Silling & Associates. What do you look for in a design firm?
These kinds of firms earn our trust and we in turn don’t micromanage their designs. They understand the details that need attention to make a guestroom function. The Breidenbacher Hof, a Capella Hotel, in Düsseldorf is a great example of this. Silling designed the quintessential Capella living room that is exclusive to guests and through which they can take elevators to the guest floors.
What is that collaboration process like?
We’re there to consult and react to any questions designers generate throughout the project. Designers can reach me any time on an informal basis. The informality and mutual comfort with each other is a key to achieving a great result. We do comment when functionality and practicality come in to play. Otherwise, we tend to go with the designer’s instincts. Each property responds to the local market while appealing to a sophisticated traveler who seeks a worldly, relaxed environment.
How do you define luxury?
Our customers expect our hotels to be in great locations, have wonderful views, and creature comforts equal to or better than what they have in their homes. They want to be treated as individuals with personalized service; they want to be in control of their stay and not be hampered by rules and policies that are for the benefit of the hotel. Our guests return to our hotels because of the way we make them feel during their stay with us: recognized, valued, and treated with respect. For them, this is luxury.
Ayana Resort and Spa Bali
What’s on the boards?
Projects in Querétaro and Colima, Mexico; the island of Malta; Bangkok; another in Bali; and a dual-branded [Solís-Capella] project in Orlando.
