Two months after Celia Geyer joined Belmond last year, the pioneer of luxury travel announced its intention to go on sale. While less than ideal at the time, today, Geyer is part of the leadership group, under new owner LVMH, which is strategically planning the company’s future. “It’s so exciting to be in control of your own destiny, to shape a company in this way,” she says. For Geyer, whose notable hospitality design career includes stints at Hilton and WATG, Belmond appealed to her because it represented a return to luxury and “the chance to come back to experiences, not only hotels, but with the added benefit of trains and cruises,” she says.
While Belmond’s collection does indeed comprise all modes of travel, another big advantage is ownership. “With the exception of Belmond Cadogan [in London], one of our key differentiators is we own our projects, so we control the development and construction process every step of the way and ensure designers come with us,” Geyer says. “This means you don’t end up being constrained by external owners and their preferred contacts.”
There’s a robust through line for every Belmond project that sees Geyer’s team collaborating with brand and art direction colleagues on a design narrative from the outset, which then informs the choice of the designer and architect. As projects near completion, operational colleagues are also armed with details of the vision so they can share knowledge of the design with guests. It’s a smart approach that taps into travelers’ growing thirst for insider insight. This “refreshing” culture, as Geyer describes it, opens up the possibility of guest experiences being integrated early into space planning. She cites a small example: “At present, we’re looking to enhance the morning experience with our brand team, touching on everything from first light to food and movement. From our side, this means we can start enabling operational moments, such as sunrise yoga, by finding the optimum location for a pavilion.”
With craftsmanship and design central to the identity of every project, it’s essential that Geyer brings designers on board who are prepared to roll up their sleeves to find local talent and implement Belmond’s vision. “The challenge is to find partners whose creative juices will flow in response to our locations,” she says. “It’s a balance for most luxury brands, but ultimately, it’s about matching creative talent to the right projects.”
Since projects span the globe and can be embedded in remote locations, Geyer regularly oversees logistics, sustainability, and even local politics. Relationships built on mutual respect are key, especially in spots where her operational team will be working with tribes or villages in the longterm.
For the past 18 months, there’s been the huge logistical undertaking of redesigning the legendary Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla, alongside firms Rottet Studio and HKS Architects. To bring the property back to its former grandeur after nearly 80 percent of its infrastructure was wiped out following Hurricane Irma in 2017, Geyer worked closely with the local community and design teams to get the hotel reopened without missing a season. It was important, she says, “to keep the magic of the location and the nuances of the Caribbean,” all while “capturing a world of timeless glamour and barefoot luxury.”
From Palacio Arquitectos and Muza Lab, the Belmond Andean Explorer is South America’s first luxury sleeper train
The tranquil Maundays Club at the Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla, renovated by Rottet Studio and HKS
An outdoor seating area at the Shutze Studio-designed Belmond Casa de Sierra Nevada in San Miguel, Mexico
Archways in Belmond Cap Juluca’s Main House open to the beach
The Belmond Cadogan Hotel in London, courtesy of Russell Sage Studios, Blair Associates Architecture, and GA Group
Photos by Sandrine Brubaker, Edgardo Contreras, Matt Cossick, Richard James Taylor, and courtesy of Belmond
