Some Gems From The International Luxury Travel Market Asia
by Doug Gollan /The Langham, London. Photo: Langham Hotels International
TMR’s Doug Gollan was at last week’s International Luxury Travel Market Asia in Shanghai. Here are some interesting bits and pieces he garnered there.
Le Calvez Sets Expansion Goals For La Reserve
Veteran luxury hotelier Didier Le Calvez, who helped oversee Oetker Collection’s expansion during his six years serving as corporate COO and president of Le Bristol in Paris, would like to see La Reserve grow beyond its four current locations (two in Paris and one each in Geneva and Saint-Tropez). In an exclusive interview with Travel Market Report, he said he believes there are opportunities in London and New York.
Currently its city resort on the outskirts of Geneva is undergoing a complete renovation of rooms taking place in two stages, with the first half completed this year, and the rest coming in 2017. Le Calvez is well known to the North American trade from his previous stints with The Plaza, Regent, Four Seasons George V, and helping Shangri-la open its flagship in the French capital.
Schultze, Capella Fast-Track Growth
Capella Hotels LLC is entering a period that will see it expand from its current 14 properties, with 9 new hotels across its Capella and Solis brands, beginning with a city resort in Shanghai due to open next March. Located in the French Concession, the all-suite, low-rise hotel will feature accommodations with private gardens and rooftop decks set in a series of restored 1930s row-house-style apartments. “It will be a bit like Raffles is to Singapore,” company executive Nicholas Clayton told Travel Market Report.
Schulze, the legendary founder of Ritz-Carlton, and current chairman and CEO of Capella, apparently has the pipeline primed. Orlando will get a Solis and a Capella, while Solis will come to Atlanta with a property adjacent to Porsche’s test track at its North American headquarters. Ubud in Bali, Bangkok, Doha and Guangzhou are also under development. Earlier this year it lost its Georgetown location when Rosewood bought the property and reflagged it to its own brand.
Small Luxury Hotels Ups Brand Standards, Pushes Trade Loyalty Program
Under the leadership of new CEO Filip Boyen, who joined from Belmond 10 months ago, Small Luxury Hotels is tightening its standards and increasing inspections of its hotels to a minimum of once per year, he told Travel Market Report. “I’m making it harder to join, and hard to stay in,” he said.
SLH currently has 526 properties in 82 countries. Boyen said 75% of its business is from travel agents, and 55% of that is from agents in North America. Earlier this year the company launched a rewards program for agents, offering free nights and gifts. While so far 1,400 agents have signed up, Boyen said wants to grow that number.
Langham Scores 17 Certificates of Excellence From Trip Advisor
Langham Hospitality Group’s hotels have earned 17 Certificates of Excellence from Trip Advisor, the highest number ever for the group. The Certificate of Excellence is based on quality and quantity of reviews submitted by travelers on TripAdvisor over a 12-month period. To qualify, a business must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews, and be listed on TripAdvisor for at least 12 months.
The 17 hotels under the Langham Hospitality Group who have received the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence are:
- USA: The Langham, Boston; The Langham, Chicago; The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, Los Angeles; Langham Place, New York
- Europe: The Langham, London
- The Pacific: The Langham, Sydney; The Langham, Melbourne; The Langham, Auckland
The group’s 20th property, The Langham, Haikou, in Hainan, China, opened last week.
Nira to open Italy, Portugal, and Greece
Nira Hotels & Resorts, which currently operates four properties, is working on new projects in Pozzuouli, Italy, the Algarve, and Nira Kilada Hills in Peloponnese, Greece. It current operates mountain resorts in Italy and Switzerland, a destination retreat in Mauritius, and a city hotel in Edinburgh.
Its CEO MPS Puri is a veteran of Peninsula, Raffles, Rosewood, Ritz-Carlton, and Halekulani. He says his hotels are positioned in the upper-four-star affordable luxury segment. While his customer base is currently mainly European, he sees potential to increase business from North America, he told Travel Market Report.
Marco Polo’s Niccolo brand set to add three hotels
Niccolo by Marco Polo, named for the great explorer’s father, is the luxury entrance for Marco Polo Hotels. During a press conference at ILTM Asia, the group’s president, Jennifer Cronin, said Niccolo locations in Chongqing and Changsha will open in 2017, and Suzhou is due in 2018.
Niccolo is positioned as a “collection of contemporary urban chic hotels” in prime locations. “While our hotels are modern, sophisticated space, we value the timeless pleasures of impeccable hospitality from the golden era of travel,” she said.
The brand recently launched its first television ad campaign on CNN.