By Jim Byers
What is it that makes One and Only a special collection?
The ultra-luxury end of the market is our DNA. I think what makes it very unique is we’re able to be very bespoke, because we’re not trying to do 50 or 100 hotels. We’ve always said the right size is probably around 25 hotels. What we do is immerse ourselves in the culture, we really understand what the surroundings are. We spend real time on what the people are about, as that’s very important for us; a sense of place and how you capture that … (and) make that unique experience.
We’re very fortunate in that we work with some of the best interior designers and architects in the world. You look at Palmilla and we were hit by this hurricane. Our employees did an extraordinary job making sure everybody was safe and looked after. We really mobilized the best people for the restaurants, fantastic people on the room side. And we were able to move through things pretty quickly because we had this relationship with these designers. I think what happens is a lot of companies tend to follow us. So we’ll start with one designer or start with one architect and then everyone thinks that’s the recipe for success. But the real magic for us is figuring out how you massage all that and bring the development and operational guys and food and beverage guys and have this great discussion and debate to really develop these things into incredible resorts. The nice thing is we have enough experience that we can move quickly. We have a lot of experience. We redid this resort, which was in really horrible shape, in six months. What I’m most proud about One & Only Palmilla is not only did we do things fast but the quality was there. We were able to make improvements for our guests. I think the biggest compliment for me is we get 40 per cent repeat clients. So the minute they come back they’re going to have an opinion. And they’ve been so complimentary about what we’ve done with SEARED or Agua by Larbi, with the Mexican cuisine or the wonderful improvements with the spa and fitness. And that’s what makes us different.
What, in your mind, makes a hotel a five-star property?
You can have the best bricks and sticks in the world but if you don’t have wonderful, genuine employees who can really understand what their guests want and deliver on it it’s very, very difficult. The nice thing I think we’re able to do as a company and as a global business with the support we have is really give our employees the tools and facilities to deliver a unique product. One thing we really are focused are in our rooms is we make it very simple; lights on and lights off. Making sure the Internet connectivity is there. The Internet is like a light switch these days; you expect to be able to just turn it on and have it work. So that’s one of the things. People ask ‘What’s the next best thing in luxury, What are you doing.’ I kind of sit back and say that in our business the next best thing in luxury is to deliver simplicity really well. To be able to give someone that experience so if they want to have a burger out on the beach is really extraordinary. If they want to get a suit pressed or want to get some laundry done it’s magnificently done and it’s perfectly returned to them. I say the uniqueness of our biz is being really bespoke and understanding each guest individually and how do we execute on that. I was sitting at lunch yesterday and I heard a lady saying she wanted mint chocolate chip ice cream. We didn’t have it at lunch but by the time that lady came to dinner we had mint chocolate chip ice cream. Now in her world that’s a really important experience. It’s those small things make a difference. Just delight her in a simple way. That’s what we try to instill in people.
Are you confident in the luxury market around the world?
We certainly see headwinds in certain market and see some challenges out there. But generally if you’re really delivering quality and have something very bespoke and you really stick to that and you keep those standards and quality you may have some tough times but you come through it. The core to our business is maintain the rate integrity so we can retain the quality, because at the end of the day to deliver that experience to the guest you have to have those rates and the right occupancy. We’re focused on making sure our businesses are efficiently run. But if we’re going to be at the ultra-luxury end of the market we have to give people that value.
What areas are you looking at for future resorts?
I think the one people are looking at that is a really unique market is Havana. It’s forbidden fruit for Americans, although Canadians have been going for a long time. But there haven’t been any luxury products done where people really figure out the DNA of what makes it unique. I think there’s time to get that right. We’re very excited about both the Atlantis in Sanya (China) and the One & Only in Sanya. People ask me if we’re late and I say no, we’re right on time. That Chinese market is very important to us. They’ve become more discerning, more well-travelled, and they want luxury closer to home. We’re not retrofitting for them, we’re building for them. I think the Asian market, specifically China, is interesting for us. We like Mexico. We have another couple of projects here (both near Puerto Vallarta on the Riviera Nayarit) and we think there’s a lot of opportunity. What’s nice about the new One & Only Mandarina is we’ll have great airlift from Puerto Vallarta. The government is putting in a new road so it’ll be 20 minutes to the airport. It’s a spectacular location, very different with this dramatic spot in the hills overlooking the bluffs. We worked with a great architect, a guy called Rick Joy, an American architect who’s very good at doing interiors. We’re also working on Santa Maria de Xala. We haven’t started design but it’s more of a hacienda, with big estates. It’s about 25 minutes away. Another I’m excited about is Montenegro. It’s stunning. We have THE finest location and great ownership.
What about the U.S. or Canada?
I’d love us to have a ski lodge somewhere in the U.S.A city like New York would be great if you could find the right location. Toronto would be great if we had something really unique. If it’s a right location, if it’s got good airlift and the right combination we’ll look at it. We’ve traditionally been more resort. We could’ve done One & Only’s in most of the major cities but … if you can’t find the best location you don’t go into the market.
What do you look for in a hotel when you’re on business?
The thing that always strikes me in a good hotel or a good airline is when people understand you and it’s efficient and it’s quick. I’ve seen boutique places that are run by families and have four or five rooms and I’ve been at mid-level products that are well-maintained and where people have a passion for what they do. I think it’s the small things that make a difference. At the end of the day it comes down to people and people having the passion. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a small restaurant and someone executes it really well or a big city place, we can always learn. Some big guys do a good job. Villa d’Este in Lake Como has a spectacular location. It’s an independent hotel and they’ve really stuck to their principles. It’s one of the Grand Dames and they run a first class operation.
Where do you like to go when you have time off?
We’ve always had a home in Portugal, in the Algarve. I think I love it because it’s our place. It’s one big family time and we have wonderful lunches and relax and just regroup as a family. I genuinely love Mexico. There are places in Hawaii that are extraordinary I’d like to explore more. Asia just astonishes me; the jungles and the hills and the people and culture are unique. I still get excited. I love the way London works. I just think it’s an elegant city. I spend a lot of time on planes so when I take a holiday I like to be in one place. I’m not going to see 10 places. I was a young general manager. When we got married and we went on our honeymoon I said to my wife, ‘We’re going to stretch this, so what are some of the best hotels in Europe?’ It was one night here, one night there. (Laughs). I said I’d never do that again but it was a great learning experience.
Source:luxuryhotelassociation
