Travel Agent - August 6, 2007 - (Page 22)

Destinations A seasoned luxury hotelier gives agents something new to sell BY JENNIFER MERRITT jmerritt@questex.com Europe Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year U nder the leadership of Horst Schulze, Ritz-Carlton set a new standard in luxury for the hotel industry. Now Schulze is attempting to revolutionize the standard he set forth with Capella Hotels and Resorts (www.capellahotels.com), a company he founded in 2005, which launched its first property in Austria, Capella Schloss Velden, on May 28, and today unveils its second, Capella Castlemartyr in County Cork, Ireland. Schloss Velden (www.schlossvelde ncapella.com), in the lakeside village of Velden, Austria, opened to much acclaim in May. “It really has exceeded our expectations,” says Kit Pappas, vice president of sales for Capella, who is also a Ritz-Carlton alum. “It’s a fabulous hotel in a great location and people who come and experience it just love it. The inquiries are starting to build.” So far, about 70 percent of sales have come from travel agents, Pappas says. “When we look at the level of customers that we have, a lot of them have longstanding relationships with their agents—they trust what their agent says,” he notes. “We realize how important the agent community is, so we’ve brought a number of them on FAM trips to Schloss Velden so that they can see it, touch it and learn about it.” In the coming months, agents can also look for Capella to launch an agent incentive program, in addition to the 10 percent commission the hotelier already offers. Capella Hotels and Resorts are a combination of new builds and historic elements. Schloss Velden and Castlemartyr both were existing structures that Capella enhanced by adding additional guest rooms and such, while properties in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico and Telluride, CO, will be new builds. In 2008, Capella will also open hotels in Düsseldorf at Breidenbacher Hof, on Sentosa Island in Singapore and again in Ireland at Dunboy Castle in Castletownbere. Pappas says the hotelier continues to look at a number of additional locations, but notes that, “It has to be an excellent facility in a great destination with a fantastic location and have all the amenities there.” To set itself apart from the increas- Capella Castlemartyr guest room 22. TravelAgent August 6, 2007 http://www.schlossveldencapella.com http://www.capellahotels.com http://www.schlossveldencapella.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Cover Story - Passports and Visas: What Clients Should Know About Them EUROPE: Capella Debuts Two Properties This Year LAS VEGAS: The De-Theming of Luxor HAWAII: Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea Renovates CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA: Cruising the Panama Canal Lavishly CARIBBEAN & BAHAMAS: Bahamas’ Grand Isle Resort & Spa News and Notes Meet the U.S.V.I.’s Tourism Commissioner CRUISES: Defining Regent Seven Seas HOTELS: InterContinental Harbor Court Baltimore Agent Exchange Luxury Travel Expo Update Ad and Edit Index Classified Marketplace People & Places

Travel Agent - August 6, 2007

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