Boutique Design - June 2017 - 24

CaChet BeaCh hotel los CaBos, CaBo san luCas, MexiCo

TECHNO BRAVE
AlexAnder MirzA | president, co-founder And ceo
cAchet hospitAlity Group
shAnGhAi And sAntA MonicA, cAliforniA

alex ander Mirza

boutiquedesign.com june 2017

process and culture," says the former management consultant to firms such as Strategos and Deloitte, who parlayed his
knowledge of corporate best practices into the hotel industry,
first working for maverick (and 2016 Boutique Design Up-andComing Hotelier) Barry Sternlicht at then-Starwood Hotels
and Resorts. After mastering the art of shaking up the
industry without shaking investor confidence, he moved on
to learn the ropes of big flag operations at Hilton. A stint at
Caesar's Entertainment showed the Harvard Business School
grad just how central-and profitable-data collection and
CRM are to hospitality venues. It's no surprise, then, that
when he did start his own hospitality management firm,
Cachet Hospitality Group, in 2013, he synthesized those
lessons into a research-backed, design-heavy approach he
likens to a young tech company or Tesla more than a traditional hotelier.
Why the world needed another hotel company: "Our
brands and business model are low cost disruptions. For
example, we control design in house and our boutique/lifestyle
hotels are less capital intensive with fewer architectural and
design standards. We analyze each asset's capital allocation to
generate higher returns on invested capital for owners. It's very
analytical and then creative, rather than the other way around
like many of our direct competitors.
We start with the research on where investment should
go in each property, not just a straight website and guest
room refresh. In a recent property, we'd planned to do that,
but the data showed that the revenue driver was the restaurants, specifically for weddings. So, we were able to convince
the owner to do a $2.5 or $3 million redo on the restaurants
and spend less on other areas. We never would have guessed
going in that that would be the best way to allocate funds."
Why the big guys aren't always the bad guys (and
what boutique operators should learn from them):
"While at Starwood and Hilton, I worked with a lot of
accomplished hotel operators and they taught me about
systems, processes and standards. If there's one thing they
don't understand, it's how to build and nurture a culture of
innovation. As a result, they effectively outsource design
and development of new technologies.
How far, how fast, how much: The company's current
portfolio of four hotels in Southeast Asia and North America
is set to get eight new hotels in those regions, with a future
focus on global gateways and will reach 10 properties by
year's end (the total pipeline is close to 30). Also on tap? The
expansion of Cachet's four F&B brands, including a 40-plus
location JV with Wahlburgers (yes, a burger chain run by
those Wahlbergs) in Asia.
What's on his bucket list for Cachet: "Our technology
platform, which will be launched in August 2017, will be a
lifestyle marketplace. It will include lifestyle hotels and residences as well as travel content curated by experts. It's a top
secret project, so that's all I can share right now."

C O U R T E S Y O F C AC H E T H O S P I TA L I T Y G R O U P ( C A B O, M I R Z A )

The sTarT-up: "Any company is defined by its management

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