Hospitality Design - September 2014 - 76

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4

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4. Peter Silling created a
sophisticated, yet warm
design for the 49-room
Capella Washington, DC's
Presidential suite.

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2. A rendering of the
soon-to-open Capella
Marigot Bay Resort and
Marina, which is being
redesigned by OBM
International.
3. Marigot Bay's Rum
Cave features a palette
of natural stone, wood,
rum barrels, copper, and
intimate lighting.

up the iron and the ironing board in the dressing
room and then where do I plug it in? I have to
take them out of the dressing room and into the
bathroom because that's where the plug is. Those
kinds of things drive me crazy. Another is that
there is no hook next to the shower. They give you
this nice robe and when you go into the shower
what do you do? You throw it on the floor. This
kind of thinking, where the customer is not part
of the design, is insulting to the guest.

After years at Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, Hyatt,
and now Capella, how do you think the
deﬁnition of luxury has changed, and
what does today's customer expect at a
luxury property?

The luxury of 45 years ago was big lobbies with
glass elevators. The luxury of 30 years ago was
a lot of marble and chandeliers. The luxury of
today is about executing service personally and
individually. In the past we'd create a product and
say, 'Buy this, it's good.' Now, the customer says,
'I want a product that I design, and here's how I

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September 2014 hospitalitydesign.com

want it.' At Capella personal assistants call every
guest who makes a reservation to say, 'What can
we do when you're here?' days or weeks before
they even arrive. Of course it's still about highquality finishes like marble and chandeliers, but
guests are not basing their decisions on that. At
the same time, the design has to be excellent-
ours is not a customer you can fool with kitsch.

What can you tell us about Capella
properties under development?

Bangkok will be on the river, a modern building
with a very Thai sense of place. Our upcoming
property in Doha is next to the equestrian center,
so we have several villas with their own stables
for people who may come to show their horses-
they will be able to ride out into the arena from
these stables. The hotel will be nearly all suites,
with the smallest measuring about 700 square
feet. For our upcoming Niseko hotel, the designer
is Tadao Ando, who is the rock star architect in
Japan right now. He used to be a boxer.

5. A guestroom in the
Foster + Partnersdesigned Capella
Singapore on tropical
Sentosa Island
complements the color
palette and proportions
of existing former military
buildings.

What are three key lessons you have
learned in creating and running Capella?

The first is don't be a designer. If you go into a
hotel, you can see when the GM thought he or she
was the designer and it's absolutely appalling. It
just becomes a mishmash that destroys the hotel.
The second lesson is don't think you have the
answer. It's not ever about what I want, it's what
my market wants. And don't just respond to what
one person thinks-one person is not the market.
A credible analysis and study is very important to
capture the true zeitgeist.
And the third thing is to be sure that your
organization is totally aligned. I don't just hire
employees to fulfill one function. I don't want
employees to come to work for me, I want them to
join my dream.

So far Capella has enjoyed meteoric
success, but what is something you still
haven't had the chance to do?

I want to open in London, New York, and
Tokyo-those three cities are my ultimate target.
I also want to take our spa concept, Auriga, to the
next level, where we will really make you into
a healthier person. Another dream would be to
make a Capella cruise ship that will be the best in
the world. hd

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Hospitality Design - September 2014

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