LINDA HORN

‘‘WE ALSO HAVE A BALLROOM THAT WILL SEAT 150 GUESTS WITH THE MOST STAGGERING VIEWS OF CENTRALPARK. THERE IS NOTHING ELSE THAT COMES REMOTELY SIMILAR TO WHAT WE ARE DOING. IT’S A UNIQUE MODEL.’’

100th Floor Ballroom

what takes time and a ton of effort. I use the senses to tell my story.It’s all about how music, lighting, temperature, fragrance and food come together and seduce the senses.

GW Is this Central Park Tower project the greatest opportunity you’ve ever had to, as you say in your lectures, ‘’the opportunity to tell a story’’?

CC Central Park Tower is certainly a very exciting and glamorous project and I feel very honored to bring the guest experience alive and to tell their story.

GW What are the three simple rules to crafting inimitable service?

CC Inimitable is the right word! It starts with the client DNA, so the branding is woven into the overall experience that’s personalized, shows attention to detail and is delivered consistently. Without consistency, you have no credibility.

GW Your brand pivot during the Covid crisis was remarkably deft and clever. Talk a bit about that - suchas the collaboration with the Boca Raton Beach Club.

CC When all our parties and events for 2020 were postponed I refocused my team and effortsand homed in on luxury resort developers.My first project was The Boca Raton Club.I reimagined the design of the lobby, lounge bar and patio, and created a new restaurant called Marisol.All have been very well received by our members and guests.We are now working on the interior design of the guest rooms and guest experience. In development are another restaurant and a beach club. My focus is interior design,programming of all spaces, menu development, uniforms, floral and a signature fragrance. In addition to Boca Raton, we are also working very closely with Tavistock on their amazing Pier 66 – a 32-acre development built from the ground up.It will be a gamechanger in Ft Lauderdale. Other projects include Four Seasons Surfside, Zaha Hadid Building in Hong Kong and several others.

GW More than 20 years in the hospitality business and he’s visited over 100 countries, but which five are your absolute favorites?

CC It’s 15.5M miles and close to 100 countries. I was born in Zambia, but I am very partial to South Africa, love the UK, Turkey is a favorite, as are Italy and France in the summertime.

GW Talk about this new book of yours, and your eleventh-- The Gold Standard (HarperCollins/Leadership).

to-business book. I wrote The Gold Standard to give the reader the right protocols and tools to deliver proactive customer service and how to stand out in a crowded space. Why creating the ‘emotional connection’ is the goal of any transaction and why it’simportant to always look for opportunity. None of this can happen without a motivated team that is aligned and all working toward the same goal. The book is very anecdotal and loaded with ideas and sizes businesses can use and be inspired by.

GW What else can Colin Cowie possibly say that he hasn’t already in the previous ten books?

CC It was a fun challenge to write this book which is focused on how to do it vs. how to design it.

GW Central Park Tower-- the tallest residential building in the world! When are you moving in? colincowie.com