In-sights
20Frank M. Pfaller minutes with
interviewed by acclaimed architect & designer
Yasmine Mahmoudieh
antigua austria bali barbuda china east africa georgia germany haiti italy mauritius portugal singapore south africa spain st. barth uruguay …
st. james’s club weisses rössl delMango k-club RuiJin blue marlin hotel metechi palace shp el rancho capri projects le touessrok quinta do lago sms maharani beverly hills las dunas le guanahani las portuguesas …
A
Together with our outstanding team of associates in the CoutureHospitalityConcept partnership, we are instrumental in assisting private investors to develop, position and manage an exclusive portfolio of some of the finest hotels worldwide. As a one stop solution provider, from overall concept, architecture, branding, to pre-opening and management, CHC counts with the support of some of the most established individuals in the international hospitality industry. Whilst I do take enormous pride in CHC’s evolution as a business, none of our success would have been possible without the support and endurance of my partners and our exceptional clients, owners and developers of these iconic properties, whom I wish to thank profoundly.
Frank M. Pfa!er
President | CEO
Yasmine Mahmoudieh: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your current engagement in the hospitality sector. FMP: Let me try to put a rather long story into a nutshell: Generally, looking back I can say with joy and humility that foremost I’m a Hotelier of passion. And it all started by sheer coincidence! Born in Bavaria, Germany, and quite laid back during my schooling years, I earned some money on the side as a skiing instructor; decided to study sports and enjoy the good life - on the slopes in winter, on the tennis courts in summer and of course surfing! Waiting tables during a summer holiday - again to refill my empty pockets - the restaurant owner encouraged me to try a career in the hospitality industry as he saw ‘…something’ in me - well, I guess he was not so wrong. Until today, I recall with great pleasure - and with deep gratitude to some of my very courageous owners and their trust in me! - my very first assignment as GM in Malindi, Kenya, East Africa at the legendary and then leading 4-star resort ‘Safari & Sea Hotel Blue Marlin’ - at the tender age of 22 years, probably the youngest executive at that time. Four years later I was given the opportunity to open my first 5Star hotel on the Canary island of Fuerteventura, and five years later, Sol Kerzer, RIP, whom I cherish as my mentor, brought me to South Africa as Managing Director, first at the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel, thereafter at the then ultra luxury flagship property Maharani, in Durban, followed by Le Touessrok, Mauritius. Becoming a corporate hotelier was, however, not my intention and I founded my own firm, Selected Hotels Promotion L.C. and opened, positioned and managed a total of about 26 luxury hotels in more than 16 countries around the globe, Far East , Mid East . Caribbean,Bali,Spain…
I’ve since had the great pleasure and the privilege to open or manage some of the most enigmatic hotels around the globe, such as Le Guanahani, St. Barth; St. James’s Club, Antigua; Las Dunas, Marbella; La Bobadilla, Granada; KClub, Barbuda; as well as Shanghai’s first urban retreat as owner’s representative for the government, to just name a few. Together with our outstanding team of associates in the CoutureHospitalityConcept par tnership, we are instrumental in assisting private investors to develop, position and manage an exclusive portfolio of some of the finest hotels worldwide. As a one stop solution provider, from overall concept, architecture, branding, to pre-opening and management, CHC counts with the support of some of the most established individuals in the international hospitality industry. Today we have mandates to act as Owner's Representatives for various private hoteliers in Europe, South America and Asia. All of our present ongoing developments are independent luxury CoutureRetreats - small and personal is beautiful! It has always been been our expressed desire not to surrender to standardisation, and so we focused on smaller independent luxury retreats. By thinking and acting without the constraints of a large chain, we were able to maximise the hotel's potential from planning and design to operating concepts that provide highly personalised guest services and unique experiences. And I have always had a special affinity with architects and chefs, who have allowed me deep insights into their creative work.
What are the main challenges facing the hospitality industry at the moment? Today it’s of course the prevailing Covid situation with lockdowns etc. So, we must prepare for the post Covid era. Luxury consumers today need more than just expected amenities and wake-up calls. Luxury hotels have to adapt themselves with the changing times.
Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) offer an overwhelming variety of options on one single platform - very convenient for the consumers’ choice, but a threat to brand loyalty. To succeed over the myriad options, luxury hotels need to develop, extend, and maintain solemn relationships with their guests. Guests value mutual respect, and brands can retain them with their sincerity.
Some of the current business models used by luxury hotels are quite simply outdated. While they helped growth yesterday, today they are limiting it. “ I recall with Consumers are in search of an experience rather than a brand flourish. More than 75% of luxury consumers find more of an appeal in hotels that give them something new. This is where luxury hotels need to focus upon post Covid - some examples: • • • • • •
2. Traditional Hospitality A Deloitte report puts ‘empower me’ as the most appealing guest attribute for great pleasure - consumers out of others like ‘engage me’ , and with deep gratitude to ‘ h e a r m e ’, a n d ‘ k n o w m e ’. L u x u r y consumers want an interconnected some of my very courageous experience of flair and potential. The owners and their trust in me! - luxury hospitality must be integrated into my very first assignment as GM this new age fulfilment.
in Malindi, Kenya, East Africa at the legendary and then leading 4-star resort ‘Safari & Sea Hotel Blue Marlin’ - at the tender age of 22 years “
Innovative technology Reputation management R e t a i n i n g a n d fi n d i n g t a l e n t + training!!! Preparing for an increase in international travel - when & how??? Personalising client's experience - a major topic to further define the new luxury! Remaining competitive in the Airbnb and OTA era. ...
Let’s pick out just 3 topics here: 1. Increasing Competition
3. Technology Advancements Accessibility to consumers has increased with technological progress. More than 50% luxury consumers were found to be more receptive to adopting new apps and online services. The younger generation discovers most brands and services through digital platforms. This segment has its own growing numbers of luxury consumers at the moment, which is where brands should target their business. Customisation and innovation is the name of the game! Travel before Covid was the largest and fastest growing industry, and we all hope that it will eventually bounce back - back hopefully in a different and certainly more sustainable way - for example home-office work over the past many months has shown that short trips are so
CHAPTER 1 | RETREATS
Las Dunas Suites L I F E S T Y L E
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Las Dunas Suites Las Dunas Suites | Marbella | Spain
Concept | Marketing & Sales | General Management Inspired by the architectural traditions of Andalusia, Las Dunas Suites offers just 34 luxurious residences along with the pleasures and privileges of the renowned Las Dunas Beach Hotel & Spa. It captures the very essence of Spanish Mediterranean lifestyle under the year round sun of Costa del Sol.
CHAPTER 1 | RETREATS
delMango privatevillaestate bali
Project Development | Concept | Marketing & Sales Bali’s first eco-luxury urban retreat with entirely new concept, including ‘lifestyle-ownership’ - fractional ownership scheme. Award winning architecture and interior design - CHC has again created yet another original.
unnecessary! I’m quite confident, as the new generation of travellers as well as our hotel staff are critically aware of the direct link between sustainable business, the environment and a new lifestyle that is required in order to save our planet. You recently developed LeadingHôtelières, a strategic alliance to which I am part of. Could you please tell us a little bit about it and about what drove you to form this coalition?
The team has enlisted support from the likes of Grand Hotel Tremezzo owner and CEO, Valentina de Santis, Sue Willams of Whatley Manor, Natalie Seiler-Hayez of the Beau Rivage to name just a few, and leading sustainability architects, such as yourself, Bill Bensley, Alberto Apostoli, Matteo Thun etc. the Director of Red Carnation Hotels, Vicki Tollman, Director of Spa at Four Seasons Hong Kong, Dr Tania Bardhan and Hospitality Consultancy WE(i) Think CEO, Celine Vadam, among others, who have all taken on vital roles in addressing gender balances at a systemic level, from research, to design, to networking, with communication coordinated by Maria Pajares, MD of Mason Rose.
When we looked at our HoteliersGuild membership roster, we realised that we had far too few women in leadership positions. Reaching out initially to Lindsey Additionally an impressive advisory board Ueberroth of Preferred Hotel Group, Xenia provide expert advice and support is zu Hohenlohe, Considerate Group and Prof. “ Luxury consumers want an gradually taking shape and includes Dr. Sowon, EHL, we were thrilled to realise interconnected experience of amongst its advisors Sue Harmsworth, their enthusiasm to join our cause to grand lady of wellness and Founder of flair and potential. The luxury making a real change. Now, after only ESPA International, Professor Dr Henri about seven months following its creation, hospitality must be integrated Kuokkanen, Associate Professor at Institut some of the world’s leading hoteliers and into this new age fulfilment. “ Paul Bocuse and Dr Willy Legrand, hospitality academics have joined forces to Professor at the International University of support this pioneering initiative that aims Applied Sciences, Bad Honnef. to accelerate the path to improved gender equality in higher level positions across the industry, in line with the UN’s We know that the biggest challenges for women looking to Sustainable Development Goal 5. achieve top leadership roles were the need to travel, relocate and dedicate long hours. In the past, once having children I was of course delighted that our HoteliersGuild’s long time and raising a family came into the equation, many women member and ambassador Lindsey Ueberroth CEO at were forced to make a choice, and those challenges were Preferred Hotels & Resorts accepted to become the cohard to overcome. founder, and Considerate Group Founding Partner, Xenia zu Hohenlohe, leads as Chairwoman for the inaugural year and Our initiate has now started a study called ‘Driving flexible is joined by the wonderful Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim co-chair working structure in hotels’, lead by Prof. Dr. Sowon Kim to Associate Professor of Management at the leading Ecole address this important topic. The study directly contributes hôtelière de Lausanne. to LH’s first target year working theme. In particular, the study has three goals:
1) understand the type of flexibility hotels have (i.e. labor flexibility vs. workplace flexibility), 2) identify what determines the types of flexibility (i.e. company governance, corporate culture, manager’s attitude and behavior regarding flexibility), and 3) identify the effects of types of flexibility on critical work outcomes such as company market value, organizational resilience, employee retention, and employee wellbeing. With LeadingHôtelières we aim to accelerate gender equality by providing guidance, mentorship and training through a powerful network of contacts in the industry. Could you please explain the main differences between LeadingHôteliéres and HoteliersGuild? HoteliersGuild was founded as a private society for discerning luxury hoteliers with a pledge to sustainability for owners/presidents & GM’s and remained a ‘boys club’ over the years… When we slowly opened also to architects/designers, Chefs and other established industry leaders, we recognised all the more the still prevailing male dominance on all levels LeadingHôteliérs is a chapter for female industry leaders within HoteliersGuild who dedicate part of their time for our cause on a pro-bono basis, e.g. driving SDG topics as explained, mentoring and generally giving back to the industry. Some of them are therefor also part of our HoteliersForGood initiative. And we now started two more initiatives for future generations of industry leaders under the same umbrella:
YoungHôteliéresInsights and & YoungCheffesInsights with EHL, IUBH & IPB respectively!!! Plus our HoteliersForGood a SeniorHoteliersInitiative realises that something will have to change. We are reaching out to colleagues with an offer to make a change in this time of sheer madness by offering an array of pro-bono services graciously provided by our members. In this testing times of Covid-19, we shall further concentrate on our professional relationship with our colleagues, independent owners, operators & developers of private luxury hotels & retreats in need of support. All participants are professionals who care with a desire to give back and make a change! What does luxury mean to you? What features should a hotel present in order to be considered a ‘luxury hotel’? Allow me to first of all define my personal understanding of “LUXURY”: “Luxury to me is where quality, creativity and rarity are combined. 'Deeper Luxury' means extreme care of the social and environmental consequences of what we do and how we do it. And especially in our luxury hospitality industry, EMOTION IS TODAY’S TRUE LUXURY! As to features and facilities: To an extend, this really lies in the eyes and in the exceptions of the beholder, our guests, and the circumstances for their stay in a so called luxury hotel. Examples: inner city or urban retreats which you combine with wellness, sightseeing etc. as opposed to an airport hotel where you just stay overnight - a luxury when you’ve got to
CHAPTER 2 | HOTELS & RESORTS
Owner’s Representative since 2005 Group Owner’s Representation to design new marketing concept for all hotels and spas. Introduction of the Couture Villa Ownership concept. Preparations to expand the Villa Padierna brand to China, implementation of operating standards and management of the new properties under the VPlimitedEdion brand. Integration of The International Hospitality Hall of Fame at Palacio Linares.
CHAPTER 2 | HOTELS & RESORTS
Owner’s Representative Owner’s Representation to design new marketing concept for the group and introduce a couture villa ownership concept. Preparations to expand the Villa Padierna brand to China, implement operating standards and manage the new properties.
catch the red-eye at 6 a.m.; simple tented camps next to a water hole as opposed to opulent lodges… I could give you a whole list of what features the ‘normal luxury guest’ would expect, from beautiful & fancy designs that make you feel special, amazing scents in the corridors that are extremely pleasant; a ‘know-it-all’ Concierge to amazing beds, bathrooms with lots of amenities and surprising welcome & departure gifts…
But if you have an opportunity to start conceptualising a new hotel from scratch, I guess it all starts with architecture & design. Working with top architects over so many years, I learned a lot, like from your colleague and my friend Matteo Thun who for example rejects design as an issue of taste! He and his partner follow a different strategy: Simplicity. They always search for the iconic form and create things that people can understand intuitively. Actually, he calls it ZERO DESIGN! or and I’m quoting him here: „Hausverstand Common Sense”. It‘s a familiar, yet inexperienced attraction. It reconfirms what we already know. It‘s the result of a long tradition of evolutionary advancement in the shape of everyday things, it‘s about simplicity, it‘s formal clarity, it‘s easy to use, it‘s emotional relationship with your fingers, it‘s visual balance, it‘s ...where quality, deepening our relationship with the object.”
HOWEVER: What’s this all worth without a superbly trained staff with young colleagues - the software! - who really love their profession? I’ve never been an aficionado of the ‘ladies & gentlemen serving ladies & gentlemen’ slogan as this comes with an “ Luxury IS underlying uniformed phraseology and creativity and rarity are behaviour ranging from the ever present combined! ‘have a nice day’ to a certain devotedness in 'Deeper Luxury' means the normal daily dealings with guest issues. The secret of staff training and to me the extreme care of the social and single most important FEATURE that makes environmental consequences a hotel a luxury hotel is ‘non-uniformity & of what we do and how we do the cultivated and trained professional it “ interaction of our colleagues at eye level with our guests!!! In your opinion, what makes a hotel stand out in terms of design? You are a renowned architect & designer, so I am sure you could answer this question much better than I can. However, having had the privilege to interact with some of your well established colleagues over so many years, quite a few things come to mind, e.g Comfortable Beds/Duvets&Pillows/ state of the art AirCon/Decorative Style & Lighting/Furniture & Art and, of course Security.
I also believe and trust you will agree with me, that architecture and interior design is the result of an on-going dialogue between the client or the owner, the location, its residents and its culture. Good architecture must provide customised and turnkey concepts including architecture, interiors and lighting solutions, as well as Wellbeing, as the core of the design philosophy.
Sustainable architecture is architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, development space and the ecosystem at large. I’ve been very lucky during my time in SouthEastAsia on the island of Bali to befriend an absolute leader in sustainability, John Hardy the founder of GreenSchool and owner of the amazing BambuIndah Hotel in Ubud. We worked together of my SacredMountainSanctuary. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine what can be done with bamboo as raw material …and or recycled mahogany wood - he for
CHAPTER 1 | RETREATS
Las Dunas Suites L I F E S T Y L E
O W N E R S H I P
Home... o
nly for the discern ing f
ew
Las Dunas Suites Las Dunas Suites | Marbella | Spain
Concept | Marketing & Sales | General Management Inspired by the architectural traditions of Andalusia, Las Dunas Suites offers just 34 luxurious residences along with the pleasures and privileges of the renowned Las Dunas Beach Hotel & Spa. It captures the very essence of Spanish Mediterranean lifestyle under the year round sun of Costa del Sol.
example imported ‘Joglos’ ancient wood houses from Java and vamped them up into ‘sustainable luxury ’ accommodation at BambuIndah - just wonderful!
developed some trailblazing sustainable properties and tried to convince International colleagues to ‘jump on the
With Christian Liaigre at Le Guanahani, St. Barth, and with Mariuccia Mandelli - the grand dame of KRIZIA fashion at the K-Club, Barbuda, we called rather elementary huts ‘beach villas’ - of course superbly decorated, and with N o b u y u k i N a ra b a ya s h i , t h e n l e a d a rc h i te c t w i t h SuperTomato, we created the acclaimed super delMango Villa Estate in Bali - all of them standing out due to their sustainability in luxury and operation.
bandwagon’ - but with a rather weak echo, as this was of course also connected with higher budget demands.
Do you think there has been an increase consideration of sustainability and environmental responsibility within the hospitality industry? And how are you pushing to increase awareness on the importance of sustainability within the hospitality industry?
Unfortunately however, there are still so few hotels truly & seriously involved! Many of them are still doing the minimum, like hanging towels and not changing bedsheets daily and removing single use plastic - this was considered good a decade or more ago … today, sustainability require hotels to support the 17 Global Goals and reach Net Zero carbon emissions before we ‘militant eco- reach 1.5°C.
“ I’m NOT a worrier’ but believe in a soft but continuous approach to convince colleagues to finally follow us in our endeavours to further define & implement
First of all, let me assure you that I’m NOT a ‘militant eco-worrier’. I believe in a soft but continuous approach to convince colleagues to finally follow us in our endeavours to further define and implement luxury sustainability. And I am now also relying on the ever louder demands of investors and asset managers for very defined guidelines for sustainability, both in architecture & design, as well as in the post opening operation of hotels. And yes, “consideration” has increased, but there’s a lot of lip service and we have still a long way to go! Looking back, I remember the time when "sustainability" and "luxury" were still considered an oxymoron and "climate change" seemed merely a distant possibility. Living and working in Bali at that time, what I experienced there became a real eye opener. We
resilience.
I would claim that many hoteliers do not even know what this means … and many are only talking but actually do not care enough to act - or are restricted by their owners or corporate management. Therefor it is so important to provide solutions to help hotels with their recover y and
We are thinking to develop an IDEA together with NOW to draft a special NOW Force for Good Alliance offer to HoteliersGuild members, i.e. a 50% discount on NOW Force for Good Alliance fees PLUS give the Ear thCheck sustainability program with Earth Rating Certification and EarthSafe programme Free of Charge for the first year. This special offer has also been extended to Preferred Hotels and Resorts. This way, we can provide solutions to help hotels support the Global Goals and get to Net Zero carbon emissions.
Le Touessrok Mauritius
Take Over & Upgrading | New Concept & General Management CHAPTER 2 | HOTELS & RESORTS
Lagaciò Hotel San Cassiano | Italy
Owner's Representative | Marketing Concepts Assisting private owners in all marketing & sales efforts with the creation of innovative made-to-measure operating & training concepts and introductions to our global network.
Take-over from private owner for Sol Kerzener’s Southern Sun Group; new operating concept & upgrading
And of course there is also our ForumOfDialogue supported by some of the most renowned colleagues from around the world, e.g. Sonu, Bill Bensley, yourself, EHL/IPB/IUBH In your opinion, in what way are you making an impact in the design world? As I said before, I’m not an architect but have always had a strong affinity with architects & designers + Chefs - they are both, artists & influencers, and we have in fact special chapters for both within HoteliersGuild with lots of interactions. Also, I’m a Brand Ambassador theLux*Collective and for the EllermanHouse and I write about their amazing works. Plus we have been instrumental in creating awareness since nearly two decades now with quite a few of our projects CoutureHospitalityConcept projects.
various hot topics facing the hospitality industry, that will definitely also include design issues. So, even as just a humble hotelier with a vision and with the support of so many wonderful colleagues, I really hope that my continued efforts for more sustainability in our industry and beyond will help to make a change!
“ I would claim that many hoteliers do not even know the Global Goals and how to reach Net Zero carbon emission and many are only talking but actually do not care enough to act - or are restricted by their owners or corporate management. “
I am very grateful to have learned from all these wonderful architects and artists with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work, and to be able to incorporate this knowledge into some of our developments, to showcase and promote them internationally, thus creating awareness with other developers and operators . Just recently, I was humbled to receive an invitation from the Forum Events & Media Group and Hotel Designs to join the Judging Panel of their coveted Brit List Awards that identify the leading interiors designers, architects, hoteliers and suppliers operating in Britain. And I will have a continuous presence with articles on their platforms. I intend to explore
CHAPTER 2 | HOTELS & RESORTS
Hotel La Bobadilla Loja | Granada | Spain
Concept | General Management Built to resemble a ‘White Village’, this very special property is located in a natural environment and designed in the Nazarí style with the architecture of ancient Andalusian palaces. Eco-luxury and sustainability at its very best - 700 hectare of land.
CHAPTER 2 | HOTELS & RESORTS
LeGuanahani St. Barth | French Antilles
Resort Concept | Pre-Opening, Opening & Positioning Management Le Gunahani, designed by famous Christian Liaigre, was the Caribbean’s foremost hotel, achieving highest accolades and room rates. Nestled between Marigot Bay and Grand Cul de Sac, the Hotel Guanahani & Spa has subsequently established itself as a haven of luxury, comfort, and elegance.
ProjectsCompilation
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At HoteliersGuild we are very pleased to announce this new powerful partnership with Hotel Designs, recently agreed
ANNOUNCEMENT between Frank M. Pfaller, Founder President of HG and CEO of CoutureHospitalityConcept, Hamish Kilburn, Editor of Hotel Designs and Katy Phillips, Publisher, Hotel Designs at Forum Events & Media Group who mutually affirmed: “We are so excited about this new relationship - it's clear we both share the same ethos, drive and passion!” Hotel Designs is a leading international hotel design website for interior designers, architects, hoteliers and industry suppliers. Every day Hotel Designs delivers, and creates in-depth discussion around, daily news from across the international hotel design industry including exclusive hotel news and reviews. With a unique position at the heart of the hotel community, the team creates and delivers specifically targeted events such as Meet Up, Brit List and the Hotel Summit that bridge the gap between all components in an industry where collaboration is key. All parties agreed: “We are so excited about this new relationship - it's clear we both share the same ethos, drive and passion!” Cornerstones of the alliance will be the a special edition of HoteliersGuild’s LookBook and the continuous presence of Hamish and Katy as contributors to our ForumOfDialogue with inspiring insights and opinions. They also agreed to give the YoungHôteliéres (EHL/IUBH/IPB) and YoungCheffes that we are recognising in our LeadingHôteliéres chapter another important platform for additional promotion and visibility via Hotel Designs. Also, HD will have a ‘Rising Star of the Year’ award at this year’s Brit List Awards, and we are considering to profile some of the young hoteliers in this category. Furthermore, Frank M. Pfaller has delightedly accepted an invitation to join Hotel Designs as a judge for the coveted Brit List Awards The 2021 awards will be celebrated as part of a live event, taking place at Proud Galleries in London on November 3rd. And in a forthcoming editorial series with Hotel Designs he will also explore various hot topics facing the hospitality industry today.
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HoteliersGuild | LookBookSummer’21
by CoutureHospitalityConcept
X READ HERE
CoutureHospitalityConcept
MADE TO MEASURE CONCEPTS & MANAGEMENT FOR DEVELOPERS OF