Rosewood Hotels & Resorts made one of the bigger news splashes at the International Luxury Travel Market conference in Cannes, France, last week, when it said it would take over management of Paris's Hotel de Crillon when the property reopens in 2015. Rosewood, which has 18 hotels worldwide, wants to double its global presence within five years, primarily through Asia-Pacific expansion. Rosewood Hotels President Radha Arora talked with Hotels Editor Danny King.
Q: Why do you think Rosewood was chosen to manage the Hotel de Crillon?
A: Over the past many months, we've been able to identify some synergies with what the owners feel about what should happen with the Crillon and our vision for the property; it's very much aligned. It's a legendary hotel, it enjoys an unrivaled position overlooking the Place de la Concorde, and the owners realized Rosewood really upholds its ethos -- the notion of delivering on its promise of a sense of place. We feel we can keep the DNA of the Crillon alive without destroying the soul of the property.
Q: How much will the renovations cost, and what will be done?
A: We're still in the process of working through the potential cost of the project. You really have to go through the process with local authorities on ensuring you preserve the heritage from an architecture standpoint. And France is not inexpensive.
But we want to use this one-time opportunity to bring this property back to its summit. We've hired three designers: one on rooms only, one on public spaces and a third for food and beverage.
Q: Rosewood hadn't operated in London for 11 years before opening its hotel there in October. How has it been received?
A: The hotel is absolutely magnificent. Holborn [the London district where the hotel is located] continues to evolve. The theater district is nearby, the historic venues in the area. The property will be ideally suited for the affluent traveler.
Q: Where else in Europe is Rosewood looking to expand?
A: Our major focus is Asia and Europe, and that's been our commitment for a couple of years. In Asia, it's a little easier because our owners are in Hong Kong. But we do believe there will be many more opportunities in Europe. Madrid, Rome and Barcelona are all high on our radar.
Q: What about the U.S.?
A: We are going to do renovations at the Carlyle in New York and at our two properties in Dallas [the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and the Rosewood Crescent Hotel]. In addition to the restoration of these properties, we're targeting Miami, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, and hopefully we'll get another property in New York.
Q: How did your experience at Four Seasons inform your approach with overseeing Rosewood?
A: Four Seasons defines luxury, so if I take that experience from a hospitality standpoint and use Rosewood's sense of place, we can serve the travelers who want to experience something that embraces the local sensibility.
Q: Rosewood's started a "Rosewood Curators" program where it's tapped well-known locals (Piers Morgan for London, Sarah McLachlan for Vancouver) to list favorite things to do in various cities. Who would you like for Paris?
A: The one who comes immediately to mind is Karl Lagerfeld, since he'll be assisting us at bringing the hotel back to where it belongs.
Follow Danny King on Twitter @dktravelweekly.