Leading Hotels of the World is celebrating its 90th anniversary today. How do you explain this longevity?
90 years ago, several prestigious Swiss hotels joined forces to open a representative office in New York in order to reach out to their American clientele. The result was a gentemen's club that brought together the very best in Swiss hospitality. independent hotelsIn fact, 85 % of our current members are still family-run hotels. That explains the chain's beginnings. But what justifies our longevity is the fact that we have never rested on our laurels. We have 23 sales offices around the world, particularly in emerging countries, and above all we are very selective about who we sign up.
How, at this honourable age, do you manage to stay relevant?
We've dusted off our image as the 'grande dame' of the hotel industry. Of course, legendary establishments such as the Ritz, the Sacher and the Mamounia are still there, because they are very fine establishments. But for several years now, we have been opening up our portfolio to more contemporary boutique hotels like the Widder in Zurich, the Villa Maïa in Lyon, the Fontenay in Hamburg, designed by Norman Foster, and soon the Chais Monnet, which opens in July in Cognac.
What is your relationship with hotel groups?
90 % of our hotels are now independent. We still count among our members small, very exclusive groups like Rocco Forte, the Oetker Collection, which includes the Bristol or the Lanesborough, or The Set, which owns the Conservatorium in Amsterdam, the Café Royal in London, and also the Lutetia, which is soon to reopen. However, if you look at Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula or the Dorchester Collection, all these groups grew up within Leading before reaching critical mass and going their own way. We are proud to have played this incubator role.
