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How the small fish wins in the big pond

“I feel such a minnow compared with Marriott and other big companies so we have to work all the harder with product, service and truly outstanding experiences,” according to Nicholas Clayton, CEO of Capella Hotels & Resorts, Singapore.

There are five open Capella hotels: Düsseldorf, Germany; Sanya and Shanghai, China; Singapore; and Ubud, Bali. Bangkok, right on the Chao Praya River, opens in the second quarter of 2019, with Maldives scheduled for 2020, and Sydney in 2021. The group, owned by Pontiac Land, also manages four Solis properties, and three independents.

“Capella Bangkok has 101 rooms, all suites, smallest size 620 square-feet, and we are lucky to have a GM, John Blanco, who really knows the area,” explained Clayton.

Nicholas Clayton
Nicholas Clayton

Experiences at a Capella go deeper than industry norm.

Many hotels offer personal training but in Bangkok, Blanco has a personal training partnership with ‘The Smiling Assassin,’ a rising female martial arts star nammed Rika Ishige, 28. And just as so many properties offer local cooking lessons, those at Capella Bangkok are ‘yai’ themed, cooking with grandmothers, or ‘yai,’ who share their secrets, passed down from generation to generation.

At the Ubud hotel, there are water purification ceremonies, with guests clad in full traditional costume. Such happenings help bring loyalty – Capella Singapore, at nine years old, the doyen of the hotel group, has close to 20% repeat business.

Nicholas Clayton relies on experiences, and word of mouth, to bring new business to all his hotels. “Leading Hotels of the World is really useful for us in Shanghai, Singapore and Ubud, and, to bring more international awareness to Shanghai, American Express’ Fine Hotels & Resorts, FHR, and Virtuoso, are both invaluable,” said Clayton, who might also be talking to the Global Hotel Alliance for company membership.

“Yes, as a little fish we have to swim even harder to keep out of the way of those big global fish but there are fortunately plenty of global travellers who support small companies,” he said.

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