THE INTERVIEW
Carlos Couturier with partner Moisés Micha on the rooftop of the Hôtel Americano in New York , at its 2011 opening . inspiration of what we want to create . In Chicago , for example , we consider it the real capital of America . New York City is very cosmopolitan and global ; L . A . I don ’ t even know how to describe . We thought we had a great opportunity in Chicago , first by buying a landmark building . Then , because of how we view the city and the narrative we were creating , we wanted to do something where the inspiration comes from American talents . We thought of Frank Lloyd Wright and Edward Hopper in terms of art and wanted to showcase that type of experience . We found furniture that reflects the location , taking inspiration from American designers . We have American food , albeit with French influences , and hired an American staff . We wanted to showcase a bit of the American Dream story , which was more a story about my parents than myself .
“ When I grew up in the ‘ 60s it was all about American cars , travel to America , wanting a dishwasher , etc . It was like the world was owned by America in many ways . In Chicago , we wanted to capture that spirit – when America was emerging .
H : Do you consider yourselves pioneers ?
CC : We are pioneers ; people love to be pioneers . We are pioneers tied to cities that people think aren ’ t happening enough , or neighborhoods that people think don ’ t have potential . We were in this space from day one . For Latin America , we were the first hotel group that had something that was original . Now there is Fasano , etc . We were there at the same time as Ian Schrager or Andre Balazs . We were their Latin counterpart . Being a pioneer earns you a lot of respect because people sense authenticity and you want that . They sense we are not trying to reproduce a success of someone else . We have been here awhile and they know that . We have our own act and that is what we keep doing – our own act .
H : What ’ s next for Grupo Habita ?
CC : Downtown L . A . and Austin ( Texas ). We are turning an old warehouse in the Arts District in downtown L . A . into a 65-room hotel . In , Austin , again , it is 65 rooms opening in 2019 with great architect Rick Joy , who did Amangiri ( in Utah ). We more or less like to do one hotel a year . We like to get highly involved . I am more involved in the development , but before and after an opening we move to the city , try to become locals , understand what ’ s going on and what people want . It is very important to us . Our brand is about the community .
H : Grupo Habita is getting bigger , and you might be at 20 hotels within a few years . How will you manage your strategy when you reach that size ?
CC : We feel blessed ; it has been a positive story . As we get bigger it is all about the human aspect . We need to make sure the team is right and they are proud of what they do . They must be friendly and get our philosophy . We cannot hire whoever walks in the door .
H : What are your longer-term goals for Grupo Habita ?
CC : We would like to keep doing it . It ’ s a family-owned business today and we want to stay that way . We feel we are a
36 hotelsmag . com January / February 2017