PERSONALITIES
GROWING UP
ALILA
TWO ROADS HOSPITALITY ' S CEO IN ASIA IS MAINTAINING A BRAND ' S ROOTS WHILE MANAGING MAJOR EXPANSION .
Frederic Flageat-Simon
By JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
Under the umbrella of John Pritzker ’ s Geolo Capital since 2014 and subsequently Two Roads Hospitality , Alila Hotels & Resorts is growing up before the eyes of Asia CEO Frederic Flageat-Simon . With 13 hotels open – including its first foray into the Americas with the acquisition and 2017 renovation of Ventana Big Sur in California – and some 30 in development ( 26 properties are slated to open through 2020 ), Flageat-Simon now refers to the luxury lifestyle management company as “ an adolescent kid .”
Despite plans to grow beyond its Asian roots , Flageat-Simon focuses on keeping the brand he co-founded in 2001 true to its essence . While he enjoys access to sophisticated sales and marketing tools , as well as the brain trust of his global contemporaries , Flageat-Simon also is maintaining independence in the way Alila operates .
“ Our sense of luxury has remained , and will continue to remain , experiential and very connected to its environment , to nature ,” says the hotelier with more than two decades of expertise in Europe and Asia . “ The brand DNA is still pretty much the same because it ’ s really a reflection of the lifestyle of people who created Alila .”
Not unlike most hospitality leaders
today , Flageat-Simon quickly moves the conversation to his front-line teams . “ First of all , we listen when we go somewhere new to best understand what motivates people ,” he explains . “ What would make team members in India go the extra mile to really associate themselves with Alila , understand the brand and go the extra mile in term of guest delivery ?”
He attributes low management turnover to Alila being homegrown and avoiding a structured mindset . “ Future success is going to surround being able to build and grow regional structure .” Success also will hinge on adapting to consumer trends . “ We are always trying to create a connection between destinations and our clientele . We like to call it being a catalyst . It means you really need to create , the way that you operate your hotel to allow people to connect , and there are many ways to do that .”
Newly opened Alila Yangshuo in China , once a working sugar mill in Guilin .
ALILA & CO . PIPELINE
Following a year with openings in India and China , 2018 marks the unveiling of Alila properties in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , Jakarta , Bali and Cambodia .
After opening Ventana Big Sur , Flageat- Simon says several discussions are ongoing about Alilas in the Americas – both resort and urban locations .
Under the hip , mid-market Joie de Vivre ( JDV ) brand , Two Roads Hospitality is working on projects in markets like Sri Lanka , and Flageat-Simon believes the soft brand aspect of JDV should resonate with legacy products across Asia Pacific . It is in negotiations on three or four properties , including the repositioning of a prime asset in Beijing .
Flageat-Simon adds that while it has been slow going to sign Thompson-branded deals in Asia , a couple are in negotiations .
24 hotelsmag . com January / February 2018