THE INTERVIEW : FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA
Coppola ’ s love for the rustic , al fresco Balinese style of living is revealed at Turtle Inn by incorporating the signature architecture and design details of Bali .
Casitas at La Lancha in San
Jose , Petén , Guatemala , are perched high above the shores of Lago Petén Itzá and surrounded by lush jungle treetops .. history of Central America , Coppola decided to open his first small lodge . And so the director , purely by circumstances , became an hotelier . Coppola says he has a theory that if you say “ yes ” enough , which he says he does , “ you find yourself in the hotel business .”
Now , the Coppola Resorts are a collection of five unique properties “ where stylish and eco-friendly exploration and discovery meet serenity and delight .”
“ Everything in my life is like that ,” he adds . “ It is not that I say I am going to start a business ; it is that I am
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA HOTELIER interested and I myself want to do it , and then I have to figure out how it is going to sustain itself .”
HOTELS talked to Coppola not long after he opened his latest hotel in March , the opulent , nine-room Palazzo Margherita in the southern Italian town of Bernalda . Here he shares his thoughts about luxury hotelkeeping and some of his personal beliefs about the business .
HOTELS : What is your idea of what a hotel should be ?
Francis Ford Coppola : As most works of art and shows do , a hotel has two aspects . One is a big idea : the
THE COLLECTION : Drawing upon inspiration from Francis Ford Coppola ’ s film career and travels around the globe , each Coppola Resort is located off the beaten track surrounded by natural wonders . Coppola says , “ There are things to do — or just do nothing .” They offer a glimpse into the values that Coppola holds dear — family , fun , adventure and great food and wine .
THE PHILOSOPHY : It is the details that an audience in a movie or guests in a hotel really rub up against . These small details , which are hard to scrupulously maintain and pay attention to , add up to an experience that further illuminates the big theme , like a lodge in the jungle or a family adventure on the beach .
THE APPROACH : The first resort , the 20-room Blancaneaux Lodge , was a family retreat in the Maya Mountains of Belize . Turtle Inn , with 25 individual cottages and villas , is Coppola ’ s Belizean beachside resort that he opened in 2003 . La Lancha is a quaint , 10-room Guatemalan rainforest lodge surrounded by jungles and Mayan ruins . The urban hideaway is the seven-room Jardin Escondido in Buenos Aires . The latest addition , and maybe his last , is Palazzo Margherita , nine big bedrooms in the southern Italian town of Bernalda . concept and theme of what it is you envision . The second is an incredible list of details that support that big theme . It is the details that an audience in a movie or guests in a hotel really rub up against . These small details , which are hard to scrupulously maintain and pay attention to , add up to an experience that further illuminates the big theme like a lodge in the jungle or a family experience on the beach . What really gets the attention are the details , which are original and exotic and done for good reason , not just to do something different , but because you feel somehow it will make the experience that much more pleasurable and be a key to what the big theme is .
H : How have you used your experience as a movie director to develop hotels ?
FFC : A movie director is someone who does the same thing . He or she has a theme of what the overall project is but then provides countless details . A movie director is someone who every day makes countless decisions . Most of what you do , you do by your gut reaction . Every once in a while you don ’ t know what the answer is and how to choose between alternatives . What I like to do is know what the theme is in a word or two , so when I am stuck and don ’ t know what to do , I go back to the theme . It gives you something to go on , and you can choose the dress of the waiter , the style of the rooms , et cetera . H : How personally involved are you in the development of your hotels ? FCC : Totally . I am the director . When one is ready to open I make all the decisions and am the final arbiter of everything from the food and recipes
50 HOTELS July / August 2012 www . hotelsmag . com