DEVELOPMENT
The Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya in Quintana Roo .
2019 , as the model for today ’ s version of Conrad Hotels . Aside from Los Angeles , Conrad also opened in Nashville and will open a second hotel in Singapore , as well as in several cities throughout China .
With this mix of resort and urban hotels in the pipeline , “ I think we ’ ve got the balance just right ,” Michael said .
And growth begets growth , as every new hotel or resort opening piques interest from owners and developers .
“ Our greatest asset is always going to be our existing portfolio ,” Michael said . “ We get a spike every time we add these flagship locations . Owners can come and touch it , feel it , understand it . And that ' s what makes them want to sign .”
Conrad is also fleshing out just what makes it different from other luxury brands . Conrad has the unique challenge of doing that not just against a tough competitor set — from Four Seasons to Ritz-Carlton and the myriad other high-end offerings — but also within Hilton , with Waldorf Astoria , the iconic luxury brand , and the LXR collection , a hand-picked assortment of independent high-end hotels .
The way Michael sees it , Conrad fits that certain sweet spot of a post-COVID traveler — guests who may be traveling on business , but then want to take some leisure time , working remotely while they do so —
A guest room at Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya .
the aptly named “ bleisure traveler .” “ This traveler is a bit more dynamic in terms of their pace and their propensity to use the Conrad as a great jumping off point to see more of the city ,” Michael said .
To capture this market , Conrad is beefing up its leisure experiences through the Conrad Cultural Connector program , which gives guests insider access to spots around the destination , along with prioritizing strong design and architecture , and livening up the food and beverage outlets .
“ We want to continue to be bold , innovative and daring — to find the next local superstar ,” he said . “ We want to keep the energy levels up , so we ’ ll continue to see more interesting F & B concepts coming out .”
Conrad already boasts two new restaurants from award-winning chef Jose Andrés at Conrad Los Angeles ; the PEM restaurant from top female chef Sally Abè at the Conrad St . James in London ; and the popular Kimpo restaurant in Dubai , best known for its Korean fried chicken .
Conrad may be in a growth spurt , but Michael said there isn ’ t a compulsion to keep expanding .
“ When it comes to luxury , we ' re not under pressure to sign deals for the sake of signing deals ,” he said . “ We ’ ve got a target list of areas we want to be , but the good thing is we can say no to a deal that doesn ’ t quite work for us . And that ’ s the right thing to do for the owner as well .”
Even with a potential recession looming this year , Michael is feeling bullish about the luxury space , having proved itself to be resilient in the aftermath of COVID .
“ Luxury for a lot of our owners is a long-term investment . It ' s not a short-term flip ,” he said . “ There ' s always going to be something going on in the world . From a long-term trajectory , there ' s a huge amount of confidence and comfort in the category .”
50 hotelsmag . com Mar / Apr 2023