versions with rooms that you can check-in and use it as an office during the day . Then we give you a free drink coupon for the end of the day … A lot of people will go hang out in Palm Springs for a couple weeks and work from there , and they love it .
H : Ace is a brand that ’ s really been known for its lobby social experience . You ’ re a community brand , but the idea of community is a bit daunting . How are you managing ?
BW : We ’ ve been playing a lot with how you can do community during COVID , not necessarily turn your back on it . We ’ ve done everything from outdoor dining with opera singers singing out of the hotel windows that still connect to that type of energy . So , in the neighborhood , people still feel like Ace is a place , has a lot of that energy and community .
Community has significantly changed for us . Obviously , much stronger interaction on social media because we watch how our customers , that creative class , has completely turned to their Instagram and all the other stuff . They ’ re on there , they ’ re active . They like to see what we ’ re doing and thinking . So , we like to share that .
H : What changes in guest behaviors are here to stay ?
BW : We ’ ll keep cleanliness a very , very significant concern for guests for a long time … Those ways that we ’ re making sure we ’ re protecting the health of our guests will be more important in the future . But in the end , I truly believe it ’ s that hierarchy of needs , and our emotional needs are probably more important than any of the others . So , brands that make emotional connections to their customer and fulfill their promise are always going to be the winners .
H : Can you update us on your pipeline ?
BW : Our pipeline has been pretty consistent , in the range of opening probably two
Ace ’ s Loveage takeaway counter at the Ace in New Orleans
hotels a year … Our international growth has been really promising as we get into Asia and the Pacific . It ’ s been really positive and it hasn ’ t really slowed down a lot from the COVID side within that realm .
We ’ ve got a couple other North American cities where we have a couple projects . We ’ ll do other cities in Canada . We ’ re going to into Sydney , but we ’ ll do other cities there . We ’ re in Kyoto , but we ’ re planning other cities there . With our hotel in London ( Shoreditch ) leaving , which was actually one of the most successful properties in Shoreditch , we ’ re looking for a new home in London – ideally in Shoreditch …
The property in London was conversion of a not great heavy branded hotel that was just rundown over the years . It gave us an opportunity to renovate and reposition , and we nearly doubled the RevPAR . Those kinds of opportunities are great , and I think that ’ s what you ’ ll see coming back .
H : What kind of new goals are you setting for yourself as we kind of all reset ?
BW : We ’ ve been very focused on technology and what that means in our sector . We are looking at this process of what I ’ ll call balanced-service hotels ... Maybe you don ’ t need in a market a full-blown restaurant . Maybe it ’ s a great breakfast room and some coffee service type support . We ’ re experimenting with that a bit , and I think you ’ ll see a couple of our new projects not branded Ace Hotels , but more playing within that realm …
Then , in New Orleans , Maison de la Luz , we ’ ve had great success stepping into this idea of what new luxury is . That hotel has had the highest RevPAR in New Orleans … We ’ ve always seen luxury as something that ’ s rare and individual and unique . We feel those projects , in a way , stand for itself and can be very , very special .
What ’ s your message at the moment ?
BW : There ’ s good hope in every cycle – you just have to find it . My experience has always been , if you understand your customer and those needs , whether it ’ s during COVID or post-COVID , and make sure that you ’ re focusing your decisions on what they need , then you ’ re going to be successful … Our founder , Alex , would say , “ It ’ s going to be different , but it ’ s going to be great .” And that ’ s all we have to really focus on , and just find our path there .
May / June 2021 hotelsmag . com 49