EDITOR ’ S DIARY
Romancing the independent
I
’ m always excited to interview the movers and shakers in operations , the up and comers in the development community , the disruptors and the thought leaders . But this month , I reveled in the opportunity to talk to a classic , legendary sixthgeneration hotelier who is smart enough to understand that sometimes you leave well enough alone . In fact , the fabled Baur Au Lac in Zurich is much better than “ well enough ;” it ’ s a classic beauty that caters to elite travelers , and owner Andrea Kracht knows not to tamper with the consistent delivery of service excellence and rather focus more on the bones of the property to
Editor In Chief keep it relevant and timeless . HOTELS has named Kracht this year ’ s Legend , following Horst Schulze last year and many other classic hoteliers such as Isadore Sharp , Bill Marriott , Adrian Zecha , Sir Michael Kadoorie and others . He talks plainly about keeping things simple and simply the best , and how the family business that now extends beyond 175 years has a few basic rules : only one family member leads and profits are continually reinvested back into the business . It sounds like a recipe for maintaining greatness over seven generations .
Kracht sat elegantly and with an obvious level of relaxation , knowing everything was in order under the leadership of only the hotel ’ s fifth general manager , who reports to him . He so clearly loves his calling , not just to serve guests and lead the family legacy , but to be a part of a peer group with which he knows it is an honor and privilege to share and learn .
As the previous chairman and a shareholder of The Leading Hotels of the World , he took his role seriously to help guide such an august group of operators and , again , exchange important ideas to help best compete in an ever-evolving hotel world .
Now , Kracht is embarking on perhaps his most cherished role – bringing in his daughter Marguita and mentoring her to eventually become the seventh-generation leader of the Baur Au Lac . He beams with pride when he talks about her natural ability to work with the teams . She took a similar route as his working for other great luxury hotels to gather the necessary experience . Most importantly , Kracht says , she shares the same passion for the independent hotel business that he has .
In today ’ s often too-corporate hotel environment it ’ s so nice to spend some time with Legends who can focus on a single property and create magic that makes this business so romantic .
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein Editor In Chief
Josefina Morley Editorial Coordinator
Kathakali Nandi Editorial writer
Juan Cruz del Val Designer
Contributing Writers Jeanette Hurt , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross ,
Alicia Sheber
PUBLISHING Ali Jahangiri CEO
Brian Levine Publisher
Marie Ekberg Padilla Senior Editor
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India
Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado
Robert Hecker Managing Director , Horwath HTL Asia Pacific , Singapore
Ramsey Mankarious CEO , Cedar Capital Partners , London
Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton , McLean , Virginia
Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta
Susan Terry Vice President of Culinary and Food and Beverage Operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
Trevor Ward Managing Director , W Hospitality Group , Lagos , Nigeria
ADVERTISING Caroline de Donnea-Birkel
ADMINISTRATION Kristi Carlson
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