The luxury of Rosewood Hotel: polish the unique experience

Take an unusual step.

Luxury hotels usually have two characteristics: first, they are located in neighborhoods where elites are located; second, they focus on high-end services to stimulate tourists to stay and spend in the hotel. But Rosewood took a different path.Book hotel with Travelodge discount code 

Rosewood Hotel was founded in 1979 in Texas, USA by Caroline Rose Hunt, daughter of American oil tycoon HL Hunt, aiming to build a series of unique luxury hotels.

In 2008, Zheng Zhiwen—the eldest daughter of Zheng Jiachun, chairman of the board of directors of New World Development and NWS Group—joined New World Hotel Group and became CEO, leading the group to acquire Rosewood Hotel for US$800 million in 2011, and officially changed its name to Rosewood Hotel in 2013 group. The group includes three major hotel brands including Rosewood Hotels, New World Hotels and Resorts and KHOS, as well as private clubs Carlyle & Co and comprehensive wellness concept Asaya.

With the concept of “A Sense of Place”, Rosewood Hotel explores the local culture and creates a unique experience for customers. Under the leadership of Zheng Zhiwen, there are now 30 luxury hotels under Rosewood Hotels and Resorts in operation, distributed in 18 countries, and 25 luxury hotels are under construction.

Radha Arora, president and co-chief development officer of Rosewood Hotel Group, said that the development strategy of Rosewood Hotel is to constantly adapt to changes in customer needs. Today’s tourists are looking for immersive and unique experiences. The era of attracting tourists by opening hotels in fashion and shopping malls is gone forever.

Of course, Rosewood will also choose popular tourist destinations. Next year, Rosewood Munich will open its first hotel in Germany. Also opening at the same time is the Rosewood Schloss Fuschl, its second hotel in Austria. Rosewood Rome, Rosewood Milan and Rosewood Bauer in Venice will open in 2024 and 2025, respectively. At the same time, the group will expand its business in Asia and Latin America. At present, there are already 9 Rosewood hotels in Asia, and Rosewood Sao Paulo has also opened this year.

1. Using location as leverage, Create a new luxury hotel

Uniqueness is often hidden in the details. Luxury hotels often choose to open in the most exclusive neighborhoods, after all, travelers want to meet the right people there. But Rosewood did not take the usual path.

Rosewood, for example, chose the City of London for its London hotel, rather than the affluent Knightsbridge or Mayfair. Rosewood believes that its core clientele, the next generation of elites, pays more attention to unforgettable experiences, which are shaped by the buildings themselves.

A luxurious, Edwardian insurance office building has been converted into a Rosewood London hotel. The doors open in the direction of the central driveway, and hotel staff greet customers with smiles. The doors here seem to lead to No. 10 Downing Street.

Arora said that when customers come here, they seem to have entered a manor. This kind of secluded atmosphere cannot be created in other places in central London.

1. Realize a gorgeous turn in the non-central area

As capital increasingly favors high-end real estate, achieving the goal has become more difficult. Rosewood’s development strategy is to find real estate far away from the tourist center, then transform it in a low-cost way, and then use Rosewood’s brand influence to drive up housing prices.

The Rosewood Hotel in Tuscany, Italy, is one such example.

Arora said the capital investment for the project was not significant because the building had already been built. The Zheng family originally held 50% of the shares in the real estate, but later sold it at a high price, and did not need additional capital investment, only to exert brand influence. After Rosewood took over the project and turned it into Rosewood Tuscany, the revenue generated in the early stage was 2 million euros higher than the previous revenue of the project.

In addition, Rosewood also cooperated with real estate tycoon David Bonderman and spent four years building the Rosewood Le Guanahani Hotel. Le Guanahani was originally a family resort owned by Bonderman. It is located in the northern part of the French island of St. Barthelemy. It has a history of more than 30 years and has less traffic.

Arora said that under Rosewood’s management, the hotel’s holiday revenue has increased by 70% compared to before the renovation.

By choosing places that have not been occupied by scenic spots, Rosewood not only has the opportunity to create new local scenery, but also cooperates with investors to buy property assets at a lower price than the central area.

Before the Rosewood Rivera in Mexico opened, there was nothing about luxury, and Rosewood made it a destination, Arora said.

1. Seize the luxury travel market

Doing anything in a metropolis like Hong Kong, London or New York costs a lot. However, Rosewood is trying to increase the “worth” of undervalued assets through transformation, and continue to occupy potential luxury tourism territories. Save Money with TUI Discount Code NHS

Rosewood believes that in order to increase the repurchase rate of old customers, it is necessary to build a system to ensure the uniqueness of all hotels and continuously bring surprises to customers, thus forming a virtuous circle.

Rosewood customers who prefer beach resorts may also appreciate the traditional urban style of Rosewood Vienna.

The furniture at Rosewood Vienna reflects the local aesthetic of the past. Arora said that when Rosewood selected furniture for the hotel, it selected a designer with great ideas to communicate with local partners to ensure that the solution would not only meet the needs of customers, but also bring expected returns.

1. Creating Experiences Beyond the Hotel

Most of Rosewood’s customers are leisure travelers, who pay more attention to experience than business travelers. High-net-worth travelers are the highest earning customer group, and many of them are pursuing “new luxury”. They value experience more than showing off their social status or visiting scenic spots.

One of the ways Rosewood creates unique experiences is by having employees chat with customers to recommend activities based on their needs and preferences. If the customer likes food, the hotel staff may recommend them to spend a few days in Oaxaca, Mexico. Even if Rosewood does not have a hotel in the local area, the staff will provide guidance.

Rosewood not only arranges these events, but also walks with customers, Arora said. Rosewood not only sells customized travel products from other companies, but also hopes to help like-minded customers get to know each other, and even a small number of people have become friends during the experience. Travelodge NHS Discount Code 

“Wherever we open a Rosewood hotel, we will make sure that ‘sense of place’ is not a label, but a real part of every aspect of the guest experience,” Arora said.