ROADS LESS TRAVELLED

Orient-Express Hotels continues to draw guests in search of enriching and authentic experiences amidst local cultures, most recently in the depths of South America. President and CEO Paul White thinks the meaning of luxury travel is changing.

First and last impressions embed themselves in the mind of the consumer. This statement was true when I began my career in hospitality, and is the case more than ever today.

When you are operating at the top of the luxury hospitality sector, as we do at Orient-Express Hotels, those first and last impressions go way beyond a smart uniform or a clean work space. Engaging, heartfelt and genuine service inspires customer loyalty and has your guests returning again and again.

It’s what happens in between the first point of contact – the reservation -- through to check-in and check-out that makes Orient-Express unique. We own and manage 51 properties in 25 countries. Each hotel, train, restaurant, safari or river cruise experience is truly unique. Each is designed with an authentic local spirit of place and the only way to understand that culture is to envelop oneself in it.

Period of growth

These philosophies and core values can be traced right back to 1976, when Orient-Express Hotels was founded with the purchase of Hotel Cipriani in Venice. Since that time, the company has grown into an international hotel and travel company with many iconic and highly acclaimed properties. The company derives its name from the famous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express train, which we restored and returned to service in 1982, evoking the history, glamour, style and romance that infuses everything we do.

Prior to my appointment as CEO in August 2007, one of the roles I held in Orient-Express was in development. This was a time of significant growth, when we acquired some fantastic properties including Reid’s Palace in Madeira, La Samanna in St Martin, and The Observatory Hotel in Sydney. We also launched our Peruvian operations, with the Miraflores Park Hotel, the Hotel Monasterio -- housed in a 16th century former monastery in Cuzco -- and the Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge.

South American splendour

I’m pleased to say that South America continues to be an area of growth for Orient-Express. Our guests to this part of the world are discriminating and intelligent, seeking out authentic experiences whilst demanding great service and comfort.

The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge offers our guests some very enriching experiences. It’s located high in the Andes right next to the ancient Inca citadel, which means guests may access the sacred ruins at the very magical and precious moments of sunrise and sunset, before the rest of the daily visitors have arrived from the nearby town.

In June 2007, we purchased a large parcel of land in Buzios, one of the most popular up-market destinations in Brazil, 180km north-east of Rio de Janeiro, where we also own the Copacabana Palace Hotel. The land will be used for the development of an all-suite boutique resort of 40 rooms, along with a real estate development of 17 villas varying in size from 200-400 square metres.

In September 2007, we announced the acquisition of the 200-room Hotel das Cataratas, the only hotel within the UNESCO World Heritage designated Iguaçu National Park in the Paraná region of Brazil.

First opened as a hotel in 1958, Hotel das Cataratas is an elegant two-storey Portuguese colonial style building. It has one of the most impressive and enviable locations in South America, with the world famous Iguaçu Falls just a two-minute stroll from the property, and surrounded by almost 15,000 square metres of national park. Hotel das Cataratas is currently undergoing a four-phase renovation programme, which is due for completion in September 2009. The first stage is now complete, including a new outdoor restaurant and swimming pool, along with 86 refurbished bedrooms.

In April 2008, we opened Las Casitas del Colca, a 20-room luxury hotel in Peru’s Colca Canyon situated on a 24-hectare estate of cactus and fruit trees, watered by natural springs. The hotel employs strict environmental standards to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Colca Canyon and affords visitors a rare and special opportunity to experience the beauty and tranquillity of the Andes.

This hotel development is personally very special for me and I never fail to be moved by the beauty of the Colca region, the fresh air and vitality of the environment and the fascinating culture of the local people.

We have a number of plans in the pipeline. These include hotels for refurbishment, construction or planned development in other parts of the world, including the Villas at Jimbaran Puri Bali, Indonesia, which will be completed in 2009; El Encanto in Santa Barbara, California, due to open in 2011, and a 150-room hotel in central Manhattan.

Green credentials

The diverse locations of our properties mean that our guests are exposed to destinations with fascinating cultures and, sometimes, communities in need.

The old Chinese proverb says, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’

The hospitality industry as a whole should do what it can to ensure we don’t negatively impact the environment, by recycling waste, turning down the temperature of washing machines in the laundry, replanting our gardens with indigenous plants, ensuring any new building work has a construction waste management programme, and banning CFC based refrigerants. However, in addition to this, we should seek ways to actively contribute to the long-term development of communities and cultures.

There is a great example of this at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge, where we have established an agricultural school. It grows organic tomatoes, salad leaves and herbs and provides seeds so people at the school can grow their own. The hotel then buys the produce from them. We also teach them basic knowledge of cooking and English.

Supporting local communities

One of many projects we are involved in is the Hotels Housing Trust, which seeks to alleviate the shortage of housing in South Africa. The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town was a founding member of the Trust and the manager there is a trustee. We place information in the guest rooms describing the project and inviting guests to donate to the trust. It’s also an opportunity for the staff to work together. Last year a team of staff spent five days building a home for a single mother and her children in the Mfuleni Township, as part of the Women’s Day house-build.

The Mount Nelson has nine acres of gardens and employs a great and unusual example of sustainable operations - a worm farm. The worm farm houses 500,000 earth worms that consume one ton of organic waste each month, producing 480 litres of organic fertiliser for the gardens.

Another area where I feel we all have a responsibility involves helping young people with their education, and helping to create jobs. At the Grand Hotel Europe in St. Petersburg, they have established their own foundation to help underprivileged young people. One of the things they do is to hire youngsters from the Centre for Youth at Social Risk, providing them with work and supporting their education. The Mount Nelson Hotel and the Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro operate similar schemes for young people, giving them access to formal qualifications and hands-on experience in the hotel industry.

Beyond fixtures and fittings

As I travel around the hotels, restaurants, trains and river cruisers that make up the Orient-Express portfolio, I’m often asked how I think the current global economic picture will affect the luxury-end of the market. I believe that whilst the affluent and discriminating are continuing to travel, they recognise and demand value for money and are seeking enriching and authentic experiences. Beyond the fixtures and fittings of a luxury room, hotels need to evoke emotion in their guests, understand that luxury is a very personal thing and that the only way to satisfy your guests is to truly understand them.

If ever there was a time for our industry to stand out as a leader, now is that time.