On the heels of initial success with his ultra-luxury Capella hotel brand, veteran hotlier Horst Schulze has revealed ambitious growth plans. Schulze--who has his own hotel development firm after spending many years at Ritz-Carlton, where he built up the brand--said nine additional Capella and Solis hotels (his other brand) are set to open by 2013 to reach the 16-unit mark.
To speed things along, he recently took in a partner, private equity firm Stoneleigh Capital, in Norwalk, Conn. The relationship will allow Capella Hotel Group to double the size of its portfolio by the end of 2014, he said. Currently, Capella hotels are under construction in Niseko, Japan; Washington, D.C.; Bangkok; Sochi, Russia; and the Riviera Maya in Mexico.
There are Solis hotels being completed in Nanjing, China, Qatar, Sochi and Sunny Isles, Florida.
Schulze is targeting major global gateways and destination markets for expansion. He is bullish about the potential of his brands, especially Capella, because of the performance to date. He said customer satisfaction scores for his smaller hotels that focus on truly personalized service have been “mindboggling.”
