GREECE: Grace Hotels Appoints New General Managers

Grace Hotels, an award-winning luxury hotel group, recently announced the appointment of Yiorgos Peroutseas and George Vlachopoulos as the new general managers of the Grace Mykonos and Grace Santorini hotels respectively.

We are delighted to welcome two accomplished hoteliers to our Greek properties, who not only offer a combined four decades of industry experience, but also an innate understanding of the local community and culture, Grace Hotels CEO Robert Swade said.

The experienced hoteliers joined Grace Hotels ahead of the 2018 season opening of the Greek properties in April.

I am highly confident in their ability to lead the teams through another successful summer season, focusing on delivering exceptional experiences for each and every guest, Swade said.

Yiorgos Peroutseas, GM of Grace Mykonos on Mykonos

With 28 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Peroutseas joins from IFA Hotels & Resorts in London to lead the team at Grace Mykonos, following a career at numerous hotels in London and Greece.

Peroutseas has gained deep knowledge of the industry through senior positions including Regional Manager EMEA overseeing brand performance and hotel openings for Meliá Hotels International, where he was positioned for six years, playing an instrumental role in the growth of the portfolio.

Prior to this he held a variety of positions in front office and operations at Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill.

Peroutseas has a master’s degree in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey and postgraduate certificates in Finance and Human Resources from the University of Macedonia, Greece.

He holds dual Greek and British citizenship and is a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality.

George Vlachopoulos, GM of Grace Santorini on Santorini

Vlachopoulos joins Grace Hotels from Radisson Hotel Group and has established himself as a respected figure in the hospitality industry.

He has worked for several prestigious hotels, including as Director of Rooms at Ritz-Carlton in Thailand and Hotel Manager for Aqua Blu Boutique Hotel & Spa in Kos.

In 2012, Vlachopoulos moved into his first General Manager role at the Nihi Sumba Island formerly Nihiwatu in Indonesia, which was voted the number one hotel in the world by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine.

Vlachopoulos was educated in hospitality in Switzerland, received a postgraduate degree in the UK and associate certification from Cornell University in the US.

His experience is perfectly aligned to Grace Santorini’s dedication to service.

Part of the Libra Group, an international business group owned by the Logothetis family, Grace Hotels is a luxury hotel group that offers sanctuary and quality for discerning guests in the world’s most sought-after resorts and cities.


Tourism Observer

Southeast Asia Shockingly Surpassed The Americas As The Chinese Luxury Traveller’s Choice

The Ritz-Carlton was the most popular hotel group in 2016, followed by the Banyan Tree, the Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Fairmont and the Peninsula.

The popularity of membership schemes are a good indicator of luxury travelers’ overall levels of satisfaction with luxury hotels. Compared with 2015, the Ritz-Carlton membership scheme's popularity rose by 19%, taking the crown from the Hilton as the scheme of choice. Marriott fell to sixth. Younger travelers' preferences remain largely unchanged.

The popularity of the Ritz-Carlton's membership scheme is no surprise given its outstanding reputation among luxury travelers for high-quality service and luxurious standards.

The data according to the results of the 2017 Chinese Luxury Traveller report, issued jointly by Hurun Report and ILTM, focusing on the behavior and demands of China's high-end tourists, to understand and interpret the direction in which the industry is heading.

Holiday hotels are by far the most popular kind of hotel among respondents, gaining 81% of the vote.

Business hotels (18%), B&Bs (9%) and apartments (6%) received significantly lower preference rates.

The relaxing atmosphere, luxurious decor and the variety of high-end services provided by holiday hotels all work in their favor among respondents.

Hotel Service Most Important Consideration, Followed by Room with A View

Along with their growing enthusiasm for personalized travel services, China's high-end tourists are also attaching increasing value to quality of travel services.

Provision of personalized service is the most important factor when choosing a hotel for 49%. The following factors all prioritize hotel facilities and location; good views (48%), room cleanliness (44%), comfortable bedding (34%), good location (44%) and hotel style (36%) all constitute significant deciding factors.

Recomendations from previous guests through word of mouth (17%), value for money (15%) and membership benefits (10%) are of secondary importance to most luxury travelers.

Luxury travelers favor hotels with good locations that can provide them with personalized services, in combination with high-quality, comfortable rooms with good views.

Respondents no longer swarm hotels with leading reputations or simply convinced by discounts, as their tastes become more discerning.

Good service and spectacular views trump reputation and interior design.

Luxury Travelers In terms of accommodation budgets, the average nightly spend is nearly 3,800 yuan, with 28% spending 3,001-5,000 yuan, followed by 1,001-2,000 yuan with 26%.

Hurun Report and International Luxury Travel Market Asia (ILTM Asia) released The Chinese Luxury Traveller 2017: 60% of outbound luxury travellers willing to spend more than 3,000 yuan for a room night and travel business class or first class, adventure travel is the theme of choice for the three years, beach holidays on the rise, becoming a travel theme last year and luxury travel agencies flourish.

Customized travel services have begun to spread, with more than half of high-end travellers said they have experienced it.

A. Travellers prefer adventure tourism, it will be the luxury travel trend in the next three years.

Around World Travel, polar exploration, and outdoor adventures are themes for the Chinese luxury traveller in the next three years. Compared to the dominance of travelling for leisure in the past few years, this year, there is a marked increase in the Chinese luxury travelling for adventure. It should be noted that the Post-80s generation has displayed an increased interest in Africa and the Polar Regions, with numbers rising from 23% and 17% last year to 36% and 32% respectively this year.

B. Seasons significantly influence traveller’s choice of destination.

The time of year has a large bearing on the choice of location. In summer and autumn, the Post-80s luxury travellers possess a marked preference for island-hopping, with Phuket (27%), Maldives (18%) and Fiji (16%) and China's Sanya (16%) are the most popular choices. In winter and spring, Australia (16%) and Phuket (18%) are popular among sun-worshippers, while ski enthusiasts flock to Japan (32%), Canada (8%) and Switzerland (7%) also are traveller’s most likely destination.

C. Island with a Beach

Although Leisure at 41% was still the most popular vacation theme, polar exploration and outdoor adventures have continued their momentum from the past two years and rank second (31%) and fourth (20%) respectively. As a new option in this year’s study, island holidays were the dark horse of vacation themes and surpass both cruises (13%) and self-drive holidays (14%) and other traditional modes of travel to rank third. Island holidays are especially popular among the Post-80s generation and rank first with almost fifty percent (46%).

D.Southeast Asia and Europe are the outbound destination

Last year, Europe and Southeast Asia have grown in popularity as a destination accounting for 45% and 44% of respondents respectively. In just two years, Southeast Asia has successfully surpassed the Americas become the Chinese luxury traveller’s new choice, displaying a shocking 34% increase in millennial favour and jumping from last year’s fourth place to take the crown this year. Rupert Hoogewerf, Hurun Report Chairman and Chief Researcher said: “In the past years, Chinese luxury travellers have gone abroad an average of 3.3 times and stayed for an average of 27 days, with tourism increasing 5% to reach 69%”.

E. Hotels.

Luxury hotels are still the first choice for China's luxury travellers. The Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons hotels are the most popular choices, ranking first and third. Boutique hotels are increasingly favoured, with Banyan Tree jumping from sixth place last year to fourth place this year, while Aman entered the top ten in seventh place.

Hilton is the “Most Popular Luxury Business Hotel” title, with Shangri-La, Sheraton, and top ten newcomer Marriott following closely after. The hotel of the most luxury traveller members is also The Ritz-Carlton, with the popularity of the brand experiencing a 19% increase over the last two years, taking the crown from Hilton.

In two years however, Marriott drop from second to sixth. Rupert Hoogewerf said, “Compared to airline memberships, hotel memberships do not hold as much value”.At 81%, resorts are overwhelmingly popular among luxury travellers and are their favourite type of luxury accommodation. Business hotels (18%), bed and breakfasts (9%), and apartment hotels (6%) are also preferred, but by a much smaller margin of travellers.

60% outbound luxury travellers spend more than 3,000 yuan per night. 32% of luxury travellers have accommodation budgets of over 5,000RMB per night. Humanized Service is the most important consideration, followed by a good view of the room.

At 56%, local cuisine is the most popular hotel restaurant cuisine option for Chinese luxury travellers. Japanese and Cantonese cuisine follow after by 32% and 31% respectively. French cuisine, Italian cuisine and Sichuan cuisine are all topped the list ten, while the Korean cuisine and hot pot did not in top ten.

Private dining room is receiving more attention as venues for private banquets and business dinners.
Accommodation sharing is still in its early stages in the luxury market. Private home-stay options like Airbnb are selected by only 25% of respondents, trailing behind the boutique hotel (48%) and the cruise (45%). 69% of respondents remain neutral or will not explore home-stay in the next three years.

F.China's luxury travellers love comfort when they travel.

61% of respondents, on their most memorable trips, travelled in business or first class. Air China has the most popular membership scheme among domestic airlines (54%), with China Southern Airlines (22.4%) and Cathay Pacific (21.9%) coming in after.

Among foreign airlines, Emirates and Singapore Airlines both run ahead of the pack at 23% and 22% respectively, benefiting from their reputations for offering both cost-effective and high level services. The fact that Singapore and Dubai airports are such important hubs for flight transfers also contribute to their popularity.

G.Quality Of Travel Itineraries

Customized travel services start to spread, with agencies placing a strong emphasis on the quality of travel itineraries to retain customers.More than half of luxury travellers (58%) said that they have experienced customized travel services. They are partial to travel agencies that provide well-designed itineraries, personalized services, and are actively problem-solving, placing 59%, 55%, and 49% of emphasis on each aspect respectively.

The emphasis placed on problem-solving ability of travel agencies has experienced an 11% increase in two years. Agencies in “Hurun Mainland China Outbound Luxury Travel Agencies 2017 Top 12” ranking include 8 Continents, Diadema, D-Lux Travel*, CITS Amex, HHtravel, My Tour, Magic Travel, Ctrip, Zanadu, CITS, CTS, and CYTS.

Agencies in the “Hurun Hong Kong Outbound Luxury Travel Agencies 2017 Top 6” include Wincastle Travel Limited, Cathay Pacific Holidays, Charlotte Travel*, American Express, Swire Travel, and Westminster. Agencies in the “Hurun Taiwan Outbound Luxury Travel Agencies 2017 Top 6” include One Style Tour*, Seascape Escape, Let’s Travel*, American Express, International Travel Information Services, and Lion Travel. (In alphabetical order, *new to list).

H. Travel retail.

While on holiday, Chinese luxury travellers like to purchase cosmetics (45%), local produce (43%), bags and suitcases (39%), clothes and accessories (37%), and jewellery (34%). Other than local produce, the four other most popular purchase categories are all dominated by female consumers. Compared to numbers two years ago, there is a noticeable increase in the percentage of travellers who bought cosmetics. With regard to the purpose of the purchase, 76% of purchases are personal, while 47% of purchases are gifts, and 4% are purchased on the behalf of others.



Tourism Observer
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USA: Ritz-Carlton Rewards And Starwood Preferred Guest Launch A Coordinated New Regional Promotion

In a first of its kind coordinated Regional promotion, Marriott International (http://Marriott.com) has launched a unified and compelling offer at nearly 200 participating Marriott International hotels in 30 countries with a choice of 17 brands across exciting destinations in Middle East and Africa.

City or beach, history or culture, nature or adventure, wild life or relaxation, guests can choose the experience and now enjoy up to 30% off on their hotel stay and make this season a memorable one.

Just months after its unprecedented announcement that members could link their accounts to have their Elite status matched and transfer points between programs, Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®), Marriott International is giving its loyal members more reasons to stay loyal and travel more.

All three programs will run the same promotion, giving members more value and more reasons to explore the magic of Middle East and Africa.

“We are excited to launch such a compelling and cohesive offer under the umbrella of our powerful and award winning loyalty programs and we hope this will not only give a much needed impetus to regional travel but will also attract the global traveler into our continent,” said Neal Jones, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.

“Given our diverse portfolio and bandwidth of brands, we now have a brand and hotel for every traveler looking for an enriching experience and our loyal members continue to get more.”

Guests can book between 1st May and 31st August 2017 for stays between 21st May – 9th September 2017 and enjoy 20% off on the best available rate and a 30% off on food and soft beverages at participating restaurants, bars and lounges.

What is more, Loyalty Program members enjoy 30% off on the best available rate and a voucher for a 30% off on their next stay, valid for stay between 10th September - 31st December 2017.

For Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members, this promotion is applicable at participating JW Marriott®, Renaissance® Hotels, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Marriott® Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Protea Hotels®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, and The Ritz-Carlton®, Log on to http://Deals.Marriott.com/moretravels for a full list of participating hotels including terms and conditions and book your stay.

For SPG members, this promotion is available at participating Aloft, W Hotels, Four Points® by Sheraton, Le Méridien, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis® Hotels & Resorts, and Westin® Hotels & Resorts that participate in the SPG program. For a full list of participating hotels and terms and conditions, log on to www.SPG.com/moretravels and book your stay.

Thanks to the recent acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, members of Marriott International’s innovative and award-winning loyalty programs who have linked their accounts have more destinations to discover in the region. F

or SPG members, these include the Kruger National Park in South Africa, and for Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members, it includes destinations like Mauritius.

Already, members of the programs can link their accounts at www.Members.Marriott.com to access unparalleled benefits such as instant Elite status matching and unlimited points transfer between accounts.

Marriott International now offers a diverse portfolio of 30 brands in over 120 countries across the globe, giving members access to the best hotels and resorts wherever they want to travel.

In Middle East and Africa alone, the company operates close to 250 hotels in 30 countries.

NEW ZEALAND: Ritz-Carlton Considering Entering New Zealand.

Ritz-Carlton is considering going to New Zealand.

Ritz-Carlton is one of the world's biggest hotel names long tipped for Auckland, along with Hyatt, which last year announced it would return to New Zealand in a new building along Auckland's waterfront.

As for Ritz-Carlton, "we continuously look for opportunities to expand The Ritz-Carlton presence in New Zealand," a Singaporean spokeswoman Michele Lv said.

The Ritz-Carlton has been rumoured to be lined up for a proposed skyscraper planned by Chinese businessman Furu Ding's company, NDG on a central car park site bounded by Elliott St.

The project has initial resource consent but is rumoured to have been delayed.

Dean Humphries, Collier's hotel specialist, said many hotel brands had been keeping an eye on New Zealand for years, including Ritz-Carlton, and some were now moving in.

Accor, Marriott-Starwood and Hilton were all in expansion mode, with Hilton's DoubleTree brand taking over Christchurch's Chateau on the Park recently and IHG announcing a new Holiday Inn in Queenstown and an "express" hotel in Christchurch.

Also looking on were the Asian hotel brands such as Shangri-La, which was not yet here. Singaporean chain Naumi Hospitality was opening its first hotel at Auckland Airport

These big names brought their loyalty programmes with them and a level of luxury which was stirring up existing players and prompting a wave of refurbishments, Humphries said.

"At the end of the day they do normally attract a different clientele than say a mid-market hotel, but of course it does mean that all the five star hotels are going to have to lift their game."

New Zealand is suddenly on the radar of international retailers and hotel operators because of the high tourism numbers which are lifting hotel room revenues and spending.

Arrivals from China have quadrupled in the last decade, and Chinese tourists spend more than other nationalities on products to take home.

World’s Most Popular Luxury Hotel Brands For 2015

A new study by Luxury Branding, a London-based consultancy that specializes in the global luxury market, reveals a fresh and unexpected ranking of the most popular high-end hotels and resorts worldwide for 2015. Surprising highlights, based on independent analysis of 2.25 million travellers’ reviews, include:

The Ritz-Carlton, owned by hotel giant Marriott International, takes top honors by a substantial margin—particularly impressive given its large network of nearly 90 properties and nearly 40,000 employees worldwide
“Traditional” luxury marks, including Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Raffles Hotels & Resorts and Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, dominate the Top 10. These classic, high-end brands generally outrank less conservative luxury brands such as Firmdale, EDITION and Andaz. So-called luxury “lifestyle” brands, including Morgans Hotel Group and W Hotels Worldwide, fare considerably worse by missing out on the Top 50 entirely
Some of the industry’s most established and best-known names fail to make the Top 10, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts (13), The Peninsula Hotels (20), St. Regis (26) and Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts (50)
Luxury Branding’s study is based on its independent analysis of more than 2.25 million public reviews on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel feedback site with 375 million unique monthly visitors ranking more than 950,000 hotels and lodgings around the world. The study, which provides a “snapshot” of the entire body of reviews posted up to and including 14 August 2015, represents one of the largest luxury study samples ever analyzed in the hospitality industry. While TripAdvisor graciously allowed Luxury Branding to analyze its publicly available data, the study is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, TripAdvisor
Social media and internet outlets continue to revolutionize the role of consumers in shaping brand perceptions, even at the higher end of the luxury spectrum. Piers Schmidt, Luxury Branding’s founder, said: “The luxury hotel sector, which traditionally has been ranked by industry organizations, travel operators and specialty publications, is becoming democratized by the advent of TripAdvisor and similar portals that allow consumers to act as vocal, real-time critics, champions and commentators.”

Mr. Schmidt noted that despite a persistent industry perception that high-net-worth consumers “don’t write reviews” or engage with social media, digitally native travelers rely both on their own experiences and those of friends and family in making brand decisions. Luxury brand operators that embrace the trend of peer-to-peer reviews and respond thoughtfully and consistently, rather than impulsively, can build greater brand loyalty and transparency among today’s connected and ever more demanding luxury clients.

The Top 10

The World’s Most Popular Luxury Hotel Brands, 2015 are:

The Ritz-Carlton
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
Raffles Hotel & Resorts
Langham Hotels and Resorts
Rocco Forte Hotels
Dorchester Collection
Capella Hotels and Resorts
Park Hyatt
Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts
Armani Hotels & Resorts

The full Luxury Branding report, which ranks and analyzes the Top 59 Most Popular Luxury Hotel Brands, may be downloaded by visiting www.luxury-branding.com. The report includes background on methodology; select brand analysis; and a discussion of the importance of social media/online consumer reviews to the luxury sector as a whole.

Marriott Buys Starwood Hotels For $12.2 billion

US-based Marriott International said that it has purchased Starwood for $12.2 billion, creating the world’s largest hotel chain bringing together such famous institutions as Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, W, Westin and Sheraton.

The boards of directors of both companies unanimously approved the merger, under which the companies will operate or franchise more than 5,500 hotels with 1.1 million rooms worldwide.

“This is an opportunity to create value by combining the distribution and strengths of Marriott and Starwood, enhancing our competitiveness in a quickly evolving marketplace,” said Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson.

Bruce Duncan, the Starwood Hotels & Resorts chairman of the board of directors, said that his board “concluded that a combination with Marriott provides the greatest long-term value for our shareholders and the strongest and most certain path forward for our company.”

Starwood shareholders will receive 0.92 shares of Marriott International, Class A common stock and $2.00 in cash for each share of Starwood common stock, a joint statement from the companies read.

The merger “has a current value of $72.08 per Starwood share, including the $2 cash per share consideration.”

Starwood shareholders will also receive about $7.80 per share from a transaction set to close prior to the Marriott-Starwood merger closing — the spin-off of the Starwood timeshare business and its merger with Interval Leisure Group, which has an estimated value of approximately $1.3 billion.

One-time transaction costs for the merger, to be incurred over the next two years, are expected to total between $100 and $150 million.
Once shareholders from both companies approve the transaction and other regulatory approvals are met, the merger is expected to be closed by mid-2016, the statement read.

MACAU: World-class Luxury Hotels Open In Macau

MARRIOTT International, Inc. announced that the grand opening of the JW Marriott Hotel Macau and The Ritz-Carlton, Macau is set for May 27, 2015. Both iconic hotels are located within the famed Galaxy Macau, renowned as one of the world's best entertainment and leisure destinations.

In celebration of its official opening, both hotels are offering special packages, but for a limited time only. Guests will be able to enjoy a night's stay, along with a selected range of exclusive activities. Embark on an urban escape at Asia's largest JW Marriott or bask in luxury and fine service at The Ritz-Carlton, Macau, the brand's first all-suite hotel.

Vice-president of operations for both hotels, Rauf Malik, said: "The opening of these two new hotels at the Galaxy Macau integrated resort will redefine the standard of luxury in Macau. Through this carefully crafted range of opening offers, we will give our first guests a holistic taste of the truly exceptional experiences that these hotels will provide. Our guests can choose to indulge in the simple elegance of the JW Marriott Hotel Macau or immerse themselves in the legendary experience that defines The Ritz-Carlton, Macau."

The JW Marriott Hotel Macau, which will serve as Asia's flagship hotel, is set to become the new benchmark for the brand, said Malik. "We provide an environment of simple elegance where our guests feel welcome, comfortable and free to be themselves. Together, we orchestrate an experience that is edited with expertise, for our guests to leave with only what is desired."

Meanwhile, The Ritz-Carlton, Macau will offer its legendary service which the brand is famous for around the world. Its Gold Standards of hospitality will enable guests to revel in the finest personal service and the best of Asian luxury. "The facilities and services at The Ritz-Carlton, Macau, are second to none," described Malik. "Whether indulging in an authentic Chinese culinary experience at our exemplary Chinese restaurant, enjoying the classic ambience of our lobby lounge, or taking some time to rejuvenate at the spa, the ladies and gentlemen of the hotel (employees) will ensure guests enjoy personalised experiences that will leave an indelible mark in our guests' memories."

The limited-time package for the first-ever stay at the JW Marriott Hotel Macau and the Ritz-Carlton, Macau starts at MOP1,888 (RM815.28) and MOP3,388 (RM1,534.53) per night, respectively. All rates include 10% service charge and 5% government tax. Terms and conditions apply. For bookings, visit www.jwmarriottmacau.com and www.ritzcarlton.com/macau

JW MARRIOTT HOTEL MACAU
Unlimited Urban Escape
Booking period: From now until May 16, 2015
Stay period: May 27 to Aug 31, 2015
Weekdays (Sun to Thurs): From MOP1,888 (approx. RM815.28)
Weekend (Fri, Sat) and Special Days: From MOP2,388 (approx. RM1,081.60)

• One-night stay for two in an Executive Room at JW Marriott Hotel Macau
• Buffet breakfast for two at Urban Kitchen
• Complimentary access to JW Kids Club for two
• Grand opening welcome souvenir
• Access to Galaxy Macau's Grand Resort Deck with the world's largest Skytop Wave Pool
• Complimentary Galaxy Express services between Galaxy Macau™ and Macau Ferry Terminal / Taipa Ferry Terminal / Macau International Airport / Border Gate/ Lotus Border

THE RITZ-CARLTON, MACAU
Unlimited Suite Experience
Booking period: From now until May 16, 2015
Stay period: May 27 to Aug 31, 2015
Weekdays (Sun to Thurs): From MOP3,388 (approx. RM1,534.53)
Weekend (Fri, Sat) and Special Days: From MOP4,388 (approx. RM1,987.47)

• One-night stay for two in a Premier Suite at The Ritz-Carlton, Macau
• Set dinner for two at The Ritz-Carlton Café (drinks are charged separately)
• Complimentary pick-up and drop-off at the ferry terminal or airport (need advance-booking)
• Personalised in-room check-in and check-out
• Access to Galaxy Macau's Grand Resort Deck with the world's largest Skytop Wave Pool

USA: Ritz-Carlton Updates Its Brand

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. has unveiled a newly designed brand logo and brand voice that will be implemented across all guest touch points over the next year. The move to clarify, simplify and amplify the luxury brand’s identity comes after a decade of brand evolution and has been created to purposefully maintain the iconic luxury hotel company’s position with a new generation of guests globally. This is the first time in the 32 year history of The Ritz-Carlton that any changes have been made to the revered lion and crown.

“Today we celebrate a defining moment in the legacy of The Ritz-Carlton with an updated brand logo, and a new blue” said Hervé Humler, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. and one of the brand’s founders.

The Ritz-Carlton assessed the need to evolve and over the last ten years, significant changes made have seen positive corresponding shifts in key brand metrics. Everything from the brand’s design strategy, the locations selected to open new hotels, the service style, grooming standards and the removal of the formal dining experience have all been re-designed, re-invented or replaced. There is evidence to suggest that by identifying shifts and leading change, the brand had, and has, the potential to continue to benefit today just like it has in the past. “We believe as an iconic brand that it is our responsibility to provide thought-leadership to drive change in the luxury and hospitality arena,” continued Humler.

At its inception, The Ritz-Carlton was known exclusively as a hotel company. Today, the organization has developed several very successful brand extensions which include Residences, Destination Clubs, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, a Leadership Center, Retail, Golf Clubs and a philanthropic foundation, Community Footprints. They are not only the largest provider of luxury spas in the United States, but one of the largest providers of luxury meeting and conference space around the world.

Reflecting on the brand evolution, Ed French, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for The Ritz-Carlton added “as a brand that aims to lead the way for luxury, we didn’t wait for emphatic data to tell us there was a problem to fix. Instead, we took a leadership point of view and conducted global studies, not on where luxury has been, but where it is going – to shine a light for the others to follow.”

Instead of viewing legacy as something that brands inherit, The Ritz-Carlton believes the more powerful form of legacy is one that is written by brands in the present; the ones writing history, not just reading from it every day. The purpose and the values of the brand have not changed; it still strives to create precious memories and to meet the tastes of a new generation of consumers. The new brand voice represents a more modern understanding of legacy. While rooted and inspired by the past, it has purpose and meaning in the present.

For iconic global brands, one of the best ways to signal continued relevance is to evolve the inherited symbols of their past, in the case of The Ritz-Carlton, the lion, the crown and the color blue.

In 1920s Boston, affluent homeowners imported the glass for their windows from Europe. Something special happened when that glass met the Boston air, changing it from clear to blue. Because of this happy accident blue became a status symbol in 1920s Boston. When the first Ritz-Carlton in Boston made the decision to install a blue chandelier in its ballroom, the rare color became an instant status symbol. Blue has always been interwoven into the fabric of The Ritz-Carlton story. But the color, as well as the story of its origin, remained in the background, serving the brand quietly. In the process of refreshing the brand voice by updating the color alongside the logo, what emerged was a new color for the brand. The new ‘memorable’ blue reinforces the promise of consistent quality, excellence and the promise of beautiful memories.