An eye for design
So, Sofitel’s fashion-led boutique brand, was successfully launched in December 2010 with the opening of the Sofitel So Mauritius Bel Ombre by Thai architect Lek Bunnag, including features by fashion designer Kenzo Takada.
Just a few weeks ago, on February 28, the second So opened its doors in Thailand. The Hotel Sofitel So Bangkok has been designed by award-winning architect Smith Obayawat, five famous Thai interior designers and celebrated French fashion designer Christian Lacroix.
The decoration of the 238 hotel guestrooms and suites by local designers is based on a central theme, the five elements. Water, earth, wood and metal each inspire four floors, while fire is the theme of the main restoration area.
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“Eventually we’ll have somewhere between 15 and 18 Sos operating around the world in the next five to seven years. I’d love to bring it to Dubai, Cairo and other parts of the Middle East. We’re looking at an opportunity in Beirut,” reveals Gaymer-Jones.
“The destinations have to be around fashion and design. The So we’ve just launched in Bangkok is unbelievable because guests choose their room by their preferred designer — it’s very fashion led. The uniforms and hotel accessories — the bathrobes and soaps — are all designer.
“Our hotel in Mauritius is the only place in the world where guests are buying the housekeeping uniforms because they’re designed by Kenzo Takada,” he continues.
Worldwide, the hotel group has already signed So properties in Singapore and Mumbai. It is also actively looking for sites in “trendy areas” in London, Paris and New York.
Gaymer-Jones says the brand is even more fashion-conscious than Rezidor’s designer lifestyle brand Missoni: “We went to Chanel and asked how our ladies should look, how much make up should they put on, how much nail varnish should they wear and so we created a ‘So look book’ for our staff.
“We’re really focusing on fashion from a guest point of view, but also from an employee point of view, and we’re using the background of Paris to create that.
“It has a boutique feel and is focused on people who like to live life intensely, have fun, enjoy themselves,” he adds, “but we want it to be authentic, we don’t just want ‘bling bling’; we want to create a lifestyle where people meet, have fun, enjoy the music, the food and the wine”.
Picking up palaces
Rolling out the Legend brand has been slightly trickier for Sofitel, after all, it’s not easy to find a palace, or an investor with the cash to pay for one. “It’s incredibly difficult to pick up a palace, these historical buildings typically have to be 100 years old or more. We’ve got a lot of competition chasing after the same owners so you have to give the owner a reason why they should choose Sofitel versus other
brands,” says Gaymer-Jones. Once the “beautiful” buildings have been found and paid for, the hotel group embarks on a full renovation — bringing in historians to reform them to their former glory.
Despite the challenges, Sofitel Legend Old Cataract Aswan became the group’s third hotel to open under the brand in October 2011, after Metropole Hanoi in Vietnam and the Grand Amsterdam in the Netherlands in 2010. Located in the Nubian Desert on the banks of the River Nile, the hotel — which originally opened in 1899 — was restored during a three-year period by French interior designer Sybille de Margerie.
The property features two wings; firstly the historic Palace, which offers 76 rooms and suites, including the Agatha Christie and the Winston Churchill Suites, named after two of the hotel’s most famous guests.
The Nile Wing of the hotel offers a contemporary design with 62 rooms and suites, the largest of which is the Agha Khan Suite.
A new addition to the hotel is Sofitel’s So Spa, a 1200m² facility featuring eight treatment rooms, three-room hammam and indoor pool.
“We just have three Legends right now, but there are going to be 10 to 11 worldwide,” says Gaymer-Jones.
Three of these will be in Egypt, with the Winter Palace Luxor initially due to be re-launched in 2013, followed by the Cecil Alexandria in 2014. However, Gaymer-Jones says the hotels may be delayed.
“Obviously dates get changed because of everything happening in Egypt, but the commitment from the Egyptian hotel authority has been incredible. They realise the importance of these developments, but it all depends on the revenues they get from tourism so it’s a catch 22,” he says, without disclosing the value of the renovations.
“They’re already running as hotels, but we want to transform them into real Legends. We decided to close the Old Cataract for three years. In Luxor, we’re more than likely going to keep the hotel open. It depends how the hotel is built, Luxor can be done in wings, but Alexandria might be more complicated,” he says.
Two more Legends, The Santa Clara in Colombia and the Palais Jamai in Morocco, are also currently under development.
“The next one will be potentially in Montefortino in Uruguay,” Gaymer-Jones reveals.
While the Legends require a significant amount of investment, he explains that once the renovations are completed, the rates can be significantly increased.
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