In 2005, former Ritz-Carlton honcho Horst Schulze, now in charge of the Atlanta-based West Paces Hotel Group, came to New York.
As one does, Schulze was in New York to make Big Announcements to Media. About projects he had yet to begin. Specifically, two hotel brands that were going to revolutionize the industry. We were dazzled. Curious. Excited, even.
Now that some time — and an announced opening date or two — have passed, we ask ourselves: Hello? Anyone there?
The answer is yes. And no. Let us ‘splain.
First there was Solis. Solis (say, or don’t, soh-LEESE) is the larger, more accessible of the two. Big, but with great service. Mostly city hotels, plus a flashy resort in Phoenix on the menu.
Then there was Capella. Capella is the sexy little sister. More intimate (never more than 100 rooms). More hideaway, less business hotel/family resort.
But first, let’s talk Solis. Chicago was supposed to launch last spring, in the former Hotel 71 on Wacker Drive. There were some great looking model rooms completed the last time I stopped in, but apparently, nothing is certain. A spokesperson was “not certain when the official re-flagging will officially take place.”
Other announced properties – suburban Atlanta, San Antonio and Orlando – have been shelved. This leaves Frankfurt and Sunny Isles Beach, Florida. “Neither has broken ground, to my knowledge,” says the spokesperson.
What of the flashy resort in Phoenix? The Solis website still promises a 2007 delivery. Maybe, but Schulze won’t be involved. Here’s what happened. California-based Crown Realty & Development, leaseholder of fine office parks and shopping centers from Brea to Burbank, decided to do something they’d never done. They’d own themselves a resort. They turned to Schulze’s West Paces to manage.
Somewhere along the way, Crown CEO Robert Flaxman decided to terminate the agreement, which he did because he was just so wang-dang thrilled at the idea of being able to flag his new baby as…wait for it…an InterContinental.
Okay. Who do you think could do a better job. The guy who basically built Ritz-Carlton as we knew it pre-Marriott takeover, or the sometimes fancy, often just plain awful brand in a stable that includes Holiday Inn. (Gee, Bob. Great going.)
Flaxman tells the East Valley Tribune that he wanted a more recognizable brand, and the deal was breakable, so he walked. West Paces tells the paper that’s not so, that Crown Realty is in breach, and “appropriate legal action” has been taken.
The news is better over at Capella. Originally slated to open two country house hotels in Ireland and two beach resorts in Mexico, they’re up to six properties total, even though one down one in Mexico (Cabo San Lucas si, Cancun, no).
What’s added? Two properties on the Continent: a city hotel in Dusseldorf, and a lakeside retreat in Austria. And, as of last week, a resort in development on Sentosa Island, in Singapore.
According to a spokesperson, the first two Capella properties are just six months or so away – Austria, and Castlemartyr, aka Ireland #1. Work has begun on Dusseldorf, and Cabo is well underway.
Finally, news also comes this week of a new joint venture, where West Paces will be working with other investors to launch both brands in Asia. Solis, apparently, will not die. Don’t be surprised, however, if the first one ends up opening not in Chicago, but in, say, Beijing.
And there you have it.
