PROFILE
What is your role? I'm in charge of development. I get to do the fun part!
How difficult was it to get your first hotel open? We were very naive and inexperienced back then. It all just seemed easy and fun – I guess we were young and full of drive. It seems so much more dif- ficult now – we have become more demanding of ourselves.
How do you ensure that each of your hotels has its own personality? By never repeating ourselves.
How do you choose the designers for your hotels? By pure instinct. We choose talented and committed creative minds, who are not over-exposed.
What elements do you need to take into account when planning a new hotel? We always like to surprise people, either through the location, the archi- tecture, the food concept or the choices of contemporary art pieces displayed in the hotels.
What do you look for in a potential location? An interesting community. Our neigh- bours always make us look good and are usually our main promoters.
Why do you think your hotels have been such a success? Hard work and a great team.
What is your long-term plan? We would like to stay focused on what we are already doing. We
Before launching Grupo Habita, Carlos Couturier was a citrus farmer
don't like to open more than one hotel a year. We are currently working on a project in Tulum, Mexico.
Where do you get your influences from? Nature.
How important is it to be environmentally-friendly? It is very important for us to build sus- tainable hotels with energy-saving rooms. We use recycled materials and work with local artisans. To stay sim- ple is to stay eco-friendly.
What have been your highest and lowest points since launching Grupo Habita? The highest point was opening Hotel Americano in New York City in 2011. The lowest point has been taking for- ever to finish our Tulum project.
Who do you admire in business? French entrepreneurs like [billionaire businessman] François Pinault and the perfurmer Frederic Malle.
What do you do in your leisure time?
I travel, swim, ski, take naps and go jogging with my dogs.
Where are you happiest? Spending time in the company of my two sons and my closest friends, sail- ing the Turkish Aegean sea.
Mexico City's Distrito Capital has 17 rooms and 13 suites 40 Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
What drives you? My faith in God.
ISSUE 1 2013 © cybertrek 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76