Even as the travel industry continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, companies are finding ways to move forward and innovate — and not just in ways related to the coronavirus.
One such brand is St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, which has big expansion plans in the works to nearly double its resort portfolio in the coming years. A total of nine new luxury resorts are currently in the pipeline for the brand, including such noteworthy openings as The St. Regis Cairo, The St. Regis Bermuda Resort, The St. Regis Chicago and The St. Regis Dubai, The Palm.
The luxury brand is also thinking critically about its long-term strategic vision, from its service approach to design and marketing, all in an effort to establish itself as a global luxury powerhouse brand.
Here, George Fleck, vice president and global brand leader for St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, discusses how the brand is redefining itself for the next generation of luxury travelers.
How did you go about establishing a new long-term strategic vision for St. Regis?
I joined the brand back in September of last year, after spending over 20 years at Marriott International and Starwood Hotels and Resorts. It was important to me when I laid out the future vision [to focus on the] things that we felt were still fundamental, relevant and important to our brand. That includes our incredible legacy and origin story, and our continuous spirit of innovation over the last 100-plus years. But then I also looked at brands outside the travel industry — fashion, retail, automotive — to see how legacy brands are pivoting and developing a long-term marketing and brand strategy that is relevant to the next generation of luxury consumers.
What came from that internal and external research that’s being applied to the brand?
One thing that really resonated with me is focusing first on [brand] culture, developing a sense of belonging and a sense of pride among our leaders and associates. Because if they feel like they are part of a specific brand culture — like at Apple, for example — then that translates to a much more positive customer experience on property.
Secondly, [we elevated] our service experience — and for St. Regis, that means [creating] the butler experience of the future. How do we pivot and reinvent butler service to be something very modern that isn’t just about the person delivering something to your room or pressing your garments? Because post-pandemic, especially, I believe there is an even higher need for customization and personalization. Not only do I want to know it’s safe to go somewhere, I want to plan in advance what I want to see and do, so I can really check off my bucket list.
And then lastly, [boosting] our resort and leisure positioning. Those three long-term pillars will really allow us to move this brand from what we know today as a luxury hospitality leader to a true global luxury icon that can transcend industries … from retail to residences to in-home experiences and more.
How has St. Regis evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic?
One thing we have been doing is actually using this time to develop a really fantastic and very comprehensive learning and training platform, which we call the School of Astor, for our butlers. As hotels are reopening and staffing up again, we really felt that we needed to develop a stronger learning platform. If we’re saying we want to feel more personalized, more bespoke, more handcrafted, then how are we training our associates to do that? So, we created a system of over 20 modules of training in everything from how to make that perfect Manhattan or martini on the go from a minibar, to how to resolve any service issues that might come up and how to truly delight our guests in bespoke ways. It’s not just your basic service training, but [focuses on] how we can enliven and elevate the experience and make it distinctly St. Regis.
When John Jacob Astor built The St. Regis New York … he wanted to bring in a sense of exclusivity, privacy and intimacy that just didn’t exist in hotels at that time. And I think this intimacy, privacy and ultimate exclusivity is something people want again.
What do you think luxury travelers are looking for now and in the future?
When John Jacob Astor built The St. Regis New York … he wanted to bring in a sense of exclusivity, privacy and intimacy that just didn’t exist in hotels at that time. And I think this intimacy, privacy and ultimate exclusivity is something people want again. I feel that our senses around time and space have changed. We want to linger a little longer. We want to feel like we’re in a private space with friends, family or business colleagues.
I also think people are much more likely to try to really hit their bucket list and make the most of [their travels]. Maybe they’ll extend and stay a little longer. So, hotels become a little more residential, and that’s where we’re seeing opportunity for St. Regis, because we were, from our very origins, designed to be intimate, private, subtle and residential in look and feel.
And then I think people are looking for service experiences again, such as with our butlers. As much as we rely on our phones and technology to inform us when we travel, I actually believe people are missing the human interaction, the humanity in travel, very much.
As much as we rely on our phones and technology to inform us when we travel, I actually believe people are missing the human interaction, the humanity in travel, very much.
Do you anticipate any other travel trends shifting following the pandemic?
I think there is pent-up desire to travel, combined with a newfound flexibility. People can work from somewhere else, or were able to save a lot of vacation time and can now finally go on a trip. We’re seeing this trend play out, especially across our resort and leisure destinations. The average length of stay has increased from what used to be two, three or four nights to four, five or six nights. We’re also seeing an increase in suite and villa reservations across our portfolio.
Also, destinations that used to be very seasonal, and oftentimes off-season in the summer, are doing incredibly well. For example, our mountain resorts, like in Aspen, Colo., or Deer Valley, Utah, typically are slower in the summer; it’s now the opposite. I think there’s a trend of customers looking to get out into nature, so we’re seeing a really great interest in mountain, beach and desert destinations.
What are some of the noteworthy destinations and properties that are part of St. Regis’ current expansion plan?
St. Regis plans to nearly double its resort portfolio in the coming years. Bermuda just opened. Kanai, which is in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, will open next year. Los Cabos is slated to open in 2023. We will have Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic in the coming years. We also have Chicago on the urban side, expected to open in 2022. We’re opening The St. Regis Qingdao in China now, which is going to be a really spectacular hotel. Most recently, aside from Bermuda, we opened The St. Regis Dubai on The Palm. And we have some other interesting openings coming up in Europe next year, with Budapest, Hungary, and Belgrade, Serbia. There’s no shortage of really spectacular destinations coming online that are at the top of most people’s bucket lists.
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St. Regis Hotels & Resorts
