A friend, who’s the owner of an ultra luxury hotel, once told me, “a bed is no longer just a bed”. At first, I didn’t quite grasp what she meant. After staying in her hotel on several occasions, I now get it. Today, unique hotels have to bring something more to the table. It no longer suffices just to have a cushy bed with 500-count Egyptian sheets and even a gold-coated bathroom and a personal concierge. The focus has shifted. Luxury hotels today must step up and sell a totally transformative experience. It is no longer just about lodging.
In the past few years, I have been incredibly fortunate to travel all of Chile from desert north to the tip of the continent. In my journeys, I have stayed in awesome hotels that go beyond the notions of a simple place to rest. Truly, they constitute trascendental travel experiences. I am referring to places in Chile like Remota in Puerto Natales, a frontier town in Patagonia that’s the jumping off point to the Torres del Paine; Awasi in the moonlike altiplano of San Pedro de Atacama; Casa Higueras in thefunky UNESCO port, Valparaíso, on the Pacific Coast; and The Cliffs Preserve on the Pacific Coast west of Puerto Montt where the mainland drops away near Chiloé.
More than hotels, just like fine wine, they are concepts, bold visions, that are able to capture the terroir of where they are born. They subtly transmit the spirit of the earth which molds it, brings it to life, and capture the feeling of being there. These properties are created with an eye to the total experience and comfort of the guest. The decor is meticulously chosen to appropriately reflect the region through the use of noble materials and sleek design. Great care is given to fresh, organic food and a local wine list, even on excursions; the staff is world class and no item is “too much”. Most importantly, you feel there is an air, and attitude, of humble service. This creates an intangible “souvenir” to take home: memories, sensations, and a profound sense of connection. It truly is the flavor of that corner of the planet. For me, this is the essence of the age of a “new” hospitality which seeks to intensify and strengthen an intimate cultural, personal, architectural, even spiritual tie with the place. Even more so when the mindset of authentic service, served up with pride, is present.
However, what really stumps me is the fact Santiago has no boutique luxury hotel with these qualities–yet. We may have the only Ritz Carlton and the playful, brand spanking new “Whatever, Whenever” W Hotel in South America, but Santiago desperately needs one of these boutique numbers. The good news? I have identified the place (heads up potential investors). I have the address. Uh huh, my future, swanky hotel. The big project on the horizon. Every day I walk in front of the Hotel Floresta in the Bellas Artes neighborhood, my beloved hood, and the desire burns a little stronger. I dream of converting that dark, old hotel from the 1930s and remodeling it. Reveal its bones. Transform it into a posh boutique hotel with a total vision of Santiago.
For starters, what better location could you want than a cultural neighborhood full of art museums and galleries, restaurants and bars, cosmopolitan life, the pole for the gay crowd, boutiques and cafés, two metro stops, and the center of the city pulsing around you. It is at the feet of Santa Lucía Hill, the birthplace of Santiago in 1545, with its lush gardens and majestic castle overlooking the city. I could sit for hours on those steps gazing at the Floresta, visualizing how it would be if I bought it (of course, with a group of investors). In my mind, I can see the remodeling of the place, choosing the interior with a decorator, hiring the best of the best to bring together this emblametic project. Yes, expose its great bones–sort of like The Greenwich or The Hudson in New York. A modern hotel with great design that “recycles” and honors its roots. A sensation of a private club but so relaxed and low key that the guests feel as if they are hanging out in their own house (with five-star service). A space open to connecting, not isolating themselves. Yes, that’s it…modernize the Floresta and outfit it with a hipster staff totally dedicated to stellar service and the guests where each detail is tended to before they realize they even need it. A stylish place where travelers share among themselves and the real city, the center of this buzzing grand capital. A total Santiago urban experience.
Hmmm…maybe Starck, or better yet his Chilean counterpart, would like to collaborate on this project. A hotel in that onda would be so welcome in Santiago: cool, comfortable, sleek, luxurious, and totally Santiaguino. A space where quality and not quantity is measured.
Some day. For now, I will keep traveling, sleeping, and soaking up the vision of others.
Adapted from Placeres Magazine column, August 2009
