Ultra-Luxury Hotels Bet on Measured Growth
Photo Caption: Exterior, at dusk, of The Peninsula Chicago. Source: The Peninsula Hotels.
Skift Take
In most cases, having not a whole lot more than 25 properties is an optimum number.
Early Check-In
Editor’s Note: Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill brings readers exclusive reporting and insights into hotel deals and development, and how those trends are making an impact across the travel industry.I can't imagine ever tiring of infinity pools, Michelin-starred restaurants, and staff answering my every whim. But from a business perspective, it seems you truly can get too much of a good thing in ultra-luxury hotels and resorts.In the ultra-luxury segment — think names like Aman, Four Seasons, 1Hotel, One&Only, Park Hyatt, Peninsula, Raffles, The Ritz-Carlton, and Six Senses — it can be a mistake to grow a brand's footprint too fast or widely. After all, luxury is partly about scarcity.
At least, that's the idea that hotel industry leaders have voiced in recent months.
Bulgari Hotels & Resorts has modest plans. “We want maybe 15 hotels maximum down the road,” said Silvio Ursini, the group executive vice president of the hotels and resorts division of the Italian jeweler, in an interview with me this month. Four Seasons has arrived at 126 luxury hotels and resorts and 53 branded residences over six decades. Marc Speichert, the
