Editors’ Note

A Lisbon native, Carlos Lopes earned a BA at Canada’s Sir George Williams University and a marketing degree at the University of Toronto. During his three decades in the hospitality industry, he has served as Senior Vice President of Rosewood Hotels (founder of the Windsor Group), Cochairman of Unique Hotels, Executive Vice President and COO of RockResorts, and Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Executive of Four Seasons Hotels. He assumed his present post in March 2002.

Property Brief

Opened in 1946 in one of the most prestigious neighborhoods in Los Angeles, the pink stucco, colonial mission-style Hotel Bel-Air (www.hotelbelair.com) features 91 individually decorated guest rooms and suites, some with wood-burning fireplaces, intimate patios, and private Jacuzzis. Home to more than 2,000 species of exotic flora and fauna on a 12-acre site, it has long provided exclusivity, tranquility, and privacy as host to captains of industry, heads of state, and entertainment icons, including Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, Richard Nixon, Cary Grant, and Elizabeth Taylor. Further attractions at this Mobil five-star hotel are a restaurant, 2,400 square feet of meeting space, a fitness center, and a year-round heated, 80-foot pool.

Did the luxury hospitality industry in the Los Angeles area fare well in 2007? What is your outlook for the Hotel Bel-Air in 2008?

The market in 2007 was relatively strong. We have more international guests, partially because of the devaluation of the dollar, and this has definitely affected occupancies in the city as a whole. We expect that the market will be relatively strong in 2008 as well, again, due primarily to international tourism.

There are a number of high-end properties in Los Angeles. How does the Hotel Bel-Air set itself apart from the competition?

We have invested significantly in the hotel, to the tune of more than $25 million. That has definitely helped our positioning in the market. We’re also building a 12,000-square-foot spa with 12 treatment rooms, and that will open in 2008. We have taken all the correct steps to ensure that the facility will be very comprehensive. After all, we’re not just competing in the local market; we’re competing with grand hotels all over the world – in Paris, London, and beyond. Our guests expect us to have a five-star spa, and we have to do it right. Guests expect a very high level of comfort and treatments of the best quality. We’re here to pamper and service our guests.

In addition, starting in 2008, we’re adding another 15 suites to the hotel, because we’re seeing more and more demand for them every day. They will be state-of-the-art, oversized suites, with fireplaces and private dipping pools. They will be extraordinary, unique, and elegantly appointed.

The Bel-Air has an excellent reputation. We’re in a strong position for success.

Are you satisfied with your current food and beverage operation at the property?

In 2003, we decided to create a kitchen dedicated exclusively to our restaurant, and we recruited a seasoned chef, as well as one of the better culinary teams in southern California. We market the restaurant to the local community, and 75 to 80 percent of our business is generated from this market so that has helped immensely. We recently received the number-one ranking from Zagat for both service and interior design.

It seems that you are particularly interested in maintaining a good relationship with the hotel’s local community and in encouraging them to dine at the hotel.

Very much so. Our community is made up of Bel-Air, Beverly Hills, and Brentwood – the so-called Golden Triangle. We find ways to recognize our local patrons, and we pay special attention to their likes and dislikes. It gives the hotel a club-like feel. We have the Champagne Bar, which is very popular with our neighbors. I think 80 percent of our patrons there are locals.

Do you place much of an emphasis on offering your guests technological amenities, or does service still come down to the people who staff your hotel?

We’re a smaller property, and we have a cadre of excellent staff to support our 91 rooms and suites. Today, technology is there to support management and service. It makes us more effective, but we make sure that none of it takes away from the guest experience, which is our number-one focus. We want guests to leave the property with a higher opinion of our service than the expectation they had upon arriving.

Does the Hotel Bel-Air cater to families, as well as individual travelers?

Times have changed; families are traveling together and young parents are traveling with their children more often. So we have to design services to accommodate them. This past year, we probably had about 80 to 100 families in the hotel, and we provide everything from babysitting to family-oriented activities. Our concierge team goes to great lengths to ensure that families, when they visit the hotel, have the best experience Los Angeles has to offer. We take everything into consideration, from special activities at the pool to special amenities for children when they arrive, such as hiking, horseback riding, amusement parks, etc.

You’ve worked in this industry for many years. Do you still find it as exciting as it was in the early days?

Unless you’re passionate about the business you’re in, you shouldn’t be in it – it’s as simple as that. You have to thoroughly enjoy it, and it has to come from the heart. I selected this career very early in life, and it has only gotten better. If I had to start all over again, I would pick the exact same career path. It’s very rewarding and fulfilling, and I wish we could recruit more individuals to this industry, because it’s rewarding in a personal sense.