Global Impact Dorchester Collection’s Expansion An Interview with Christopher Cowdray, Chief Executive Offi cer, Dorchester Collection

EDITORS’ NOTE With more than which is opening summer 2011. it will the rest of the brand. so it’s a small exclusive 30 years of luxury hospitality ex- have 45 rooms and a penthouse. that collection of hotels. perience across four continents, will complement the dorchester, which Is it challenging to maintain consistent Christopher Cowdray was ap- is more traditional, because it is going service standards throughout the group? pointed Chief Executive Offi cer of to have a more modern twist to it. it it is more challenging in some areas than Dorchester Collection in 2007. Prior will open following the success of the in others. but we’re focused on the delivery of a to that, he was General Manager launch of coworth park in ascot, our service standard, and we use different types of of The Dorchester following a six- new country house hotel and spa only measurement to ensure that. the feedback we’re year stint as Managing Director 45 minutes from london. getting is that we’re the top of the market, which of Claridge’s, London. Cowdray is Is there a consistent feel to is where we want to be. but there has to be a a native of Zimbabwe, where he the properties within Dorchester relentless pursuit of those standards. earned a diploma in hotel man- Collection or are you focused on Has the role of GM become more focused agement and is also a graduate of Christopher Cowdray the specifi c property? on business and less on hospitality today? the executive program at Columbia we’re focused on the specific yes. with this competitive environment, University’s Business School. property, although we provide a consistent ser- you have to be entrepreneurial in the way vice and operational umbrella over that, which you run the hotel. however, we are focused COMPANY BRIEF The prestigious Dorchester lets the guests know that they are all part of the on providing an exceptionally high level of Collection (www.dorchestercollection.com) is same collection. service, which is genuinely warm and natu- the successor to the Dorchester Group, which but the individuality of the hotel is very ral. this in itself impacts our business results was originally established in 1996 to man- important to us and we don’t want to lose that positively and has featured high in our guest age a portfolio of some of the world’s most cel- aspect of our brand. feedback. ebrated hotels. Dorchester Collection’s portfolio Your properties in cities like Paris, How do you drive corporate responsi- currently includes The Dorchester in London, London, and New York are all located in bility throughout the organization? Coworth Park in Ascot, Le Meurice and Hôtel areas fl ooded with great stand-alone restau- corporate responsibility is very high on Plaza Athénée in Paris, Hotel Principe di Savoia rants. What is your view on how to be suc- our agenda. we have a team in each hotel that in Milan, The New York Palace, The Beverly Hills cessful in the food and beverage area? drives initiatives, which are coordinated also on Hotel, and Hotel Bel-Air. it’s looked at differently at each property, a corporate basis. but whatever restaurant we develop has to ap- within new hotels we’re developing or Coming off a challenging 24 months where peal to the local community. it has to have its refurbishing, the focus is on sustainability. For are we in terms of recovery today and have own standing and not rely purely on the hotel example, the hotel we just opened at coworth you seen the market coming back? guest. we use them as tools to bring the com- park has a high level of sustainability, from bio- we have seen the market coming back in munity into the hotels. mass boilers, to growing our own willow trees, all of our destinations in both europe and the in paris and london, each of the ho- to ground source recovery pumps to drive the u.s. the u.K. and France are particularly posi- tels have restaurants that are three star with air-conditioning. additionally, each hotel con- tive. so i’m optimistic about 2011. michelin chefs. then we have china tang tributes to numerous charity initiatives. Do you foresee growth for the brand at the dorchester, which is a far more informal In leading Dorchester Collection, was it mainly coming from new properties in those experience and is extremely popular. challenging to go from leading specifi c prop- two regions or do you envision broadening How much of a focus has developing a erties to a broader, more corporate role? into other regions? true spa offering been for you and are you i have always enjoyed business so the new we see the majority of our growth in those working independently or have you chosen role is something i moved into easily. two regions, but we’re also looking at key cit- to partner? the principles of whether you’re running ies in asia. we don’t have a generic brand that goes an individual hotel or a company are the same, In certain markets where you have across the company. in london, we have been and if you get those basic principles right and multiple properties in a destination, how very successful in running the spas ourselves. at apply them and stick to them with a clear vision do those complement one another? the hotel plaza athénée we partner with christian of where you’re going, it’s quite easy to attain in the case of paris and beverly hills, the dior, and in los angeles at the beverly hills hotel your goals. properties are very different and they have a and hotel bel-air, we partner with la prairie. but we are incredibly focused on further devel- slightly different following. the hotels are it is about individuality – what is going to work oping dorchester collection through strategic iconic so they have a certain level of clientele best for that property within the market. growth, enhancing our iconic properties, and who frequent them and prefer that type of prop- What are your targets for property growth innovative brand developments while maintain- erty. that works well. it’s not as though they’re within the collection? ing the individuality of each legendary hotel competing directly in all segments. we are targeting 15 to 20 hotels because and anticipating our guests’ needs.• we have a similar situation in london we want to make sure the hotels that we bring where we have a smaller hotel – 45 park lane, to the company are iconic and will complement Hôtel Plaza Athénée Eiffel Suite (left); Coworth Park Exterior (right) 70 Leaders posted with permission. copyright © 2011 leaders magazine, inc. volume 34, number 1