Capella Hotels & Resorts: A Small Group Of Exceptional Asia-Pacific Gems

Capella has been around for 20+ years.

They used to have a property in the US - The Setai in NYC (now The Langham). I stayed a few times during the Capella years and it was a really lovely property with excellent service (not just by US standards). They even had a Maserati as the house car which was fun (if pointless in Midtown traffic).

Any other former properties to add to the list?

We stayed at the Capella Bangkok over Christmas. As you noted is is riverfront and next to the FS and the FS Residences. In fact the FS and Capella are both owned by the same Thai company. FS is much larger and the proximity allows you to enjoy the boutiqueness of the Capella and the additional restaurants and bigger SPA at the FS. They also offer a river shuttle to guests from both hotels to the BTS station and to the ICONSIAM shopping mall.
We had a super stay at the Campella. Cocktails and snacks each evening in the Living Room for all guets. The GM came several times as did other staff members. Food was excellent too!

"While the Park Hyatt Sydney used to be regarded as the city’s best hotel, many now think the Capella Sydney has taken over that title, especially in terms of service..."

And both properties have Marc von Arnim to thank. He was the GM of the PH Sydney, and that hotel is nothing like it used to be. He went over an opened the Capella Sydney, and look at the results. He is a phenomenal GM and everything he touches turns to gold.

Capella isn’t making its European debut; it’s returning to Europe. The very first Capella was in Europe, in Düsseldorf

Capella had a hotel in DC that later became the Rosewood.

The first Capella opened in 2008. It's not been around for 20+ years.

The hotel group was founded in 2001/2002.

https://hotelsmag.com/news/exclusive-schulze-sells-capella-to-singapore-family/

Kenting is a very interesting gamble...
It's a pretty part of Taiwan, with the Kenting National Park as the backdrop. They won't have any competition to speak of. The majority of accommodations and attractions are small & medium sized mom-and-pop operations. Night market is a blast, though.
I am wondering about their target market, though. The closest airport with a smattering of international flights and a high speed rail station is in Kaohsiung, 100 km away, for example.
The waters are mostly non-swimmable due to the undertow. Also, this area is may be heavily impacted by seasonal typhoons and downpours.

Seems you need an article about the GHA group because it is even rarely talked about here.

@iamhere Are you really here quite often though? Haha. Ben did write about GHA program just last December and how it is underrated. He also included a link to it in this review as well as a link to the GHA program. That is why he said you should book a room with a travel advisor while including your GHA membership number to get more benefits.

Yes, staying at a hotel in Asia where the daily room rate is equal to the average monthly wage is a great way to learn about the local culture.

Fun fact is how capellas (the current form) are all owned and operated by its owner hence the brand preservation. The Kwee family has a penchant for luxury that’s quite unparalleled in the industry. They happened to also own the only Ritz Carlton property in the world that don’t participate in Bonvoy. Talk about swag.

As a frequent visitor to Sydney I must comment that the Park Hyatt is in the middle of nowhere, and the Capella is overrated in terms of room-size and guest facilities; for instance, The Living Room is microscopic, and gets uncomfortably crowded. The Sydney luxury hotel market is fairly dire, so much so that we bought an apartment (in the much funkier and livelier Surry Hills) this year so we didn’t have to bother with it anymore.

The whole Sydney hotel market is dire at every level.

Agree that Kenting is a fascinating play. They would have no virtually competition — the current "luxury" hotels in the area, The Chateau, Cesar Park, Howard, and Fullon hotels, are all quite old and are essentially 4-star hotels charging international 5-star prices.

But also agree that its target market is questionable. For Taiwanese travelers, Kenting has a poor reputation for being a tourist trap with overpriced accommodations and food. For international travelers, the area isn't very accessible without driving, and the quality of tourist facilities in and around Kenting National Park are very "local", to put it nicely.

hi ben, hi ben, when are you going to post your reviews of the Rosewood Hong Kong and Upper House Hong Kong?