HEAVENLY HOST

Capella Hotel group president CRISTIANO RINALDI reveals what the World's Best Hotel Brand has in store.

- CEDRIC TAN

In hospitality brands' haste to expand in the luxury industry, few are reaching for the stars. One is, however, so bent on its lofty aspirations that it is named after the brightest of stars in the Auriga constellation. The light of Capella was initially dim with just one hotel in Singapore; but, since the company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Pontiac Land Group (PLG) in 2017, it has flourished across Asia Pacific. New hotels were developed first in Shanghai, followed by Ubud, Hainan, Bangkok, Hanoi, and just last year, Sydney.

Proprietors of PLG, the Kwee family, are consummate hoteliers who own a string of highly successful luxury hotels in Singapore including The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore, Conrad Centennial Singapore and Conrad Singapore Orchard. Growing a hotel brand from scratch, however, is a totally different ball game. Yet, it's evident that the group is doing something right. Capella was named the No. 1 World Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards in 2023 and 2024.