HOW DOES A HOTEL BRAND BECOME THE BEST IN THE WORLD?

Cristiano Rinaldi, president of Capella Hotel Group, shares its recipe for success.

- CHARMIAN LEONG

NO ONE LIKES GRUNT WORK, which is why it’s often relegated to college students with an inverse relationship between time and money (and perhaps dignity). But for Cristiano Rinaldi, a part-time job assisting with the drudgery of setting up banquets and weddings at the Waldorf Astoria in Rome unexpectedly became the start of his journey into the world of luxury hospitality.

“During that time, a young German chef noticed me and asked if I wanted to work at his restaurant for six months,” Rinaldi recalls. His name was Heinz Beck, and the restaurant was none other than the three-Michelinstarred La Pergola in the hotel. For those six months, he steamed tablecloths, scented them according to each course, meticulously trimmed flowers, and wiped down every single leaf. “Everything had to be impeccable,” he says. The experience mesmerised him, and his degree in engineering seemed all but forgotten.

“My father is probably still waiting for me to go back to Italy and work for him,” he laughs. But Rinaldi stayed in the hotel dining industry for several years before moving into hotel management roles with Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, One&Only Resorts, and Edition. “What I love the most is being able to create something special for someone else.” Today, he’s doing just that as the president of the Capella Hotel Group, whose portfolio includes seven Capella properties across the world and one Patina resort in the Maldives.