Corinthia Hotels preparing to open their doors in Brazil
DCI
Fasano, Emiliano, Unique and other high luxury São Paulo hotels will soon have competition. Little known in Brazil, Corinthia Hotels decided to erect an establishment here. The chain, born in Malta (small island-nation in the Mediterranean Sea) more than 40 years ago, focuses on the providing of facilities and sophisticated services to its guests. At the moment, the directors of the company pay are a series of discrete visits to the local metropolises to choose which ones will receive the unit. But executives of Corinthia already say São Paulo will certainly be the chosen one.
The last hotel opened by the company in London, gives a good idea of their proposal. Opened at a cost of 330 million Euros, the Corinthia Hotel London is installed in a neoclassical building constructed in 1885 in the downtown area of the British capital that belonged to the very Queen Elizabeth II. After purchasing it from the British sovereign, the Group reformed it entirely in 4 years and opened its doors on April 28, 2011 (just in time to take advantage of the movement generated by the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, celebrated the next day).
Created and so far controlled by the Malta family Pisani, the Corinthia Group arose in 1960, it is listed in the stock exchange of the island and it wants to open its capital in the United Kingdom as well. Besides the Corinthia Hotels brand, the company manages units of the American chain Wyndham, which is also a partner of the company. "There are 5 cities we want to be installed soon: New York, Paris, Rome, Moscow and São Paulo. Of them, São Paulo is the one we are closer to achieve", says Roderick Micallef, General Manager of the Corinthia Hotel Lisbon. Today, besides the Portuguese unit, the chain has hotels in Budapest, Prague, St. Petersburg, Tripoli, Khartoum, the recently-open unit in London and in Malta. Micallef remarks that what the chain understands as luxury is not restricted to luxurious facilities. "In fact, we believe there are three relevant things for the success of a hotel: services, services and, finally, services", he jokes. Corinthia seeks to differentiate as it offers the guests an intimate, almost family-like treatment, he says.
The surveys of the team in Brazil include the prospecting of land where it would be possible to erect a hotel, but not has been defined so far. There is also the chance that some building be used, like in England. "The rates of our unit in Lisbon range from 130 up to nearly 300 Euros; in London, between 300 and 600 pounds. Taking the proportions into account, in Brazil the values will be similar", reveals Micallef. "São Paulo is the economic center of the country, an incredibly dynamic society. We cannot stay out of here", completes Marcel Horande, Senior Sales Manager of the Corinthia Hotel London, who is also in Brazil. Teresa de Châtillon, Public Relations Officer of the Lisbon unit (another member of the team visiting the Country) concludes: "We want to bring our concept of high luxury hotel, which is very specific. We will be a novelty in the Brazilian market in the sector".