Vision: Alessandro Catenacci, owner and CEO of the Nobis Group
"Several times, I've checked into classic luxury hotels with very big names, but then I've walked and walked through endless hallways, into new buildings, far away from the street entrance, until I've lost my orientation, before I finally ended up in a small, stuffy and anonymous room with a view across a ventilation shaft. Such experiences are disappointing. We want to be very straight and clear with what our guests can expect from us. We offer quite a large number of small single rooms at lower rates, but always with windows and fair-sized bathrooms and wardrobes. Our ambition is that when people come to us, they should never be negatively but, on the contrary, positively surprised.
The modern business and/or leisure traveler of today, I am convinced, has a different view of luxury. Even if you're very affluent, even if you should be a billionaire, you're not looking for the values that a traditional luxury hotel communicates. You don't necessarily want a large amount of surplus square meters space in your room that are just extra air, even if you can afford them. Not with the extra heating and cleaning this requires, and the environmental impact of this. It's a matter of conscience, as well as one of style. If you will, ours is a kind of luxury for those who want frontline comfort and performance but don't want to pay ridiculous amounts of extra money just to flash a nouveau-riche image, for several reasons. I myself used to drive a Bentley, but I got rid of it, because of its huge fuel consumption. I just couldn't justify to myself, let alone to anyone else, why I should have the right to pollute the air in that way, just because I could afford it. A certain moderation is tasteful and called for today, regardless of your resources.
Our hotel will be extremely comfortable but without unnecessary excesses. Personality and uniqueness are two characteristics that we like to think will distinguish us. Frontline design and technology are self-evident qualities that we won't flaunt. They should just be there. The same goes for our ethic and environmental policy, which is ambitious and farsighted, without us over-communicating this. Our hotel will be elegant and timeless, contemporary classic, never trendy. The quality of everything we offer to our guests will be superior, frequently something out of the ordinary, I hope. The same goes for our service, which will be meticulous and highly professional. It won't be the kind of excessive and humble service that you may encounter in luxury hotels in India or Thailand, for example. Instead, it will be a knowledgeable and personal kind of service. Our employees will be encouraged to let their own personalities meet the ones of our guests."