Como's CEO on working with agents, expansion plans and key trends
It’s been a busy year for Como Hotels & Resorts, with two new openings and a third waiting in the wings. Chief executive Olivier Jolivet discusses how the brand ensures it stands out, its future development plans and why agents are so important.
Hot on the heels of Como Le Montrachet opening in Burgundy in April, Como Hotels & Resorts launched Como Metropolitan Singapore in September, bringing its global portfolio to 17, with another – yet to be announced – hotel in Italy due to open later this year.
Leading the expansion is chief executive Oliver Jolivet, who joined Como in 2017 from his previous post as chief executive at the Aman Group. He describes typical Como clientele as “second summit seekers”, explaining: “They’ve been everywhere, to five or six continents. They are well travelled. But at the same time they are looking for something different. We are operating in places where most of the big boys [in hospitality] will never go, because it doesn’t make financial sense for them, but it makes a lot of sense for our guests.”
Jolivet attributes the brand’s ability to focus on guest experience first, before profit, to its family-run structure. It was founded in 1991 by Christina Ong, and he explains: “Como is one of the only brands in the hospitality business that’s still owned by its founder. It’s been really looked after for the last 30 years, and the company will never be for sale. We don’t do things in the short term, we always think about the long term. And in this world that’s quite unique today, where people are rushing for profits and cutting corners.”
Focusing on the trade
Across Como’s portfolio UK and Irish guests account for around a quarter of stays. Around 40% book via agents and operators, with a third booking direct and the remainder going through online booking systems. “Travel agents and tour operators in the UK are key partners for us,” Jolivet stresses. “They know us and they know their clients. It’s a market where travel agents and tour operators are playing a very important role.”
The UK is the only European country with a dedicated trade sales and marketing office, and the team of four share regular updates with agents. Last year Como held a convention in Tuscany for the trade from various markets, and a UK-focused event is planned for 2024.
Agents currently book directly with Como and receive commission, but the brand plans to also offer net rates. “We know we need to be a bit more flexible sometimes, as some agents are quite firm on the way they want to work, and we have to be open to working the way that’s best for them,” Jolivet explains. “When you have a brand like Como, controlling your rates is fundamental, so we need to find the right way of doing it.”
New properties
Como’s stable of private island resorts and urban and heritage estates are curated under four boutique brands: Como, Como Metropolitan, Como Uma and Como Shambhala Estate, and destinations include Australia, Bhutan, Bali, the Caribbean, France, Italy, the Maldives, North America, Thailand and the UK.
On 1 September the brand opened its first hotel in its home country with the 156-key Como Metropolitan Singapore, located within the 19-floor Como Orchard building. It brings Como Group’s hospitality, fashion, wellness and cuisine offerings under one room, and is due to open the 9,000-square-foot Como Shambhala wellness centre before Christmas. Jolivet said: “The market is doing well, and Singapore is booming right now.”
The brand also made its French debut in April with the 30-key Como Le Montrachet in the heart of the Burgundy wine region, where some of the world’s most expensive wines are produced. “You don’t have any brands there, it’s only local hotels,” Jolivet notes. “It’s very hard to develop a hotel in this part [of France], because land is very expensive for wine.” Like in Singapore its wellness offering will open later, and is slated for 2024. Jolivet said the hotel has made a “promising start”, continuing: “2023 was a good year for everyone in Europe. So I think we are also surfing on the wave of Europeans staying in Europe, but we are happy.”
Jolivet said a second property in Italy is also due to open later this year, in the Italian mountains. It will join Como Castello Del Nero in Tuscany, which expanded in September with the opening of Podere San Filippo, an eighteenth-century farmhouse housing 12 apartments.
Curating wellness
Wellness is the biggest trend among Como’s clients, which Jolivet is keen to stress extends far beyond spa treatments, encompassing holistic experiences such as meditation, aromatherapy and sleeping therapy. “It’s a trend we were already thinking about before Covid, but Covid exacerbated that need for most of our clients worldwide. People have no time to [invest in wellness] when they are busy working, so they want to do it during their holiday.”
Como is launching a new sleep therapy programme across its portfolio, and Jolivet adds: “Hospitality is moving more into a service industry where wellness is a key component of it. For a niche brand like us, we don’t sell rooms. We sell experiences.” Jolivet said while Como won’t become purely focused on wellness in the future, it is a “really important component of our offer”, and he plans to increase both the footprint of the wellness space in properties and the range of treatments they offer, spanning nutrition, sleeping, meditation and a range of new therapies.
Jolivet has also seen an increase in last-minute bookings compared to pre-pandemic, with some clients booking as little as a week before departure for a long-haul trip. He also cites the increase in multi-generational groups, with up to 10 to 20 family members now travelling together. And with Como’s expanding portfolio, travellers certainly won’t be short of options for their next getaway.
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