The ability to successfully carve out a niche is one of the golden objectives of any business organization. Pure originality is a lovely idea, but it's mostly fairytale, a chimera. Every business idea has already been taken - but how an idea is implemented, creates the opportunity for an original statement. To be able to delight and make memorable an environment or experience is something that is not commonplace, whether it's selling a coffee, an airline, or a hamburger. The successful companies, like Apple, have everyone running around them trying to figure out what their secret recipe is; they aren't the only computer company out there, but they are the only one creating fans. They provide a lovely retail experience, with admirable products, and a strong brand identity - a very simple recipe on paper, but harder to achieve than it looks.
Brett Tollman is the President and CEO of The Travel Corporation, a collection of select, luxury hotels and travel services; a company, much like Apple, offering that rarest of rare things - an attention to detail and commitment to the customer experience that only the best businesses have. What sets the twelve boutique hotels in the Red Carnation collection apart, is their individual sense and celebration of location - this is because TTC acquires (often exquisite) pre-existing buildings, which gives them a unique feel, whilst retaining the five-star-ethos intrinsic to the brand. In a recent interview for a travel show, Tollman was asked, "What is your strategy for growing the brand?" to which he replied with refreshing candor, "There really hasn't been one - it's always been about finding the right place, and the feeling that the location has a certain impact; a place that offers a unique and special experience."
And indeed they do. Although there are just one dozen Red Carnation Hotels around the world, it's refreshing to see that they reject the prefabricated, homogeneity often associated with other successful brands. 'Intuitive acquisitions' are just a part of the entire Red Carnation experience, though.
The other main ingredient is the glorious attention to detail, done with a natural sense of elan, illuminating the fact that TTC can't possibly be newcomers to the industry. Such style takes cultivation and experience. "I'm a third generation hotelier...so it's in my blood." It's true, Tollman comes from an illustrious line that sees his mother, Beatrice, personally involved with the decor of all of the hotels, giving them an eclectic elegance that varies from location to location - be it Durban, Geneva, the U.S. or London. In fact, Beatrice Tollman goes so far as to personally select the Christmas gifts for the almost 2,000 employees of Red Carnation Hotels every year, making the family maxim: "Happy employees, make happy guests," more than just lip service. It's true dedication to an ideal. But don't just take my word for it.
The awards and accolades achieved by The Red Carnation Collection in recent years are numerous enough to fill a book, literally a weighty dossier of industry appreciation and glowing reviews. Quotes in the press abound from such luminaries as Architectural Digest (describing The Milestone Hotel as "One of the best in the world"), multiple No.1 rankings form Conde Nast Traveller, Travel and Leisure Magazine (Bushmans Kloof, Cape Town, voted "Best Hotel In The World"), The Culinary Guide, and The New York Times. Wherever the location, Red Carnation makes good on its ethos of 'No Request Too Large, No Detail Too Small.'
How refreshing to see an organization deliver on its promises; in such an inundated market as the travel industry, to stand out from the multitudes, with such a strong belief in the holism of the brand, is truly admirable. And the customers feel it. The difference, one could say, is in the details.
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