The Patina, Capitol Singapore’s general manager, Tracy Lowe
PATINA Hotels & Resorts puts its faith on a first-time general manager to bring to life its vision of ‘every staff a concierge’ at its first hotel, The Patina, Capitol Singapore, a 157-room hotel in two restored heritage buildings, Capitol Building and Stamford House, opening in 3Q.
Much is at stake for Tracy Lowe, previously hotel manager of The Peace Hotel, Shanghai and The Plaza New York. The brand is created by Singapore’s Pontiac Land, which is no stranger to luxury hotels and art as owners of the Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore and Capella Hotel Singapore.
But Lowe, in her first interview, shows courage. “It’s less about being a general manager for the first time; it is more that we’re going to be the first Patina. We carry the responsibility that we’re going to be the first to execute the vision that our CEO Mr Marc Dardenne and the ownership have set.”
The hotel aims to show that personalised service is not just a piece of over-used industry jargon through a new concept, Patina 360º Concierge, which does away with the traditional concierge desk and traditional check-in methods.
Instead, a guest can walk up to any staff, who is groomed as a one-stop-shop host able to confidently assist him with any request. Every member of staff is hired not just for their skills but also based on their interests, as that forms the basis for ideas and recommendations given to guests.
Said Lowe: “Anyone you run into should be able to help you with anything. And what we’re trying to do is give guests the deeper answers or insights.
“Say a guest would love to try Hainanese chicken rice, we don’t just say, ‘Go there’. We inform him where is the best place to go, can we get him there, and when he’s there, what he needs to order, so it becomes a Singapore experience for him.”
The Patina, Capitol Singapore expects leisure to be large business for starters and is looking at introductory package rates of “low S$400s” (US$297) for its entry-level Magnolia rooms.
“That’s why travel agencies are so important for us. We’re part of LHW (Leading Hotels of the World) and we’re working closely with Virtuoso and high-end leisure agencies, with key feeder markets being Australia, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and the US,” said Lowe.
“We’re looking at individual corporates, leisure, the right size groups. We expect corporate business to go up later.”
