hollywood billionaire

Chapter 274 The Origin of Luxury Hotels

Han Yi's interest in luxury hotels can also be attributed to his asset manager, Antoine Gachet.

On the first day after landing in Europe, on the highway from Nice to Monaco, Antoine accidentally mentioned Lucerne, the most beautiful town in the world in his opinion, and the legendary hotel Bürgenstock nestled among the mountains.When Han Yi learned that a hotel could be worth nine figures, and even rebuilding it could cost [-] million Swiss francs, his excitement was palpable.

Where can you find a bigger spending item than this?

More importantly, Han Yi himself is particularly interested in luxury hotels.My family has been in the business of chain restaurants, teahouses and hotels in Chengdu, and has been influenced by it since childhood. Although it is not as beloved as music, it would be a lie to say that it has not touched me at all.

Moreover, Han Yi's other two hobbies, travel and food, happen to also promote his enthusiasm for the hotel industry.

The amount of transactions involved is huge, and the foreseeable positive feedback is bound to be strong. What reason does Han Yi have to miss this consumption opportunity that can quickly make his worth reach one billion US dollars?

Therefore, at Han Yi's strong request, Antoine Gachet quickly arranged a luxury hotel cruise between the Monaco Yacht Show and Frieze Art Exhibition.

First stop, Lake Como.

This is a glacial lake located in Lombardy, northern Italy.The water source of Lake Como comes from the Ada River near the Swiss border, and the water source of the Ada River comes from melting ice and snow in the Alps, hence the name of the glacial lake.

Lake Como, which is distributed in a Y shape, has a total area of ​​146 square kilometers and is the third largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore.Not only that, with a water depth of more than 400 meters, it has become the fifth deepest lake in Europe. If Norway is not included, Lake Como is the deepest in Europe.

Since Roman times, Lake Como has been the back garden of the nobility and wealthy, and is one of the most popular upscale holiday destinations on the continent.

"This is the characteristic of the European hotel industry. In other regions, the most expensive and luxurious hotels are basically located in the core areas of world-class metropolitan areas. In the Americas, they are New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, in Asia, they are Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong, and others. Some cities with a population of over [-] million...but in Europe, the most prestigious luxury hotels are actually located more between small towns and mountains."

An hour and a half later, the helicopter landed at Lugano Airport. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan had been waiting in front of the tarmac for a long time. There was no luggage, and there was no customs clearance process for intra-EU routes. Han Yi and his party did not stop at all and bowed. We got into the car and drove to Lake Como.

While enjoying the fourth act of "Force de Destiny" composed by Verdi, the greatest composer in North Italy, which was played in the concierge car at a deliberately low volume, Antoine Gachet introduced Han Yi to the song he was familiar with. Overview of the continental hotel industry.

"What about Paris and London?" Han Yi asked enthusiastically. He didn't know much about Europe as a whole, so he was even more curious and eager to learn. "There are also hotels in Rome, Florence...Venice. The hotels in these places should be good. ?”

“There are of course many outstanding five-star hotels in these cities, the Four Seasons in Florence, the Cipriani Belmond in Venice, the Eden in Rome, but also the Crillon in Paris and the Ritz in London…and of course, the Ritz in Paris Hereby included, these are globally competitive hospitality boutiques.”

Antoine Gachet is well aware of Europe's top hotels, or Europe's old money life itself.No need to think about it, he can casually tell him the best place to stay in each city in his mind.

"But they are fundamentally different from five-star hotels on other continents. When you stay at the Mandarin Oriental in the Time Warner Center in New York, you enjoy the two Michelin three-star restaurants downstairs and the panoramic view of Central Park outside the window. The hotel itself.”

“But in Europe, what people enjoy is the hotel itself?”

"Yes, this is the biggest feature of our place. Every hotel I mentioned is a unique historical landmark."

“The Four Seasons Hotel in Florence consists of two buildings, one is a sixteenth-century convent, and the other is the fifteenth-century Palazzo Gradesca. If you check in now, you can still see Bartolomeo at the main entrance- The coat of arms of Scala is a precious heritage of the Florentine Republic under the Medici. The Cipriani Hotel in Venice, with the Vendelamine Palace as its main body, is a literary and artistic building funded by the Governor of Venice, Leonardo Loredan. A masterpiece of revival and the place where Richard Wagner lived before his death."

"Not to mention the Eden Hotel. It is located on Mount Pinthian, one of the Seven Hills of Rome. Caesar and his successor Augustus once built their estates here. As the most upscale residential area in Rome, this This area has been the best choice for the upper class to stay since ancient times, and the Eden Hotel is the best in Xi'an Mountain."

"Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, Princess Teresa of Bavaria, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, Prince Paul of Serbia, Queen Amelia of Portugal, Prince Umberto of Savoy, the Galitzin family All the members...and Ingrid Bergman, Hemingway and Fellini. The corridor from the sixth floor to the fifth floor bathroom of the Eden Hotel is filled with portraits of these amazing historical figures."

"How many nights have you stayed at the Eden Hotel, Antoine?" Han Yi joked, "Your understanding of it has far exceeded the normal level that ordinary people can understand."

"I've stayed here too many times, Mr. Han. I've stopped counting since No. 30." Antoine Gachet smiled at Han Yi, "Whenever I visit Rome, I will definitely choose the Eden Hotel. La Terrazza restaurant has the most delicious carbonara in Italy.”

"The reason why I give these examples is to tell you that Europe...is really a very special place in the modern world. It is a place where time has stood still, and urban renewal is rarely seen, and even if it is, it is only on the margins. Build another satellite city in the suburbs. The core areas of most cities retain the layout and style of hundreds or even thousands of years ago. Life is certainly inconvenient for local residents. If you want to live in the city, you have to Not living in a small apartment built 200 years ago, which has seriously aged, and does not even have an elevator. Not to mention residents, even tourists, can enjoy very little living space, even in a five-star hotel, ordinary The room is only twenty or thirty square meters. This is why Europeans especially like to dine outdoors. We can only find the sense of space that cannot be found indoors outside." "You mean, this is also Europe Why are the top luxury hotels mainly located in natural scenic areas?" Han Yi speculated, "Because the city is too crowded and cramped, so when the holidays come, people want to stay in the vast mountains, rivers and countryside."

"Yes, that's one of the reasons. Another reason is that Europe is also where the modern concept of tourism was first invented."

“Concept of modern tourism?”

"Going from one city to another to survive, or conduct business transactions, and take a look at the scenery there is not a pure tourist vacation. The habit of traveling to another country during vacation that we are familiar with now can be traced back to Western Europe in the 17th century. and Northern Europe. At that time, young nobles liked to go on the so-called 'Grant Tour', traveling around Europe, usually including France, Germany, Italy and Greece. The main purpose was to visit and absorb the history, art and cultural heritage of these areas, which was considered at the time I think it is a more perfect way of education than books.”

"Only those with rich material conditions who can temporarily or permanently break away from the production process can have the luxury of traveling." Han Yi thought for a moment and nodded slightly.

"Yes, although this is not a glorious history, Europe during that period did rely on the industrial revolution and global colonization, plundering and dumping everywhere, allowing the aristocracy to quickly accumulate unimaginable huge wealth. After the aristocrats stepped out of their homes, Previously, other types of travelers in history were not picky about the living environment. Pilgrims, merchants, artists, soldiers and bandits, as I said, they traveled not for fun, but for profit, or other more The reality is a bloodier target. These people don't need luxurious accommodation, any shelter that can close their eyes will satisfy them: taverns, country inns, and even monasteries are all crowded with people passing by."

"In ancient times, nobles rarely had the need to go out. They usually went out to visit friends, reunite with family members, or complete diplomatic missions assigned by the kings. In this case, they would stay as guests in the villas and palaces of nobles whom they knew well. Some particular people would even send servants to go over the route before each trip, buy a residence at the destination in advance, and even build a manor there. After all, in those days, if it was a diplomatic mission, it usually meant that they would be in Live in other countries and regions for several years.”

"But the nature of travel and vacation among modern people is completely different from this, isn't it? Very few people will stay in one place for several years just for fun. After all, the meaning of travel is not to change places to stay for a long time, but to make use of limited life, and see the wider world as much as possible.”

"No matter how rich a nobleman is, it is impossible for him to stay in a certain city for two or three days and just buy a villa and leave it idle. Therefore, luxury hotels came into being. Starting from 1800, buildings on both sides of the Atlantic began to be built in line with the aristocratic style. High-end hotels for residential needs. However, North America and Europe have very different ways of building luxury hotels. The former puts them in newly completed skyscrapers. For example, the Metropolitan Hotel in New York opened with the building at 95 Broadway Avenue At that time, the Metropolitan Hotel was built next to the railroad to provide the most convenient living environment for wealthy people who took the train to visit Manhattan."

"Broadway...train?" Han Yi raised his voice in surprise.

"Yes, New York was covered with elevated railways at that time. The above-ground lines you see in Brooklyn and the above-ground lines now used by the subway were all trains more than 100 years ago." Antoine Gachet spread his hands, "The city They used trains for international travel and switched to horse-drawn carriages made of iron boxes when they arrived in the city. This was the way of travel for the new wealthy people in the United States before the advent of automobiles. Today, no rich man wants to build his five-star hotel next to a train station or airport. , but in the [-]th century this was a major attraction for Americans, and the different definitions of enjoyment and comfort on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can be perfectly reflected from this point."

“What defines Europe?”

"The Americas and the subsequent rise of Asia are pursuing the magnificence of the New World, while Europe has been indulging in the glory of the Old World. I think this is the best definition of European luxury hotels. The most Greek or Roman is the most OK."

"So, what you are saying is that Europe is still living in Renaissance thinking."

"In a sense... no, in many, many ways, that is true. What revitalizes Europe is precisely the yearning for the past."

"You see, the Westminster Hotel in Paris, opened in 1809, is located on the famous Rue de la Paix, between the historic Theater Garnier and Place Vendôme. Its architectural style and interior displays are consistent with the Louis XIV period. and the Italian Baroque style of Louis XIV, and there is no essential difference between the Renaissance architecture that this king strove to imitate.”

"This is the biggest feature of European luxury hotels. The modern styles of Milan and Frankfurt are despicable outliers. Few tourists coming to Europe are willing to stay in these two cities because they are not European enough. London and Paris also have high-rise buildings. There are so many buildings, but no one wants to live in Canary Wharf or La Défense... Broken Leaf is just a rare exception."

“Real Europe represents Old World luxury in its purest form: huge stone castles, sprawling palaces with velvets and chandeliers, historic villas by the sea or lake.”

"And this is the fundamental reason why the top hotels in Europe are never within the city limits. A dirty and chaotic city center cannot breed real ancient mansions. A reclusive aristocrat whose wealth has been passed down within the family for hundreds of years , appears only in God’s most wonderful and tender gaze.”

"Lake Como...is one of the places where God pays the most attention?"

"Look out the window...in fact, roll down the window and feel the wind coming off Lake Como."

Antoine Gachet pressed the button and let the two rear windows of the car slowly fall down, letting the still warm lakeside breeze from Southern Europe in October flow into the car.

"Experience it for yourself and tell me what you think, Mr. Han."

(End of this chapter)