La Vie Hotels and Resorts’ recently appointed Chief Operating Officer Marcus Hanna discusses the white label landscape, asset enhancement and global expansion.
Marcus, you recently joined the La Vie team after nearly two decades with Accor. What drew you to this role and company?
There has been a shift towards white label and third-party hotel management in Asia Pacific, and while it’s still in its infancy, it’s certainly gaining traction. It’s a very big model in the US and Europe, and it’s coming here. Having seen the focus on owner returns, looking after the asset, looking after the people, and the focus on guest satisfaction, I thought it was a great opportunity to join and see if we can grow the business. I’ve known Jerry Xu (CEO of La Vie Hotels and Resorts) for about 15 years. He’s a great guy, he’s a good operator, and he’s got a good team on board.
How will you cultivate your relationships within the hotel industry in this new role?
We see the brands as partners. We want to make sure that we put the right brand on the right hotel for that location, that will get the owners return. We work hand in hand with the brand to ensure the property is successful for them and for us. I’ve had a lengthy working history with Accor and with IHG, and we’ll use those relationships to continue to grow as well as engaging other global brands to further enhance owner recommendations.
What locations are of particular interest in La Vie’s expansion plans?
Japan is a market that we would like to get into. That’s big on our agenda. We want to grow our portfolio in Thailand (currently one property in Patong Beach). Singapore is pretty tightly held. We’d love to get into Singapore, and to continue to expand in the Maldives. We are also expanding our support offices to include Shanghai this year which will give us important in market visibility.
Will you be primarily focused on existing or new-build properties?
We are looking at both conversions and new builds. Nu by Yoo is a prime example of an owner that wanted a brand that was not in Australia. It is a 97-key new-build hotel and there will be branded residences as well – and that brand will assist with selling the residences. Yoo is a Philippe Starck design brand, and it will be a very interesting addition to this market.
The Islington Hotel in Hobart is an important property in the Australian portfolio. How has hotel and guest experience evolved since La Vie came on as both owner and operator in 2022?
The benefit of La Vie is having our own platform – a team of commercial, revenue, technical services, procurement and marketing experts – ready to plug in to any new hotel. The Islington has had an investment of close to $1 million since it was taken over. Now, we’re in a good space to showcase this hotel as a leader in its category.
What percentage of La Vie’s properties are owned and managed? And what are the benefits you see in owned versus managed and vice versa?
At the moment, about 20% is owned and the rest is managed. One advantage of owned is that we make all the decisions. If we are going to invest, we make that decision internally, and we have our own technical service team that can help with the design. Our model is mainly built on managing properties on behalf of an owner, and that’s where we see the majority of growth. Hotel management is our expertise, and that’s what we deliver to ensure the best returns for the owner. We have a sister company that provides housekeeping services, and we have procurement services that we can offer as well. We are a one-stop shop for owners.
La Vie has also established its own brand NOOE (Never Odd Or Even). Can you tell us a bit about that and any future plans for the brand?
Our model is built on working with owners and understanding what their objectives are, making sure that the right is on that hotel. For our hotel in the Maldives, we created a brand around that hotel – we have the expertise in house to do that. NOOE is a lifestyle brand with a strong emphasis on Food and Beverage in resort or city locations. The brand will grow. We expect to announce another NOOE – a new build property – in the coming