15. March 2019

BEST OF MOMENTS - March 15, 2019

It's all about passion ...

Born and raised in Palma by parents who’ve owned and managed multiple hotels on the islands of Mallorca, Ibiza and Gran Canaria for more than 40 years, Vanessa Cabau Wolf is used to the special seasonal rhythm of the Balearics. Unlike many tourists and new residents, she’s not cocooned in sunshine during Summer, only to think that everything seems devoid of life and heart during Winter. But admittedly, she also has the great advantage of staying in one of the absolute sweetest spots in Palma: A place that very much has its own soul. A place with lots of life and atmosphere – even on grey and rainy days. Where? She’s the owner of Hotel Glòria de Sant Jaume – better known as ‘the soul of Palma’. Why? Because it’s all about passion!

The first thing that springs to mind when listening to Vanessa Cabau Wolf talk about the special family project that is now Hotel Glòria de Sant Jaume is: “Don’t put a period, where God intended a comma!” This is a person with so many visions, dreams and hopes for both her hotel and the entire city – and with sufficient stamina and skill to realize as many, if not all, of them as possible – that she only deals in commas. Never in periods. Everything is constantly moving and evolving. Constantly changing and progressing. But always with keen respect of the past and always in search of restoring what was once great to its old glory. The glory of Glòria de Sant Jaume. 

Introducing Vanessa Cabau Wolf

She enters the hotel with one of her children. Having just picked up her daughter from school, she’s seemed relaxed in the everyday rumble of life, as if stepping into her own home. And as her parents pass by in the spectacular hallway of the hotel, waiting to babysit, you cannot help but get the feeling that this is not a hotel at all. It has the heartfelt warmth and hospitality of a home. A grand old home that just happens to be located in one of the grand old palaces in the heart of Palma. And you instantly and instinctively feel it: El alma de Palma. The soul of not just the house, but of the city itself. 

It's an honour 

But it is, indeed, a hotel. And on top, a hotel that received one of the greatest honours of the industry just leading up to its first anniversary: Judged and awarded ‘one of the best 15 new hotels in the world’ by the very prestigious LTI, Luxury Travel Intelligence. And in an industry where lots of awards are bought and paid for, this particular honour is exactly that: An honour. It came totally unexpected – also in view of the fact that only two other hotels from Europe are featured on the list; the rest are found in far-away, exotic destinations such as the Maldives, Bali, Cambodia, Fiji and Hong Kong. 

... and a privilege

"Needless to say, we’re immensely proud. It means that all our efforts, and months and months of hard work and dedication to create this unique hotel, have not gone by unnoticed, but have been recognized. It means that our work to rebuild a historic Palma palace that has formed part of the capital’s historic registry since the 16thcentury is appreciated. It really is an honour and a privilege that simply means the world to us – and hopefully also to our guests”, comments Vanessa Cabau Wolf on the 19 months of renovations that proceeded the five-star boutique hotel opening in January 2018. 

A learning curve where the devil is in the detail 

“Although I’ve been in the hotel business for quite a number of years, it’s been a different experience to subsequently run this 14 room boutique hotel than any other hotel with 100+ rooms. It’s been a challenge and an on-going learning curve to understand the high-end market and not only meet expectations, but also constantly exceed them. To make sure that we have every luxury available at the fingertips of our customers, while remaining true to our ambition and vision of having them enter into a homelike atmosphere – with the highest quality of service and an almost magical touch of history”.  

The differentiating factor is passion

“Our rule of thumb is that we take – and make – everything personal”, Vanessa Cabau Wolf smiles. “We personalize every service and every aspect of living in our hotel, and we do it with a very casual and home-like feel to it. We’ve proactively chosen to run our 14 rooms like a house – a home. This means that we’ve decreased the structure, so that every employee is his or her own boss, because we don’t have departmental managers, and, therefore, everyone has to be passionate about our philosophy – and want to share and show it”. 

The word 'no' doesn't exist 

“Glòria de Sant Jaume is about exceeding expectations. From day one, my father treated this entire project with the same extreme attention to detail that he would his own home. Both he and my mother poured their hearts into it and put their own special and very personal touch on all aspects related to creating this glorious place. Has it been demanding? Yes. But has it been worthwhile? Definitely yes. When we look at the final result, and when we hear our guests respond so positively to everything from the carpentry to the handpicked furnishings and décor, we get the same magical feeling that they do of the property’s soul and the fact that we’ve preserved the essence of history by bringing this ancient building back to its glory. We didn’t say ‘no’ when restoring the place, but kept our eye on making the best possible end result. We still don’t say ‘no’ – only now, it’s to our guests, who may enter as guests when they come, but should feel so much at home while here that they leave as part of our house and part of the Glòria de Sant Jaume family”, Vanessa Cabau Wolf concludes our interview and tour around her beautiful venue. 

Authenticity and character

In summary, this hotel seems to go way beyond a business project. Even way beyond a family project. And you get the same feeling about the hotel as you do about its owner and manager Vanessa Cabau Wolf: A sense of life. No corners are cut. You find passion in every detail. And the value-add of the acquaintance is in the obvious authenticity, character and personality. You simply cannot split the two: The hotel and its owner. Both ooze of exclusive and elegant taste with a very down-to-earth and relaxed feel. Both exude a trustworthiness and tranquillity that leaves you completely at ease, because it resembles the calm of being at home. One is built on passion. The other fuelled by it. But whichever way you look at it: It’s really all about passion. 

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