"We take it on a case-by-case basis. We always have a backup plan," says [capella DC GM] Bustamante. As for cleaning staff, "We do staff a little earlier and later than most hotels and assign fewer rooms [per person] so that we can focus on attention to detail." It helps that Capella's hotels are small and intimate (the D.C. property has 49 rooms), so the reception team doesn't have to keep track of a huge number of guests. And if there was a situation where every single departing guest wanted late check-out and every single arriving guest wanted early check-in, staff will talk to guests and try to negotiate in order to prevent chaos. So far though, Bustamante says, the system is working out pretty well.

Patina hotel and resort brand books rooms in blocks of 24 hours

Kempinski Hotels’ supervisory board and the board of directors of Kempinski Hotels SA have unanimously agreed to appoint Markus Semer as chairman of the management board and chief executive officer.

The move comes following the stepping down of the group’s previous CEO Alejandro Bernabe.