John Blanco has been appointed as the General Manager of Capella Bangkok

Capella Bangkok scheduled to open in the last quarter of 2018, located along the rejuvenated Chao Phraya River waterfront promenade, Capella Bangkok offers 101 rooms, suites and villas with panoramic views of Thailand’s revered river.

“John is a dynamic leader with strong values and a passion for service excellence. With his extensive experience in luxury hospitality at some of the world’s most prestigious hotels, I am confident that John will bring our Capella service philosophy to life in Bangkok,” said Nicholas M. Clayton, Chief Executive Officer of Capella Hotel Group.

An American with roots in Venezuela, John is a global citizen who was raised in various cities around the world. His sterling career took him to iconic destinations where inspiring travel experiences are conjured. For the past 25 years, John was single-minded in his pursuit of luxury hospitality with an impressive track record at Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and many award-winning independent hotels. His global perspective and proficiency in six languages put him in good stead to curate memorable experiences for Capella Bangkok’s international clientele.

Tasked with the debut of Capella Hotels and Resorts’ first property in Thailand, John will provide strategic guidance to the pre-opening team ensuring operational success and premium positioning of Capella Bangkok.

Poised on the east bank of the River of Kings, Capella Bangkok is an integral part of the prestigious new development, Chao Phraya Estate. Sensitively designed with the Chao Phraya River in mind, all rooms at this new luxury landmark offer unobstructed river views complemented by the exceptional hallmarks of Capella Hotels and Resorts, which was recently voted as the world’s fifth best hotel brand by readers of Travel + Leisure in the 2017 World’s Best Awards.

Another distinctive feature of Capella Bangkok is the partnership with the celebrated culinary icon, Mauro Colagreco. As the only Argentinian chef in the world to have two Michelin stars, Mr. Colagreco will conceptualize a signature restaurant to showcase his creative French-Riviera cuisine.

Other features of Capella Bangkok include The Capella Library, a specialty piano bar serving inspired desserts and innovative cocktails, a riverside Southeast Asian brasserie with Thai inspiration, Auriga Spa wellness retreat as well as an elegant grand ballroom featuring panoramic views of the Chao Phraya River.

Being the new landmark along the Chao Phraya, Capella Bangkok is a collaborative effort between world class artisans in real estate development. Mr. Ben Taechaubol, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Country Group Development said, “We specifically selected Capella Hotel Group for this project to introduce a standard of bespoke luxury to our guests in Bangkok and we have every confidence that with John Blanco at the helm, Capella Bangkok will not only achieve but exceed that goal when the hotel welcomes guests in the last quarter of 2018.”

Capella Hotel Group, headquartered in Singapore with offices in China, Europe and USA, offers global hospitality management services through two distinct brands. Capella Hotels and Resorts is an ultra-luxury hotel, resort, and residential concept designed for the most discerning travelers and offering personalized attention with locations in Düsseldorf, Saint Lucia, Shanghai and Singapore as well as hotels planned for Ubud, Bangkok, Maldives and Sydney.

Solís Hotels and Resorts, is an exclusive collection of resorts, hotels and residences designed for travelers and meeting planners who seek an environment with a global palette of cosmopolitan comfort, inspiring cuisine, world-class spas with locations in Donegal, Ireland; Nanjing, China and Atlanta, USA along with hotels planned for Bali and Guangzhou.

The Chao Phraya Estate enjoys a prime waterfront location in Bangkok’s heritage quarter on an unprecedented 14.2 acres of land. The project is valued at approx. USD 1 billion and the development features 3 unique properties – Four Seasons Private Residences Bangkok, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and Capella Hotel Bangkok. Construction started in Q3 2014 with expected completion in Q4 2018. The masterplan and design is by Hamiltons International with architecture by Dhevanand Architects Co., Ltd. and interior design by BAMO Inc. and PIA Interior Co., Ltd. The Landscape Designer is P Landscape Co., Ltd.

Country Group Development (CGD) is the Thailand-based, international real estate development and investment arm of Country Group. With a proven track record of delivering bold and complex asset transformations including Four Seasons Private Residences Bangkok, Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok, and Capella Hotel Bangkok; the company is a unique player in the market with a competitive edge from its diversified real estate strategy and ability to leverage from the Country Group affiliate network of companies.