Opening Capella Washington D.C. Georgetown

April 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Capella Washington DC

I will never forget the memories created the morning of Friday, March 22nd, 2013 when Capella Washington D.C., Georgetown first opened doors to the public!  But before the doors opened the enthusiasm behind-the-scenes reached a fever pitch.  Excitement had been building days prior to opening, with events such as orientation with our corporate leaders, to daily training sessions with department heads from other Capella Hotels and Resorts locations, to our employee Pep Rally event the Thursday before opening!

Each happening made me feel closer and closer to my colleagues, managers and corporate leaders, and gave all of us here at Capella Washington D.C. inspiration and the required tools for success.  I have never been a part of a hotel opening before, but now that I have and as Peter Schoch, VP of Food & Beverage says, “no one will ever take that away from me.”

The morning of Pep Rally was my personal favorite.  I arrived at 8:00 am to ten boxes of Krispy Cream doughnuts and knew it was going to be a great day.  Alex Obertop, General Manager and CAO, Owen Dorsey, opened with some speeches.  They let us know today was a party- not only for the hotel, but also for all of us.

Opening Capella Washington DC

That’s when the marching band arrived!  The band from Dunbar High School in Washington D.C., positioned themselves in the middle of 31st street, outside of the hotel and began their march through the outdoor patio into the main lobby entrance.  From there it was one big celebration.  A fantastic DJ played music and plenty of delicious food from our neighboring restaurant was served.  Everyone was clapping, dancing and smiling.  There was even a great video montage of everything we had done to get to this point— opening a hotel is hard work!  And after all of it, this was just what we needed.  The celebration really was the ultimate kick off to the journey we are now on.  I am so proud of what we’ve created and I am excited for you to experience it for yourself.

To hear more, be sure to follow me, your Capella Washington D.C. Insider, on Facebook & Twitter and keep a look out for my next blog post, featuring an annual spring specialty in Washington D.C.!

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Behind The Scenes: Capella Washington D.C.

December 24, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Walk in Refrigerators

The holidays are in full swing here in Washington D.C.  In between all of the decorating, baking, shopping and parties, construction at Capella Washington D.C. has continued.   It is so fascinating to walk through the hotel and see changes, like the recently installed walk-in refrigerators in the kitchen and the dry wall that has been mounted around the hotel!  Each room has its own unique flow and design, and I can begin to envision where the stone tub will be or where the gorgeous living room furniture will sit.  I am also in love with the brand new floor to ceiling windows that look over the historic Georgetown C&O Canal!

Walk in Refrigerators

One of the main focuses this month has been perfecting all the details and components for the deluxe king bedroom photo shoot!  After many hours and days of transforming, beautifying and patiently waiting on furniture arrivals from Europe, the look is nearly complete.  I can’t wait to share it with you… (but that is for a future post!)

Up next I would like to share my December insider video update with General Manager, Alex Obertop!  After watching you might ask, what is that beautiful building behind him?  Well, what else than the recently landscaped restaurant and bar view of Capella Washington D.C., Georgetown!  Be sure to follow me for all the up-to-date info Facebook and Twitter!

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The Washington Harbour Ice Rink

December 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Washington Harbour Ice Rink

Do you recall your last ice skating adventure?  Well, as the cold winter approaches in Washington D.C., the Washington Harbour in Georgetown has unveiled its newest attraction: the Washington Harbour ice rink, D.C.’s largest ice rink measuring at 11,800 square feet!  This is something I am very excited about and already have a visit planned with friends.

The gorgeous ice rink is located just one block away from Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown and looks over the historic Potomac River.  I cannot think of a better way to embrace the icy temperatures, bundling up in your favorite winter coat and hat.  The rink, which opened in November, will be available through March and has both daytime and nighttime hours.

To ring-in the Holidays, the Washington Harbour ice rink recently celebrated “Winter on the Water,” a new celebration held this past Saturday, December 1st. The event featured strolling ice skating entertainers, skating performances, choral singers, a St. Lucia parade, and artistic lighting effects.  Guests also indulged in exceptional foods and beverages prepared and served outdoors by the top restaurants located in the Harbour waterfront.

Hopefully you will have an opportunity to visit the rink.  And, if you are staying with Capella Washington, D.C., Georgetown then your Personal Assistants can help organize your excursion!

For more information, visit TheWashingtonHarbour.com

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Behind The Scenes At Capella Washington DC: JFW Inc.

November 1, 2012 by 1 Comment
Capella Washington DC: JFW Inc.

“It has been the highlight of my 30 some odd year career.” These are the words of Jim Wilson, President of JFW, Inc. speaking about his working collaboration with his son, Jim Wilson Jr., Project Manager of JFW Inc.  The duo are the project management team behind the construction of the upcoming Capella Washington DC, Georgetown.  They took some time to sit down with me to discuss working with family and this special hotel project.

What are your backgrounds and how did you end up in this business?

Jim – “I am an engineer and a large commercial construction builder.  Twenty years ago I started my own firm, working as an owner’s representative and project manager for many independent organizations that don’t have a project management expertise on staff.”

Jim Jr. – “I graduated in 2007 from the University of Maryland as a Mechanical Engineer.  For three years I worked for a general contractor and spent one year as an owner’s representative for the federal government.  I am currently working on my MBA at Johns Hopkins University while being the Project Manager for JFW and Capella Washington DC, Georgetown.

What is it like working with your son?

Jim – “I cannot be more proud of the quality of his work and his integrity. He represents the owners and me as his father extremely well.  Jim is an extraordinary individual.  He is a classical pianist and a great athlete and very talented, more than I am [laughing].  He works hard to help others and is an unusually humble young man that I appreciate and highly respect.  Much of his talents and smarts also come from his mother!”

What is it like working with your father?

Jim Jr. – “I love working with my dad, he’s very well respected and what I appreciate most is his high level of integrity.  He has a very clear compass of what’s right and what’s wrong.  I’ve always enjoyed the problem aspect of construction.  Growing up watching my dad I realized it was something I enjoyed doing too.  I began to understand how well respected he was and that he truly is one of the best in the field.  That is the moment when I knew I wanted to work for him.”

What makes working on this project so special and different from other projects?

Jim – “This project is like building a very large jewelry box; all the details are very intricate.  There isn’t a lot of repetition going on anywhere in the building— each room is unique.  The wood floor for the bar is from a castle in France, and the marble stone that lays in the lobby as well as the millwork is coming from Austria.”

Jim Jr. – “I’d say the level of finishes and the beauty of the design itself.  I’ve done a number of projects for school and for the government, and I have to say none of them were as aesthetically pleasing.  It is something to be very proud of when we are done.”

What makes Capella Special?

Jim – “It is like the difference between being on a 747 versus a private jet, and Capella is the jet.  Capella is nimble; you are dealing very, very closely with decision makers.  Capella is lean in its operation and organization, you feel like this is a real team of people working together, not just working for a corporate company.  There are a lot of devoted, hardworking people.”

Jim Jr. – “What’s neat is there is a real strong emphasis with the people that they are going to ultimately serve with this building.  You can see it with all Capella employees; they are very nice, kind people and focused on others.  I think that comes across in how this hotel is being built.  There’s a focus on the person that is going to stay here, making sure the building is beautiful for the clients.”

How does it feel to see your son following in your footsteps?

Jim – “He is much smarter and more talented than I am.  I just hope that I can get him started in a way that he can be as successful and influential as the Capella Canon is.  We have a lot of fun and we love to laugh together.  We love playing golf together and we are very, very close.  He tells me he loves me every day.  I hope he still enjoys it after a number of years, I don’t want to wear him out!”

 

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