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The Bvlgari brand has come a long way since its inception in
1884. Founded by Greek emigrant Sotirio Bvlgari as a jewelry
business, the company, which is based in Rome, Italy, has expanded into
the design and hospitality business.
The company launched its second resort in Uluwatu, Bali, on Sept. 23,
following the success of its boutique hotel in Milan,
Italy.
Below are the excerpts of an interview with Nicola Bvlgari, vice
chairman of Bvlgari.
Why did you take Bvlgari into hotels and resorts? The mission is to
have something that represents and emphasizes the
importance of our brand throughout the world. The brand is a very big
brand.
We already have a place in Milan, which is what everybody is talking
about. The hotel is a personal hotel. It's runs alone
from the pack. The resort in Bali is our second statement.
This is a kind of resort that stands alone. The message is 'sure we are
great jeweler, we have a great luxury brand but we
also want people to know that we can venture into this business.'
Now, other luxury brands are trying to copy us. We are number one
still. Other are copying us but they are just copying.
Why Bali? We all know about Bali. It's one of the great resorts in the
world. Bali has a name and image, more than the
Caribbean.
It's a mythical place. We don't want to do ordinary things like anybody
else. The cliff here in Uluwatu is perfect for our
location.
Our company respects fully the meaning of the (cultural) background in
Bali. There is so much history in Bali so we built our
project incorporating indigenous elements from the area.
The design a good blend between western and Balinese styles. We use
lava stone from the area for our bungalows and coral
stone for the walls. The trees are also local.
How was the transition going from jewelry to the resort business?
Jewelry sells by itself. We also made improvements by
consolidating the business.
Our business is all over the world. We are developing a Bvlgari
building in Ginza, Tokyo, which will stand out. The building
will give us prestige.
JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton (hotels) are going to assist us in this
business. Both have been existed for quite a long time
and have a good reputation in the industry.
Plus, we are marketing the resort throughout our stores worldwide, such
as in Malaysia, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong
and Australia. Bvlgari has a potential huge market in Japan. We have 33
stores in Japan.
What has been the hardest challenge for Bvlgari in the hotels and
resorts business? Location is important. In Milan we have a
key location that nobody else has. The hotel is located near a garden
in the heart of Milan. It's in the middle of the city.
We are looking for other places in the world like this, Paris, London,
New York, Rome, Tokyo. But it's not going to be easy.
It could take years before we find the right location. We are not in a
hurry.
We prefer to select, think and rethink many times before we make such
an important decision. It should be a star location
that would attract people automatically.
The rest we do it carefully to make it unique. It's either perfect or
nothing.
Where is your next hotel going to be located?
We project that it might be in Paris, France or Tuscany, Italy. But
it's a premature estimate -- we don't know yet.
How do you maintain the family business, which has been passed down
from generation to generation?
The company has been through two world wars. The CEO of Bvlgari is my
nephew, a fourth generation member. He has done many
great things for the company.
The third generation are just me and my brother Paolo, the president of
the company.
Family businesses are common in Italy. But probably there are more in
Indonesia.
Every country has generations of family businesses. There are certainly
pros and cons for running these kind of operations.
For me, I can't complain. One thing I can say is that we love what we
do. We put a lot of energy there, a lot of passion and
enthusiasm.
As for the designers of our jewelry, we have a team that consists of 12
people. It's a beautiful team.
Can you tell a little bit of your background?
I live in Rome, Italy. I have three grown-up daughters who live in New
York.
I have two sons-in-law and a grandson there so I have an excuse to
visit the city often, not only for business but for
family. I feel at home in New York, better than Rome in many ways. It's
my favorite city in the world.
I also have a new wife and nine year-old daughter who live in Rome. As
a family we travel a great deal.
I'm passionate about music, which the company appreciates. I love
listening to classical and jazz. I like Beethoven, Bach,
Brahms, Mozart and Wagner.
I also organize concert and try to help young artists in Italy. Mostly
pianists, cellists, violinists.
This gives us prestige while also developing my passion. Things that
nobody else does, we do.
What do you think of Indonesia? When I come back next time, I want to
visit more of Indonesia. I was in Jakarta many times.
Many years ago somebody took me with a chopper to a resort on an island
near Jakarta, I can't remember its name, but it was
an incredible place.
I am a curious animal, I want to know a lot of things. The world is a
big place and I don't like to travel like a suitcase
and see nothing.
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