Techembly Talks with Terence Wu of Capella Hotels and Resorts on their Post-Pandemic Digital Strategy

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We caught up with Terence Wu, Corporate Director of E-Commerce and Digital Marketing at Capella Hotel Group to find out more about their digital strategy.

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Capella Hotels and Resorts is an award-winning luxury hotel brand consisting of properties in Singapore, Bangkok, Hanoi, Ubud, Shanghai and Sanya with upcoming expansion in Maldives and Sydney. The hotel group was named 2nd Best Hotel Brand in the World in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2020 & 2021.

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Capella envisions bringing experiential hospitality to the forefront of guests’ travel stories through bespoke services and world-class facilities. The hotel hosts an exciting itinerary of workshops and activities to experience the region’s culture, community and tradition, with a Capella Culturist at service to help craft extraordinary experiences. With its new gifting platform built by Techsembly, guests can pre-purchase curated Capella experiences of epicurean feasts, wellness escapes and nature retreats now online. We caught up with Terence Wu, Corporate Director of E-Commerce and Digital Marketing at Capella Hotel Group to find out more about their digital strategy.

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‍Redefining Luxury Hospitality

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“Luxury used to be defined by chandeliers and marble floors, but we want to redefine luxury through service and activations in communal spaces in how to interact and create memories within the hotel.”

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Capella embodies excellence in the craft of hospitality. As a luxury hotel and resort situated in exotic locations, the group was looking to create additional digital touchpoints to promote its heritage experiences and digital gift cards at its cultural destinations. While in the past Capella had targeted existing travellers with traditional commercial opportunities, they have now shifted towards a content-led strategy, inspiring travellers to dream of destinations and stays at Capella’s resorts before their trip. With only a selected handful of rooms, the group strives to deliver ultra-personalised services with the goal of creating memorable stays through its authentic experiences.

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Marketplace of Destinations

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“​​It’s important to go home and recognise that you have made a memory. This is what keeps our guests loyal and ultimately stay with us and choose us without asking them to, because this is where memories are made, and want future memories to be made from here.”

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While international travel was restricted, the hotel group re-engineered all revenue-generating activities to cater to domestic markets. The new touchpoint developed by Techsembly was able to support Capella to help promote unique experiences and digital gift cards as a new revenue source for the hotel in midst of tourism reopening.

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Capella Culturists have spent time scouring each locale they are based in, immersing into the local community to engage and discover local heritage activities. Guests can choose from an array of experiences from a Thai massage in Bangkok to an overnight stay in the depths of Bali’s jungle, as well as extraordinary dining experiences by celebrity chefs or a private dinner amongst lush rice paddies in Ubud.

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As customers’ first touchpoint with the brand, it was important for the website to become an inspiring platform to transport guests to destinations through its curated experiences. Instead of just itemising products and services as an SKU, its newly designed media-focused website paired with a dynamic-content strategy builds up emotional connection and promotes experiences that inspire guests prior to their stay.

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After its initial store launch, Capella was able to launch another storefront, empowering the brand to scale at speed, and supporting its quick entry-to-market initiatives. Techsembly’s Customer Service concierge has also been provided to support global customer queries on monetary gift vouchers and experiences, trained to Capella’s exquisite service standards. Capella has managed to redesign its e-commerce approach by combining tradition and discovery, crafting a selection of experiences designed to provide authentic and unforgettable moments. Since onboarding, Techsembly has launched Bangkok, Singapore and Ubud, with further rollouts in the plan.

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Explore Capella gift stores around the world:

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Capella Bangkok | Capella Ubud | Capella Singapore