I was probably the calmest I’ve ever been, I’d been caught in a storm that had knocked me, personally and professionally, for six, and I was coming out the other side.
We were about to launch CAP to the world of business travel, of relocation and to the extended stay community that I love.
We had our videos, our opening team, our guests, one of the best moderators in the industry David Clare (who, thankfully, brought his own tissues) and we had the support of the amazing GM, Kostas Sfaltos and his incredible team @TheBvlgari.
As for the CAP team, we had our ‘Why’ – it was all we needed. (Oh yes, and we also had a rather huge supply of free-flowing Champagne…)
The concept of CAP was clear. Corporate Apartment/Accommodation Programmes - we had our knowledge, our differentiators, years of experience, courage, and integrity - but most of all – even more importantly - we had a global network of incredible humans, that laid down their competitive shields, and willed us to succeed.
Our guests that night helped launch CAP to the market. They lent in and they pushed hard.
Today we celebrate this milestone and say the biggest,most heartfelt, thank you.
Our journey…
Yes, we expected setbacks and we knew that in order to re-take our place as leaders in the industry, sometimes, we would have to rock the boat - it didn’t matter to us that we had a small boat because we had HUGE hearts, we had each-other and we have integrity.
As a team, we have grown, not just in knowledge, but through continuing to bring on the most dedicated, respected, honest and capable leaders and seniors. We have had to have the ability and the courage to highlight industry issues and find ways to resolve them. We knew when taking this bold approach to speak out, (and sometimes sailing against the wind) we would make others (and sometimes ourselves!) very uncomfortable. We did what we thought was right and we continue to put important subjects in the limelight, and ALWAYS with the industry’s best interests at heart.
As a team, we know our values - we want to be kind, be fair, be accountable, be resilient, be trusted and be respectful. We want to show integrity and to always be agile.
What a year… we took it 90 days at a time… and every 90 days, we started with a day 1. 2020 was always going to be challenging.
Sometimes, the world aligns, and you are in the right place at the right time. Over the last 11 weeks, we have been lucky enough to kick the tyres of CAPTURE by servicing one of the most incredible projects I’ve ever had the honour to work on with one of our most valued clients.
We were trusted to provide a safe haven in extended stay accommodation during this pandemic, and we have been thankful (if a little exhausted) to have provided access to some incredible serviced apartments, our brand partners and alternative accommodation providers across the length and breadth of the UK, who have supported us and our special guests, 24/7 during this crisis.
But most of all, this is a call out and thank you to YOU, to ALL of our supporters. We kept afloat this last year because of the absolute support of our industry friends, colleagues, brand partners, suppliers, publications, associations, organisations, communities and global networks that surrounded us with their confidence, their trust and sometimes, their business. The song that was our trademark of our launch is still relevant to all of us today.
We’ve made it to our first anniversary of CAP’s launch. And we want to simply say - Thank You – we couldn’t have done it ‘without you’
Together, we’ve got this.
#Thankful #KiaKaha #Kindness #Respect #Partnerships #Courage #Businesstravel #webookextendedstay
