American private investor Marcy Holthus launches an exclusive boutique luxury hotel brand: Pilot Hotels. Incorporating the unrivalled 12-room Washington School House Hotel in Park City, Utah and the soon-to-launch Hotel Château du Grand-Lucé in France’s Loire Valley, Pilot Hotels elevates authentic, curated, destination-defining properties to an extraordinary level.
Pilot. A Helmsman, a leader guiding ships to various ports, delivering intrepid travellers to imaginable and unimaginable locations and indescribable destinations. With a background in finance and real estate and a discerning eye for design, Marcy Holthus, CEO, is charting a path in the development of historically and architecturally significant properties around the globe. Pilot Hotels will continue Holthus’ quest to deliver unapologetic luxury for the elite traveller.
Always a visionary, Holthus became an accidental hotelier with the opening of the Washington School House Hotel in 2011. Built for her and her family, and crafted with alacrity and precision in a historic limestone school house, it became evident that this stunning gem was a beacon to the international traveller searching for compelling design, novel locations and unparalleled service.
The Pilot Hotels brand is bold and innovative, delivering a luxe experience that exceeds expectations in curated destinations for the well-informed traveller.
The concept, according to Holthus, is design-driven and intuitive: “The hotels themselves are works of art. The design team starts with an incredible property saturated in history that transcends centuries. Awe-inspiring spaces for the modern luxury traveler are created, while preserving and restoring authenticity. The restoration is then layered with carefully curated art and furnishings, with splendid finishes, delivering over-the-top, chic, sophisticated interiors”, said Marcy Holthus, founder and CEO of Pilot Hotels.
Once construction is completed, Holthus taps Michael Gregory, Managing Director, to craft an experience commensurate with the property. Holthus adds, “Michael is masterful in directing execution of every detail with aplomb and remarkable savior faire.” The result — A Pilot Hotel is the destination, wherever the location.
The management team at Pilot Hotels has been constructed with the same exacting excellence as the properties. With the launch of Pilot Hotels, Michael Gregory has been promoted to Managing Director. Having been with the brand since the development of the original concept for Washington School House Hotel in 2011, Gregory is able to interpret Holthus’ concepts with perfect élan. Other team members include Director of Real Estate, Michael Elliott, Director of Sales and Marketing, Megan Witt, Creative Directors Paul and Shannon Wehsener — of Paul Allen Design Group, and Project Manager, Benoit Dussault. Notably, the Pilot Hotels team brings varied experience from outside the boutique hotel industry, with ambition and savvy, breaking moulds and creating new travel expectations that have been exceedingly well-received.
