tl;dr – The leadership change comes on the heels of the luxury hotel chain recently opening the doors to its newest property in Kyoto.
Luxury hotel chain Capella Hotel Group recently announced that Roland Fasel will join the chain as its new president, effective April 6, 2026. Capella Hotels is well known for having its flagship Bangkok property be named ‘Best Hotel in the World’ a few years back.
In the wake of that momentum, the brand has opened new properties in Taipei, Macau, and just last week, Kyoto. A Capella Florence as also announced for 2027. Capella also has a sister brand, Patina Hotels.
Last month, I stayed at the Patina Osaka, and it was one of my best hotel experiences in recent memory.
Fasel brings a ton of luxury experience over to Capella. According to Fasel’s LinkedIn page, he spent nearly a decade as general manager at The Dorchester, an ultra-luxe hotel in London, and the flagship property of the Dorchester Collection. The Dorchester Collection has only six properties worldwide, although three more are in development – two in Dubai and one in Tokyo.
Fasel then moved on to become Chief Operating Officer at AMAN Hotels, spending six years at the buzzy hotel chain. He most recently spent three years at The Maybourne, another smaller ultra-luxe chain whose property count and locations heavily overlap with those of the Dorchester Collection.
Before all that, Fasel spent his ‘hustling years’ at a few other notable luxury chains. From his LinkedIn bio: “Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working for some of the most renowned hotel groups and brands, including Badrutt’s Palace St. Moritz, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Regent Hotels, [and] Shangri-La.”
Capella Hotel Group has previously announced plans to double its 11-property portfolio by 2030. While the rest of Capella’s upcoming locations remain unknown, it’s clear that Fasel will have a major role in shaping that vision.
