Caesar’s to grace the millennium

Mr. Beniamino Rigucci is the initiator of the “Caesar’s Court Hotel”, soon to open in Bole sub city near the international airport, right behind Bole Mini.
Before coming up with the Caesar project, Mr. Rigucci, born in Dire Dawa to an Ethiopian mother and an Italian father, tried his hands at many other exciting and challenging projects. These included, among other things, the successful opening and running, for many years, of the “Flamingo & Concorde Bar and Restaurant” in Djibouti together with his then companion, Mrs. Messelu Tesfaye. Mrs Messelu, who knew her way around in Djibouti, was soon to become the mother of his children.

The Flamingo & Concorde Bar and Restaurant, a well-established outfit in Djibouti, was to become, without any surprise, a landmark spot for the Djibouti foreign circle mostly represented by the French Legion. Unfortunately, with the aggressive policy of the then government of Djibouti aimed at crippling bars and restaurants, mostly Ethiopian owned businesses - 95 per cent of bars and restaurants in Djibouti- Flamingo and Concorde Bar and Restaurant had to bid farewell to the city.
After trying their hands at different businesses, in their own separate ways, Mrs. Messelu and Mr. Rigucci were soon to settle for a very ambitious and unique project for their home country - Ethiopia, in the form of the “Caesar’s Court Hotel”, one of the first boutique hotels in Addis Ababa.

Capital: When and how was Caesar’s Court conceived?
Beniamino Rigucci: Believing that unity is strength, I was quick to realize, in 2002, especially after the Djibouti experience, that Messelu and I could once again try our hand back at business life. However, I knew that this time, our project had to be bold, unique and ambitious. Originally, Messelu, who brought up the idea, was going for a rather modest project, which would have been fine at that time and risk free. However, there was a great need for the city to accommodate the ever-growing demand for good hotel facilities.
Addis Ababa is the third largest international community-based city in the world and the seat of many international organizations and intergovernmental bodies hosting quite a number of major summits and other global events.
I am a well traveled man and one who was fortunate enough to see much of the world. I have had the pleasure of being in places ranging from the “Moulin Rouge” angle in Paris to literally living the “Taj Mahal” fantasy in India, sitting at the “Monte Carlo Casino” table in Monaco as well as at the famed “Caesar’s Palace” hotel in Las Vegas. Therefore, I challenged Messelu’s modest approach with a project that was questionable at the beginning, convinced that it would pay off. Trusting in my intuition as she has always done in the past, Messelu and I embarked, in 2003, on scaling up the original project to what it is now, i.e., the “Caesar’s Court Hotel”.

Capital: What inspired you to select Roman themes and motifs?
Beniamino Rigucci: That is a very good question and, in fact, at the beginning many of our close friends had some reservation on our choice of the central feature of the project, which as you know, revolves around the legacy of the Roman Empire. But I figured the bond between the two countries that is still growing in strength should be symbolized. After all, aren’t the many Italo-Ethiopians like me the living proofs of the ties between the two countries?
So, I felt that it would indeed be unique to portray the special relationships in the history of both countries and of my parents. Hence, the choice of the Roman themes and patterns to underpin the project. In the beginning, it has revealed itself to be a very bold and quite a unique approach, indeed.

Capital:  Observers will note the configuration of Caesar’s as being that of a boutique hotel, a format that is increasingly becoming popular abroad. Perhaps you have set the first for Ethiopia…
Beniamino Rigucci: You are absolutely right about that. Boutique hotel is a term originating from North America to describe intimate and usually luxurious hotels. They differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized level accommodation and services/facilities. Sometimes known as “design hotels” or “lifestyle hotels”, boutique hotels began in the 1980s in major cities like New York, London, and San Francisco. Typically, boutique hotels are furnished in a themed, stylish and/or inspirational manner.
Despite this definition, the popularity of the boutique term and concept has lead to some confusion about the term. Boutique hotels have typically been unique properties operated by individuals or companies with a small collection. However, their successes have prompted established multi-national hotel companies to establish their own brands. The most notable is Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide’s hotels.
In our case, the whole approach was to determine a niche for Caesar’s Court Hotel in an industry that seems to be booming at a fast pace without necessarily offering distinctive features or options to prospective customers. So, after scanning through the Addis Ababa lodging and hospitality environment and looking at the completed and ongoing hotel projects, I figured that the time was ripe for the city to host boutique hotels, which would cater for a special group of travelers – international consultants, high-level participants to major events and meetings, long staying visiting Ethiopians living abroad, etc. Besides, the small size of the project site was also pointing to that direction.
We have therefore tried to model Caesar’s Court Hotel after the finest American and European boutique hotels, meaning, a classic building with historic references in a prime location, offering highly personalized service, distinctive decor and a good value to customers.  The approach, here, is to avoid excessive glitz and glamour, in favor of giving our guests a little more than they expect, while remaining focused on the fundamentals. So, you are right in saying that, size and decor wise as well as service wise, Caesar’s Court Hotel will be one of the first boutique hotels in Addis Ababa and we welcome this opportunity as pioneers.

Capital:  Please describe to us particular features that make Caesar’s Court unique?
Beniamino Rigucci: As I have mentioned when describing a boutique hotel, the uniqueness of the Caesar’s Court Hotel is in the choice of its central theme and its homey size.
Indeed, with respect to capacity, you may wish to note that the hotel accommodates a total of 19 suites – each exquisite in its own rights. Out of these 19 suites, five can be graduated, on request, to executive double room configuration type for families, entourage, etc.
As for the uniqueness of each suite, my project went a long way to ensuring that Caesar’s Court’s rooms offer the most up-to-date and convenient settings for our guests. Each living room includes: (i) an Italian standard imported furniture (sofa set, dining table with chairs, stools, etc); (ii) a refrigerator and a bar; and (iii) a private business center with an LCD Monitor connected to a fully integrated Internet service together with fax and printer terminals. In addition, each bedroom comes with a queen size bed, built-in cupboard, extra TV, 24 hours radio reception, and a personal coded safe box. These facilities are complemented by a top of the line bathroom equipped with a steam, jet and shower box, additional TV monitor and a set of modern toilet cabinets. In spite of its small size, we also offer a Fitness Center and massage room for our active customers with modern gymnasium equipment.
In addition, we will be offering international cuisine for our guests at our main restaurant situated near the lobby. Our restaurant can sit up to 75 dining guests while another 80 guests can be entertained in our lobby/bar, including the Terrace.
Last but not least, you may also want to note that given the profile of our prospective guests, we have given a serious thought to the issue of security and safety. This is translated in the provision of video camera surveillance within and out of our facilities, sprinklers on every floor and room area, including fire extinguishers, individual masks, etc.
The rationale for going extra miles in pursuing this project was in our strong conviction that this type of investment does address the limitations observed in Addis Ababa with regard to hotels in the top end of the middle market for travelers (businessmen, tourists, diaspora, etc). In comparative terms, we believe that Caesar’s Court Hotel will even offer more services in some areas than the heavyweights. Once again, our angle is to establish a true “Home Away from Home” facility. As the old saying goes “Small is Beautiful” and I might add, “Small is Manageable”.

Capital: What would you say were and/or are the main challenges in the process of realizing your dream?
Beniamino Rigucci: I would say that the sheer process of scaling up the project from a small hotel to a boutique concept was, by far, the most challenging hurdle that I had to clear. Since construction on the original project had already started before we settled for a boutique hotel, I had to single handedly direct its transformation into a much more ambitious project. In upgrading a single-room configuration to an all-exclusive and luxurious suite was, indeed, a time, resource and energy consuming task, if not a gigantic undertaking. Looking back at that phase, which lasted over a year, I would say that even the architects and engineers lost their Latin in the process and me, my sleep.
Once we got going full scale with the boutique approach, securing steady and predictable financing revealed to be an even bigger mountain to climb. While the finished product was very clear to me – from structural, design and furnishing points of view – my original bank had some difficulties, during that transition time, in coping up with my ambition and constant pursuit of perfection and quality. Building a boutique hotel is, understandably, the most difficult and unattractive project for bankers; because it is by definition small in size and yet very voracious on financial resources. So, with time working against the project, I had to turn to the Construction and Business Bank (CBB) that was proactive and patient enough to lend me their ears. Needless to say how grateful I am to the team at CBB, which supervised my project and provided me guidance and invaluable support throughout those difficult times. In spite of the general freeze on loans from the banking system, which lasted for quite some time, the management of CBB was forthcoming enough to accept the NIB International Bank as a secondary funding source in order to enable me to meet the project financial gap. You will therefore easily understand why I will, forever, be indebted to the managements of NIB and CBB for providing the Caesar project with a second lifeline.
Of course, I wouldn’t have been able to safely and confidently disembark at my port of call without the support of my family and close friends, namely Messrs. Wolde Asena, Benyam Mebrahtu and Demba Diarra, who worked relentlessly behind the scene in translating the Caesar’s Court project into a beautiful reality.

Capital: What would be the profile of a typical Caesar’s Court client?
Beniamino Rigucci: Although the hotel’s major target group remains long staying guests in the like of expatriates waiting to move into permanent residences, international consultants and businessmen, delegates to the many events in Addis Ababa, vacationing members from the Diaspora, etc, these prospective guests will, most definitely, attract counterpart nationals in our hotel to interact, transact or simply enjoy our facilities. We believe that the “Caesar’s Court Hotel” would soon enjoy the kind of popularity that is likely to attract a good number of Ethiopian businessmen and dignitaries.

Capital: When can we expect Caesar’s Court to be ready for business?
Beniamino Rigucci: We have doubled our effort to be in a better position to dry run and formally launch the “Caesar’s Court Hotel” before the upcoming Millennium festivities. With the kind of support we are getting from our Banker, I am confident that this goal will be met and that we will soon have the privilege of counting you and your team amongst our guests.
Launching the Caesar project on such a grand occasion is, for me, like symbolically inviting the Roman Emperors to the Ethiopian Millennium celebration, which is an all-African historical milestone. Building on this wonderful experience, my next dream, God willing, is to gratify Addis Ababa with an Ethiopian-themed boutique hotel in honor, of course, of my late mother.