Running one of New York’s coolest hotels takes lots of swagger as well as patience (all those demanding guests!) and Marco Cilia embodies a General Manager fit for an Italian film.
Born in Rome, Marco moved to Florida to concentrate on his bourgeoning tennis career as a kid. He then moved back to Italy and after an accident ended his tennis hopes, he focused on school. He continued studying in Madrid and Berlin and later ended up in London running the iconic Blakes Hotel, the first boutique hotel opened in the 70s.
Cilia was hand selected by the owners of Groupo Habita to run their first American hotel aptly named, Hotel Americano, which opened it’s doors in 2010 in Chelsea’s gallery district, instantly transforming the neighborhood into an even more must visit destination.
As GM he deals with the overall marketing, finances, strategy and of course the staff of the hotel, making sure it all runs smoothly.
Here, Marco tells us a little about his eclectic style.
As far my style it is a mixture of downtown, edgy New York mixed with sartorial inspiration from Europe. There is not much difference between my work clothes and personal clothes since we are encouraged to have our own style at the hotel.
My suits and blazers (usually double breasted) are made by my family tailor in Rome. I go to the same man my father has been going to for 30 years.
For shirts I wear some tailor made shirts as well as ones from Martin Margiela and Lanvin. I love tees from APC, J.Crew and Alexander Wang. As for jeans I wear Acne because the fit is perfect for me.
I generally wear bespoke shirts made in Italy or Margiela and Lanvin and when I’m wearing a tie I go to Hermes and Ferragamo.
Rubinacci in Italy is where I buy all of my loafers. I love double monk strap from Crocket and Jones or John Lobb, too. Gallo is my go to for socks. They have a plethora of patterns and colors to choose from.
My favorite watch is a Panerai just because I love how it looks, how its made and the history behind the brand.
Finally, my dear friend Ariela Suster has a line of bracelets called Sequence that I wear all the time and never take off. They are made by local artisans in El Salvador and support the local community.
