This year is turning into an exceptionally exciting one for the already iconic Cotton Lifestyle brand. Adding to the superlative and widely recognized excellence of Cotton Beach Club Ibiza, founder and owner Christian Marstrander and his team picked the last two tough years to add three new ventures to the world-leading brand. The launches of Cotton Club Zakynthos and Cotton Club Mallorca were followed by the unique dining experience NOJA at Cotton Food Lab – which is already being hailed as the finest purveyor of innovative Nordic Japanese cuisine in Ibiza. After the crazy ups and downs of the past three years, what creates the drive to take what many might consider risky decisions?
“When Covid hit Europe in March 2020 we already had plans to grow the Cotton brand,” Marstrander says. “I understood how worried people were for the future but I found this inner stamina: be more pro-active than ever; take care of employees, and invest. I am not alone in this: my wife, Merete, always backs my ideas, constantly coming up with intelligent comments.” There is clearly an energy and ethos at play across the Cotton Lifestyle brand: the superb locations, the attention to detail and quality, and, above all, the absolute belief in delivering guests the best experiences possible. Marstrander agrees; this energy and commitment come from the top down, and permeate everything.
“Our ethos must be: we only live once. And when you are given that gift of being here you need to maximize your personal and business life like there is no tomorrow. The energy and passion that come from that can move mountains and that is what we all should do! Our team is a product of that thinking – it creates a happy energized culture where team members know that if they can climb these mountains personally and professionally that keeps our projects together. Without these people Cotton is nothing!”
Now, then, is the time to finally relax? Not at all: Marstrander is already considering future locations – including some non-beach spots. “As a frantic skier I am looking to the Alps, because that is where I want to see Cotton shine on a mountain top. It might be Megève, Courchevel, Zermatt, Cortina or Verbier,” Marstrander says. “And when the time is right we will open a Cotton in St Tropez – probably one of the most sophisticated, beautiful and historic summer destinations in the world.” Cotton Lifestyle looks set to continue spreading its blueprint for pleasure for a long time to come!
