Murals, totems and glamping
Casetta Group reimagines Hotel Willa with an eye to the local vernacular
HOTEL WILLA, the former and rather infamous Indian Hills Hotel, at 233 Paseo del Pueblo Sur, is undergoing a major facelift even as the new owners, the Casetta Group, grapple with COVID restrictions and delays.
Last week, the Casetta crew were all in town, and Nova Sheppard (Hotel Willa’s general manager) invited Tempo to meet them in a socially distanced gathering on a popular patio in town.
Carolyn Schneider and her partner, Lance Helfert, were there, along with their creative director, Sana Keefer, and Sheppard.
Despite the pandemic, they all seemed excited about the hotel’s evolution, their creative collaboration with The Paseo Project, Parse Seco and other like-minded entities in Taos. They shared some drawings of plans that show sensitivity and respect for the local vernacular as well as the property itself. While modernizing the hotel, and pulling it into the current century, complete with on-site “glamping,” Casetta pays homage to Taos’ singular style.
With properties in Palm Springs, and along the Southern California coast, Taos seems somewhat of a long shot for this hipster hospitality outfit based in LA, but they appeared relaxed about operating within the parameters of “Taos Time,” pandemic or not.
Carolyn, could you tell our readers a little about yourself and Casetta – and how you came to include the Indian Hills (now Hotel Willa), in your “stable” of unique properties?
I started my career in photography galleries, but I’d always had a love for hotels and particularly the idea that the design and art of a space can transform simple lodging into an immersive experience. I began working in boutique hotels, with an interest in historic properties. I partnered with Montecito Venture Partners because of their likeminded approach to hospitality and together we built Casetta as a brand and management company.
Casetta seeks buildings with history and potential: we recently renovated The Pearl Hotel in San Diego, which is a mid-century property. We are renovating a church in Silver Lake to become a
25-room hotel and restaurant, a Vikinginspired lodge in Big Bear and Casa Cody, the oldest operating hotel in Palm Springs, founded by Harriet Cody, cousin to Buffalo Bill.
The former Indian Hills Inn had so much potential at the entry to town, and we saw how underutilized the extensive grounds and views have been. We’re excited to give the property new identity as Hotel Willa.
Nova, you have a long history here in Taos – prior to taking on the gig of general manager here, you held that position at Lambert’s restaurant. Tell us how you arrived back in Taos after time abroad, and the trajectory that led you here.
My parents, Nani and Blue Sheppard, moved to Taos in 1976. My early Taos years were some of the most magical and memorable of my life. When they decided to move away in 1983, I knew that one day I’d return. After moving five more times before I was 15, I ended up in Charlottesville, Virginia, where I got my start in hospitality. From there I lived and worked in Toronto, Canada, Los Angeles for 10 years, and then moved to Spain, where I met my Dutch husband, Thijs. Before moving back
to Taos in 2012, I spent the five years prior managing two restaurants in the Netherlands.
I had been the GM of Lambert’s of Taos for eight years before Casetta came to me out of the blue, and shined a light so bright that I couldn’t ignore it. It is truly an honor to work among such humble people, who continually impress me with their integrity, sense of beauty and drive to do things the right way.
An old mural was recently discovered under layers of stucco on the front of the main building you are restoring. Lots of people are wondering about the story behind it. Who painted it, and when?
Carolyn Schneider: The property was built in phases from the late ‘50s through the ‘90s. We are interested in maintaining the history of our buildings and have made efforts to uncover as much information as possible. We were surprised by the mural as well! We reached out to the previous owner to find out more. He wasn’t present at the time the mural went up in the ‘90s and wasn’t able to provide the artist’s name. The story he remembered was that a traveler came to the property and traded hotel rooms in exchange for the mural with the manager at the time. Unfortunately, the mural was contaminated with asbestos and had to come down; however, our creative director, Sana Keefer, gave Sean Ratliff a call and he was able to photograph it for archival purposes.
Can you tell us a bit about what you have planned for the hotel’s new facelift – who is your design team, what aesthetic you plan to bring to the property which was on the verge of being condemned prior to your acquisition?
We’re completely renovating the property, but with a vision that’s rooted in the traditional architecture of New Mexico.
Casetta has partnered with Electric Bowery, a Venice-based design studio to design guest rooms and public spaces at Hotel Willa which will reflect a textural, tonal palette reminiscent of the Taos plains.
How has the pandemic impacted the process – specifically the timeline regarding the hotel’s opening?
Casetta was traveling to Taos frequently to plan, have on-site visits and meetings. Of course, the pandemic put our business travel on hold for some time, and has impacted some vendor and material delays. We are also working with the Department of Transportation to get a better sense of its timeline in relation to our opening.