Anyone set to try new Baccarat NYC soon?
Feb 24, 2015, 4:38 pm
#2
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,598
The interesting question for me is -- which management company is behind Baccarat?
The design is stunning and tasteful for sure, but service and management will make all the difference. I'm very curious to see if it will be another cookie cutter high end hotel a la Armani or Bulgari, which both suffer from over-branding to some extent. Do we really want to stay in the pages of Elle Decoration?
The design is stunning and tasteful for sure, but service and management will make all the difference. I'm very curious to see if it will be another cookie cutter high end hotel a la Armani or Bulgari, which both suffer from over-branding to some extent. Do we really want to stay in the pages of Elle Decoration?
Feb 25, 2015, 11:02 am
#3
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
The interesting question for me is -- which management company is behind Baccarat?
The design is stunning and tasteful for sure, but service and management will make all the difference. I'm very curious to see if it will be another cookie cutter high end hotel a la Armani or Bulgari, which both suffer from over-branding to some extent. Do we really want to stay in the pages of Elle Decoration?
The design is stunning and tasteful for sure, but service and management will make all the difference. I'm very curious to see if it will be another cookie cutter high end hotel a la Armani or Bulgari, which both suffer from over-branding to some extent. Do we really want to stay in the pages of Elle Decoration?
Feb 25, 2015, 11:13 am
#5
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
Feb 25, 2015, 11:51 am
#6
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,598
Remember Barry Sternlicht? When he left Starwood, he formed Starwood Capital and brought in ex-Four Seasons VP, Neil Jacobs to head up development and ops. One of the brands they created was Baccarat, but it took years for anything to come to fruition.
I know - well, Barry Sternlicht was always a property man first and foremost. But ownership does not necessarily mean management...
I know - well, Barry Sternlicht was always a property man first and foremost. But ownership does not necessarily mean management...
Feb 27, 2015, 12:18 pm
#8
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Here there and everywhere
Posts: 6,303
Could be, but then Neil Jacobs left Starwood Capital a while back and is now CEO of Six Senses, but he was very involved in the development of the brand. However, the most important thing is who is GM and who hired the staff and how did they do it. If they just left it to headhunters then it could be a problem. If they hand-picked, then it could be interesting.
Mar 3, 2015, 10:47 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 458
Mar 3, 2015, 11:38 am
#15
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,598
PHNY has an identity crisis. They were - of course - aiming at the high end travelers and HNWIs, but with no view to speak of and lacking service, that's not going too well. Guests of Hyatt's loyalty program Gold Passport are disgruntled by the property's current policies regarding upgrades and overall treatment, because they're not the preferred clientele of the hotel at this stage. Add management problems and a PR disaster and you'll get the idea. I won't go into details as this is not the main focus of this thread, but read a few reviews in the Hyatt section if you're interested - it's revealing. I know Yabu Pushelberg is somewhat popular on this forum, but ever since I stayed in a suite at FS Toronto I really don't understand why any hospitality corporation would have them do the job. Hotels aren't fashion boutiques.