NEW YORK CITY—Montage Hotels & Resorts officially launched its new lifestyle brand, Pendry Hotels, with the first property to be located in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, executives said on Tuesday.
The brand will be “design driven and fashion forward,” according to Alan Fuerstman, founder and CEO of Montage. The 317-room San Diego hotel, scheduled to open in 2016, will have two restaurants, a spa and 22,000 square feet of meeting space. More locations will be announced in the next three to six months.
Michael Fuerstman, Alan Fuerstman’s eldest son and co-founder of Pendry, will serve as creative director of the brand, which promises accommodations, culinary and entertainment experiences that are “playful and tasteful.” He has worked at the company for six years on the real estate and acquisition teams.
In an announcement, Michael Fuerstman said of Pendry, “Think: London hip, New York-paced and California healthy.”
Alan Fuerstman said Pendry is a British surname with the motto “Know thyself,” and the customer will be someone who is self-aware and self-engaged.” Montage will manage the Pendry-branded hotels, as is the case with all the Montage hotels. The brand has been in development for two-and-a-half years, according to Alan Fuerstman.
Alan Fuerstman told Hotel News Now that while the price point of a Montage is about $600, Pendry would land in the area of $200 to $300. And, while all Montage hotels have a residential component, only some Pendry properties will have them. Pendry properties will be a mix of conversions and new build.
Pendry will be at the higher end of the lifestyle category, Alan Fuerstman said, competing with brands such as Andaz and Edition.
“They are cool places with a great vibe. Think back 15 years when boutiques were all about the bar and the scene; those guests are now a bit older and looking for something like Pendry,” Alan Fuerstman said.
He had looked at some great hotel companies and saw a “large gap between the best and worst of the locations,” and he wanted to avoid that with Montage, which is one of the reasons to move into another category with Pendry.
Montage on the move
Alan Fuerstman said all three Montage hotels that have been open for a while enjoyed record years, with Laguna Beach and Beverly Hills properties in California seeing year-round occupancies of 80% or more.
“I am especially proud of the Beverly Hills property,” he said, “because it opened in the depths of the recession in late 2008.”
Montage added two new properties in 2014, including the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, a 50-cottage resort on 20,000 acres in Bluffton, South Carolina. Montage will add 150 units to the property in the next two years. The other new entry is Kapalua Bay on Maui, Hawaii, an all-suite resort with all views facing the ocean.
Alan Fuerstman said Montage, which is looking at global locations, will continue to grow at a “measured pace” because it belongs in certain destinations. He said the brand will be able to maintain its edge by remaining small compared to some of its competitors.
“Our growth will be well thought out and careful and will allow us to be nimble and deliver on our brand promise,” he said.
“When I started this brand in 2002, my vision was to introduce a different style of comfortable luxury, to strip away all the pomp and circumstance associated with luxury. Our guests liked it, including the older ones, and that style of service remains our biggest differentiator,” he added.