The
BRAND DEVELOPMENT
Back At It
IN HQ HOTELS , SAM NAZARIAN IS HERE TO REMIND PEOPLE WHO HE IS .
By DAVID EISEN
“
Hills ,” an American reality show that examined a group of glamorous , bratty , young Angelenos as they navigated the nightlife and brunch spots of L . A ., was a mid-aughts phenom : A “ Days of our Lives ” for the Millennial crowd that offered a rollicking mix of period music against a true-to-life show that was awfully scripted . No one cared — and tuned in each week to see who Lauren Conrad would be dating next .
What does the show have to do with the hospitality industry ? Nothing really , except that many of L . A .’ s hotels served as backdrops for nightly hijinks . But there was a hospitality trendsetter who featured prominently in season three .
Sam Nazarian founded SBE Entertainment in 2002 , a lifestyle juggernaut that to this day commands F & B and lodging brands favored by the glitterati — from SLS to Hyde , Katsuya to Casa Dani . Back in 2007 , SBE and a partner
Renderings of HQ Detroit Hotel & Spa , a conversion of Park Avenue House , will open next year with a scheduled 174 rooms .
60 hotelsmag . com Jan / Feb 2025