Malta-based Corinthia Hotels is known for luxury hotelkeeping around the world , but one thing it has not done is found a presence in the United States like many of its global luxury competitors – until now , that is . In perhaps one of its biggest deal announcements to date in May , Corinthia said it will open its first North American property , taking over management of New York City ’ s Surrey hotel , which was purchased by London ’ s Reuben Brothers last year .
This big splash of a deal marks Corinthia ’ s second deal with the Reuben Brothers , the global private investment firm founded by David and Simon Reuben . The pair is also working on a hotel Rome project .
Corinthia Hotels CEO Simon Naudi told HOTELS when the deal was completed , “ We have global ambitions and the USA means so much to us in this regard . So many of our guests in Europe come from America , which means we ’ re so proud to have this opportunity to bring our family-inspired style of operations into New York .”
The Surrey , a Corinthia Hotel , will undergo an extensive transformation and is slated to reopen in early 2023 . Martin Brudnizki will oversee the design of the 97 guest rooms – including 33 suites and five signature suites – and 12 luxury residences . Casa Tua , known for its restaurant , hotel and private club on Miami Beach , will handle the hotel ’ s food and beverage offering .
Corinthia , which both owns and operates , was founded in 1962 by the Pisani family , with Alfred Pisani serving as chairman . Its portfolio includes hotels in cities such as London , Budapest , Lisbon and St .
CEO TALKS ABOUT STRIKING A DEAL WITH THE REUBEN BROTHERS AND THE MALTA-BASED GROUP ’ S AMBITIONS IN A POST-COVID HOTEL WORLD .
Petersburg . Current developments underway in various stages of design and construction include trophy hotels in Rome , Brussels , Bucharest , Moscow , Dubai and Doha .
In wake of this news , HOTELS recently spoke to Naudi , CEO of International Hotels Investments , the owner , developer and operator of Corinthia Hotels and other real estate globally , to learn more about Corinthia ’ s moment and plans moving forward , as well as ongoing performance as the industry tries to put the pandemic in its rearview mirror .
The acquisition , development and launch of the Corinthia Hotel & Residences in London counts among his more notable achievements . In recent years , he has expanded the company ’ s footprint into other major European capitals , as well as the Middle East and now the United States .
HOTELS : Talk about the Surrey deal . How did the deal come together and what got it across the finish line ? Is Corinthia investing or is it strict management ? Simon Naudi : We have been working with the Reuben Brothers for a couple of years now . We first joined forces in Rome , where we are acting as development managers and , eventually , lessees of the Corinthia Hotel under development on the site of the old Bank of Italy headquarters , which they acquired .
Given the great relationship that has evolved on the Rome project at all levels , it was much appreciated when they called us up to discuss the Surrey Hotel as soon as they acquired the property in Manhattan . Here , we are committing funds in support of our role as operators . From our end , not only are we consolidating an excellent relationship with the Reuben Brothers , but we are also stepping into a global gateway city with a great hotel , from where we plan to grow across the United States .
H : What is the importance of getting into New York City and how soon before you announce more deals in the United States ? SN : Getting into all major markets across the globe has been a lifelong focus for our company ’ s founder Alfred Pisani , who built the company from very humble origins in the ‘ 60s on the island of Malta . We are thus so proud to have stepped into the U . S . Already , we are now evaluating several options across the country , including in cities such as Miami , Chicago and San Francisco . We are , in fact , establishing our own development team in New York specifically to target new opportunities across the USA .
H : Where else are you looking to grow right now and , again , strictly via management or will you also acquire outright ?
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