Contributed by STEFANI C . O ' CONNOR
After rescuing the beleaguered The Williamsburg Hotel by plunking down $ 96 million at auction earlier this year , new owner Quadrum Global is underway with plans to debut the trendy Brooklyn , N . Y ., property as Arlo Williamsburg in September .
The 147-key property at 96 Wythe Ave . will join siblings Arlo SoHo , Arlo NoMad and Arlo Midtown in New York and other Arlo hotels recently opened in Chicago and Miami . The private equity investment and development firm also has another Arlo hotel under construction in Washington , D . C .
Oleg Pavlov , Quadrum Global ’ s founder and CEO , said the new acquisition was “ an interesting new phase ” in the short history of Arlo Hotels .
“ Up until today , we essentially built all Arlos ourselves ,” Pavlov told HOTELS . “[ They ] were conceived as a ground-up greenfield project … there was nothing there before other than raw land . We then thought about how we can grow further and whether we were ready to put an Arlo sign on something that wasn ’ t an Arlo before … The Williamsburg Hotel was very interesting to us because as an asset , it became an iconic part of the Williamsburg hotel scene .”
Pavlov added the eight-story building “ fit with what an Arlo usually is ,” particularly in terms of average guestroom size at 240 square feet . “ It delivers everything a traveler needs for a short stay .”
LOCAL EMBRACE Jimmy Suh , Arlo Hotels ’ chief commercial officer , emphasized , “ At the end of the day , it ’ s to grow the value of Arlo Hotels .” As a way of having the relatively new brand stand out among what Suh described as the “ growing evolution and number of lifestyle brands that are surfacing every year ,” the company is focusing on three pillars : community , discovery and approachability . As an example , Suh noted , the mission is to embrace the culture a community represents and have it reflected in a property . “ Everyone wants that hyperlocal experience when they travel to our hotels ,” he said , noting the intent is to bring in local partners , artists , wellness instructors and more . “ We want to support the community by not diluting its culture ,” Suh said .
CAPITAL INJECTION Toward this , Quadrum Global will also put in a modicum of CapEx spend in the property , particularly in the area of F & B , which is a draw for locals and guests , alike . These include a 50-seat lobby restaurant and 40-seat bar ; seasonal patio space for 30 ; the social-event space Mirror Bar that seats 70 ( 120 standing ); a social scene rooftop pool and bar ; and the property ’ s signature Water Tower Bar that accommodates 70 .
It also has a 6,500-square-foot ballroom available for social events , such as weddings and meetings ; however , Pavlov indicated the banquet space has been underutilized as it lacks a second kitchen to provide volume catering . Since space exists for the necessary equipment , the company plans to build it out to encourage larger catered events .
“ We feel this hotel is beautiful as it stands today ,” said Suh . “ There could be touch-ups — absolutely ; that ’ s what we ’ re analyzing right now in terms of the capital expenditure that we ’ re planning to undertake .”
Suh added that there will be mild changes in operating supplies and equipment or OS & E , but drastic changes in events programming . “ We ’ ll keep the vibrant rooftop vibe intact , but we ’ ll also make sure it ’ s refined a bit so that we are better community partners as well ,” he said . He noted the brand ’ s focus on art and wellness also will become part of the Arlo Williamsburg experience .
THE WILLIAMSBURG HOTEL WAS VERY INTERESTING TO US BECAUSE AS AN ASSET , IT BECAME AN ICONIC PART OF THE WILLIAMSBURG HOTEL SCENE
– OLEG PAVLOV , FOUNDER AND CEO , QUADRUM GLOBAL
ASSET TROUBLE The Williamsburg Hotel was originally the brainchild of local real estate mover-andshaker Toby Moskovits , along with Michael Lichtenstein , president of her development firm , Heritage Equity Partners . The hotel made its market-shifting debut in 2017 only to founder into bankruptcy by 2021 .
The property had become ensnarled in fraud allegations by its lender , Benefit
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