TAKE THE NEXT STEP
GLOBAL UPDATE
A VIEW THAT ’ S TOPS
Banyan Tree Shanghai on the Bund has opened a rooftop bar — the first with an unobstructed view of the city . Tops bar features a DJ , modern cocktails and a selection of avant-garde tapas , including Bloody Mary oysters and foie gras mini burgers . The bar also offers afternoon tea service .
AS WE GET
NEW PROJECTS
UNDER OUR BELT
WE WILL
RELOAD AND
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
EXPONENTIALLY . FOR NOW
WE HAVE AN INDEPENDENT , ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET .
– JASON POMERANC
CLEAN
For the Pomeranc brothers and operations leader Stephen Brandman , it is like having a blank sheet of paper again as they
SLATE create a new lifestyle , F & B-driven identity after divorcing in August from Geolo Capital and the fledgling Commune Hotels & Resorts brand . It certainly helps that they still have four assets ( they parted ways in late September with the owners of the Victor in Miami Beach ), and Jason Pomeranc says two or three deals should be announced before the end of 2013 .
“ We are happy to have these few months to gather ourselves and then send a cohesive message to the market ,” says Jason Pomeranc , the conceptual and brand leader of the organization . “ We will then start to tell a new narrative that will unfold over time .”
That narrative will focus on lifestyle hotels not unlike what the previous Thompson Hotels company was known for — only under a new brand name — in North America and Western Europe , according to Pomeranc . It may also include a new youth-oriented , price-sensitive brand — but not a hostel concept , Pomeranc explains .
“ We can own , develop or third-party manage in what has become a very competitive lifestyle sector from an investment perspective ,” Pomeranc says . “ The idea of personalizing projects very specific to the location and the target audience gives us an opportunity to be hands-on and mold a new brand . We will go into markets where we think there is still a need for this product , or into emerging markets to the point where we will be innovators .”
The core hotels in the existing portfolio will be folded into the new brand structure . In fact , the group ’ s first hotel , 60 Thompson in New York City , will start a renovation in December and become the first hotel to reflect where the company is heading conceptually .
Pomeranc adds that key personnel familiar with the company ’ s history are joining the company to focus on marketing , media and sales . The company is building a new website , and Pomeranc says it will be important to continually re-examine technology to remain on the cutting edge of social media , booking engines and search engine optimization .
Pomeranc also says the company , while openminded , is not looking for a new partner at the moment . He says it is well capitalized and should add three or four projects a year , but there is no magic number or timetable .
“ As we get new projects under our belt we will reload and take the next step exponentially ,” Pomeranc says . “ For now we have an independent , entrepreneurial mindset . That nimble , flexible way is what made us successful . Sometimes we forget that in the desire to grow .”
16 HOTELS November 2013 www . hotelsmag . com