and getting a taste of the Mondrian and Delano brands after SBE acquired Morgans , Azarbarzin ’ s “ fun ” style come with a lot of credibility .
His May appointment comes at a crucial time in Proper Hospitality ’ s development as it opens San Francisco , which will be followed by downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica , California , and then the Austin ( Texas ) Proper Hotel & Residences - all in the next 18 months . Over the past two years , Proper co-founders Brad Korzen , Brian De Lowe and Alex Samek have also taken over management of the Avalon Hotels in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs in California , and opened the first of its eponymous properties , the Hollywood Proper Residences .
SETTING THE TONE Azarbarzin is quick to point to designer Kelly Wearstler as the key player defining this new luxury brand that is influenced by local culture and community . The 130-room San Francisco hotel has three self-operated F & B spaces and social offerings to maximize revenue-generating opportunities . He refers to her as the chief creative officer , involved with more than just the look and feel of everything from furnishings to menu covers and uniforms . “ Sometimes the operations spin is not in
“ AS LONG AS YOU DEDICATE YOUR RESOURCES TO MAKING YOUR CUSTOMER FEEL GREAT AND MAKING SURE THEY ’ RE HAVING FUN THEN YOU ’ RE THERE .” – ARASH AZARBARZIN
keeping with the same thinking as what the design intent was , but here Kelly really closes that loop for us with the look and feel bleeding into the service culture ,” he says . “ I appreciate her attention to detail , and her commitment to the brand intent and service philosophy is unwavering . She is the one to keep us in check and make sure that we don ’ t deviate from the final goal that we all have .”
In the meantime , Azarbarzin is concentrating on other aspects of the business : social media , developing a great app and driving dynamic room pricing to maximize profitability . He believes social media will soon be a very big driver of bookings with minimal expense .
“ Today you can simply check a couple of different websites and know exactly what to expect ,” Azarbarzin says . “ So we meed to make sure that we are good to our guests and show that through social media channels to prove that we are who we say we are .”
Creating a functional app , Azarbarzin
Model guest room of San Francisco Proper says , will only add to the guest experience , as will giving guests room options at different price points . The dynamic pricing model of getting a rate premium for better rooms in the inventory is not a new concept , but Azarbarzin says Proper can take it to the next level by simply better communicating the options to guests .
He also says Proper Hospitality is hiring the right revenue managers to further drive yield . “ We don ’ t get stingy and hire people that are overqualified , and we make sure that we give them the room they need to be successful ,” he says .
NEXT MOVES As Proper works on the next openings , it is also considering its future – both with and without a residential component . It starts with New York City , according to Azarbarzin . “ You need to be there .” He adds that the development team is looking at markets like Chicago and Miami , as well as secondary cities like Nashville and even the Carolina coast . While there are no active searches outside the U . S ., Azarbarzin says the group will look toward Europe and the Middle East , and to some extent Asia , over the next few years .
Until then , Azarbarzin says an important aspect of his job is as coach , mentor and teacher , and to help the team grow . “ My success comes when I see people that are guided by me and our organization become better and grow in their own way ,” he says . “ This is what really wakes me up in the morning , gets me in the right tone and gets me excited . When I see it helps people make the right decisions and do it without my constant input , that ’ s what I call success . I ’ m a team builder . That ’ s what I ’ m proud of and that ’ s what I enjoy doing .”
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