Blame marketing : The hotel advertised jobs on the London Tube , with advertisements and a WhatsApp number to message .
PENNING THE FUTURE Two luxury hotels opening in the span of eight months — especially for an outfit like the punctilious Peninsula Hotels — is immense . It doesn ’ t mean that Peninsula isn ’ t out scouting for the next . It ’ s a brand that started east , spread west and now is filling in the gaps . “ What we are trying to do is to go overseas and enter into the most important cities in the world , and we seek not just a prime location , but the most exceptional sites in that city ,” Kwok said . “ We are always looking into the long term . You can ’ t invest in projects like these with a short-term horizon , so we make investments where we are assessing a return over 20 , 30 or even 50 years . You need to have the staying power , the willpower and the ability to maintain all of this .”
Peninsula has been in New York since the early 1990s , occupying a Beaux-Arts building that dates back to 1905 when it opened as the Gotham Hotel . Today , it is positioned right across the street on Fifth Avenue from another storied New York hotel , The St . Regis New York . HSH acquired the building ’ s lease in 1989 , when it was trading as the Hotel Maxim ' s de Paris . The hotel was renovated in 1998 and is now embarking on what Borer called a “ big ” renovation .
Counting London , there are 12 hotels today . It could have been 13 , but a project in Yangon , the largest city in Myanmar , had to be shelved in 2021 due to the political strife there . Reports say that HSH had to write off nearly $ 90 million of the $ 130-million project , which was around 70 % complete when the plug was pulled . It could get back on track in the future , Borer said . “ We hope if things improve that , one day , this project might be revitalized ,” he said .
Nothing else is currently or formally in the pipeline and Borer said attention
now will be on improving existing assets , especially with technology .
What about another brand altogether ? Don ’ t bet on it , but it ’ s not a foreign concept : Some luxury hotel companies , such as Langham Hospitality Group , which , like Peninsula , is headquartered in Hong Kong , have launched brands that cater less to the traditional luxury traveler and more to a younger cohort in search of a different experience .
In 2022 , Langham launched Ying ’ nFlo , an upper-midscale brand , geared to millennials and GenZers . Since 2014 , another Hong Kong-based luxury hospitality company , Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd ., has operated the lifestyle-centric Hotel Jen brand , which was subsequent to Kerry
A Superior Bosphorus Suite at The Peninsula Istanbul .
Hotels , positioned as “ relaxed ” luxury .
Peninsula dabbled in this informally with a hotel it had in Hong Kong . It didn ’ t stick and don ’ t expect it to return while Borer is around . “ I ' m an absolute , total and firm believer in brand purity ,” he said . Borer is an ardent admirer of brands like Chanel , which has never strayed from its core being , never deviated from Coco Chanel ’ s intent . He also lists Ferrari as inspiration , having stuck to building the absolute best in cars .
Borer wants the same superior singularity for Peninsula . And like Chanel or Ferrari , The Peninsula name stands on its own , just the way Borer wants it . “ We don ' t put hotels or resorts or whatever with it — it ' s just The Peninsula ,” he said . “ That was always my dream .”
It ’ s now a truth .
The indoor swimming pool at The Peninsula Istanbul .
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