We first asked Greg to tell us a bit of the tale behind his acquisition of his first property, The Crescent in Beverly Hills. Greg sets the story back in 2001 when he learned about a small hotel chain that owned five properties in New York and one satellite in Los Angeles that that wasn't as successful for them as the others. Able to work his magic, Greg met with the owners privately and negotiated a deal for the property on North Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills or as Greg saw it, "a diamond in the rough".

For Greg it was the hotel's location that set it apart. As he explained to us, the nightlife options in Beverly Hills are minimal and so when he bought the property and began to design his unique hotel - don't call it a boutique hotel, he hates that - he decided to offer the space not only as a new place for visitors to stay but also a spot to counter the area's lacking social scene. And from what we hear, the locals are satiated and coming back for seconds.

Not able to just dismiss his antipathy to the fairly popular term "boutique hotel", we pressed him on what he meant with his term, "unique hotel". He explained that acquiring, designing and opening The Crescent was for him, a "unique opportunity where he could build a property with a unique clientele in mind and in the end create a truly unique destination". Sounds good to us. But what really seems to satisfy Greg most about his first project was that it enabled him to drive his proverbial or wait, physical too, stake in the ground from which he can build out from, uniquely of course.

When asked about his larger scale plans, as he clearly seems poised for global domination, Greg launched into his matter-of-fact breakdown of the hotel industry and the opportunity he sees ripe for his picking. According to Greg there are the primary, 24 hour cities: New York, Miami, London and Los Angeles that belong in one category and then there are the secondary cities: Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Washington, DC plus others. And for Greg, having two properties established in the primary cities; The Crescent in Los Angeles and The soon-to-be Cooper Square Hotel in New York City, will "be his anchors". Because according to Greg, it's the secondary cities that necessitate the unique product he is so desirous and clearly able to provide.

When pressed to chose which secondary city he'd leap to first, Chicago was the unwavering response. So Chi-town, take heed and look forward to a future unique experience provided by the smart and crafty guy behind loungesleep.

A few quick things to note about The Crescent in Beverly Hills as told by its owner:

1. Latest Celebrity Encounter : As you can imagine, celebrities are a dime a dozen in a popular la-la land cocktail locale like the patio bar at The Crescent. Its not shocking almost all the Desperate Housewives have sipped their medicine at the bar. But apparently Elizabeth Hurley is known to enjoy her english tea on the porch as well.

2. The passes to the Sports Club LA offered by the hotel are $20 which may only be $5 cheaper than the regular day pass offered by the club but this way you don't have to bother with bringing along an unwilling member.

3. In response to complaints regarding the width of the hotel room's walls, Greg is sympathetic however acknowledges the structure of the building cannot be changed. Instead the hotel reservation representatives are attentive to the guests' individual needs and do their best to pinpoint those who will be most bothered by the music spinning in the bar downstairs until 11pm and let them have the rooms in the back.

A few random bits about Greg and loungesleep's upcoming hotel, The Cooper Square Hotel in New York City.

The concept for the new hotel is to create a modern day reinterpretation of the classic hotels of a bygone era such as Claridge's of London or the George V in Paris and infuse it with a distinctly downtown New York sensibility. Ok, that was directly copied from their press materials but it was so prosaic that we just had to use it.

But something Greg did mention that struck a chord was during his explanation of how the building permits and zoning laws of New York City aren't half as complicated as those of say, Los Angeles. Surprised by this, we pushed further. He explained that in Los Angeles every single blueprint and facade type decision had to be approved by a community board but in New York City, once the building permits are issued the design concept is completely left up to the individual. No wonder NYC has such funky and diverse architecture.

Most of their press materials talk of the "unique" aesthetic they are hoping to create with The Cooper Square Hotel, "drawing from the past era when travel by rail, ship and airplane was considered the pinnacle of luxury, we will look to incorporate key elements from these eras and their styles, designs, attitude and vitality from the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s."

Of course, most of this is all just marketing speak, at least for now. Time will tell if the Cooper Square Hotel is able to accomplish these goals--and you know we will be there to let you know.

Thanks to Greg for sitting down with us. We wish him the best with all his future endeavors. Look for more hotelier interviews in the not so distant future.

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