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'1' Joins the Ranks of Oddly-Named New Hotel Chains

It looks like numbers are replacing lowercase letters when it comes to new hotel chains.

Barry Sternlicht, the former CEO of the Starwood chain who oversaw the launch of W Hotels, has announced his latest luxury hotel chain, called "1." (Remember he already has another one in the works called "Crillon" which we decided was code for Crunky Millions.)

1 is going to be 1 big eco-friendly luxury chain, with the first 1 opening in downtown Seattle in 2008 (see Google Earth image above.) The 1 brand will also feature residences and is designed to compete with Starwood's current luxury lines as well as the Ritz and the Four Seasons.

After Seattle, 1 will open in Scottsdale, Paris, Mammoth Mountain Ski  Resort and Ft. Lauderdale. Of course, NYC, LA, San Fran and DC won't be ignored.

Peter Sanders of the Wall Street Journal has the exclusive detes today on the hotel's eco-friendliness (ie. big tax break):

To set the new brand apart from an upscale hotel field that has become increasingly crowded in the past few years, the company is billing itself as "the first luxury, eco-friendly global hotel brand." The Natural Resources Defense Council will serve as an environmental adviser and the new hotels will all be built to standards set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Now, is it just us or is the song "One" from the Chorus Line musical playing over and over in your head? One...singular sensation....

Related Stories:
· Sternlicht Makes Another Move in Luxury Hotels [WSJ]