HotelChatter:
What is NYLO? What does it mean and how does it relate to the guests' experience?

Patrick O'Neil:
NYLO in one word is unique. The word itself is different from any other word you see. And as a hotel, we are high design and highly affordable at the same time. In the markets that we are competing in, we are going to be able to offer our guests something totally different.

Some examples...we run on 50 percent windpower, the only hotel in the area to do so. We also offer 32-inch HDTVs in every room, no other hotel around here does that. And we don't charge for the little things. We have free wireless, the bottled water in the rooms is free and parking is free.

Ultimately, we tried to think about what business and leisure travelers like and what they don't like and we are trying to do it all a bit better than everyone else.

HotelChatter:
Speaking of your markets, you decided to open first in Plano, and the next one will be in Warwick, Rhode Island. Why these cities first?

O'Neil:
We own the property, we build from scratch, and we manage the hotel. So to open in those top markets would cost a fortune and we would have to charge a fortune. Besides those places like New York, Chicago and Miami, they already have great boutique hotels.

We wanted to be in Plano and Warwick and places like Las Covinas, Overland Park, Raleigh or Durham because there's a market for our hotel there.

Here in Plano, NYLO is inside Legacy Park which is about 22 miles from Dallas and 28 miles from the airport. It's home to JC Penny corporate headquarters and Capital One is building a huge facility here. Erikson is here as is Countrywide and Frito-lay. There's just a ton of business going on here and there was a need for a business hotel in this market.

HotelChatter:
Most of your professional experience in hotels and hospitality was spent at Starwood Hotels. How is this influencing your work with NYLO?

O'Neil:
I loved working with Starwood. They gave me great opportunities and I learned a ton. When I worked in Europe (launching the Westin brand), I learned way more than I would have anywhere else. I got a great opportunity for someone who probably didn't deserve it.

Also at Starwood, I learned a lot about productivity, profit and loss, and service from the Six Sigma training program so all that has prepared me for now.

HotelChatter:
Speaking of Starwood, they are set to launch two brands with similar ideas as NYLO. And their Aloft and Element hotels are set to open in similar markets as you. So how is NYLO different from the competition?

O'Neil:
I guess you could say we are competing against Starwood and indeed there is an Aloft opening down the street. It looks like it's going to be good. I haven't seen much but I have seen some renderings.

What's different about us is that we don't have a big machine like Starwood behind us. We all put personal money into this and there's a lot of passion here. Everyone here is trying to make NYLO successful and that passion is what makes this place different.

We just have a good feeling on everything. We are opening on time, on budget and at a good boutique hotel cost.

HotelChatter:
So what does NYLO actually mean?

O'Neil:
Well, initially we wanted it to be called New York Lofts and every hotel we had would feature water tower on top of it to give it that New York City look. Our designer, Stephane Dupoux, was doing a rendering and drawing the water tower but could only fit the initials N Y L O on it. We all looked at that and thought, "Hey, that could work."

HotelChatter:
What is your favorite part about NYLO Hotel?

O'Neil
I just love the guest rooms. We have a few different rooms here and I've seen the model rooms throughout the process but to be inside a rendering is great. It's real now. We are also setting up the Loft bar and restaurant which is beautiful. And we have a courtyard outside with a pool and 11-foot firepit. When people walk in here, they say, "This hotel is in Plano?" And that's exactly what we wanted to do. It's all just something that I'm really proud of. And it's been a lot of fun.

Thanks Patrick!