HotelChatter

HotelChatter:
What is happening with Kor Hotels? We noticed a few hotels have been dropped and a few new ones have been picked up. Can you explain what's in store for Kor in the future?

Nicholas Clayton:
Initially Kor Hotels started out with what we call Urban Retreats like the Viceroy, Maison 140 and Avalon in Beverly Hills and the Chamberlain Hotel in West Hollywood.

Then we acquired the Tides South Beach which we are now expanding with three resorts in Mexico. We also decided to expand the Viceroy Hotel past its Santa Monica and Palm Springs locations so we are working on bringing the Viceroy brand to Anguilla, Riviera Maya, and both Miami and South Beach by 2009. We also hope to eventually open Viceroy hotels in cities like New York and San Francisco.

In the meantime, we will still hold onto our core Urban Retreats which now includes the Delfina Santa Monica, The Gateway in Los Angeles and a future hotel in Vancouver called the Loden.

[Ed. Note: Here is the complete listing of Kor Hotels--Present and Future.]

HotelChatter:
What makes the Tides brand different from the Viceroy brand?

Clayton:
For starters, the Tides will be luxury resorts that are next to the water and the Viceroy will be resorts that are more of an urban retreat although some will be near the beach and water. Our rule is you can't use the Tides brand in a city if it's not near any water. So the Tides will always be on the beach or water where the Viceroy, in some cases, will just be close to it.

The Tides resorts are also romantic, and are about escaping and reconnecting. While both brands will have great bars and food, The Viceroys are more about these exciting drinking and dining venues. Guests can still retreat to the peace and quiet of their rooms but it's more for people who want to be excited by the hotel.

HotelChatter:
So is what's happening to the Tides South Beach part of this expansion plan?

Clayton:
Yes, the Tides South Beach has been undergoing some rebranding and renovation. There's a new lobby, new terrace, and the Coral Bar will open later this summer. The first newly renovated rooms will go into inventory on May 23rd and we expect all the rooms to be done in two months.

HotelChatter:
What makes a Kor Hotel different from the other hotels out? What do you aim to provide for your guests?

Clayton:
Each of our brands that we are putting out will have its own unique services but all of our hotels will share four key elements.

The first is great design. We believe design permeates everything and we want our hotels to be the type of place where people walk into them and say, "Wow this is really cool." We like dramatic pieces of furniture that are functional and cozy, contemporary and classical. My test, is if I walk into a hotel do I want those pieces in my home?

The second is exciting drinking and dining venues. Hotels must have connection to leisure business. The leisure business is always the better business to be in. At the Viceroy Santa Monica we have the beach across the street so that's a summertime leisure. In the Viceroy we are planning in downtown Miami, we will have a pool and bar on the 50th floor.

HotelChatter:
The 50th floor? Is that the rooftop?

Clayton:
[Laughs] No, but it's close. Also, the food at these venues has to be outstanding, otherwise it's not luxury. Third, we want to provide service that is fit for a luxury environment. I call it intuitive service. We don't want our staff just taking bags up to the room and that's it. We want them to closely look at the situation and try to understand what our guests really need.

Lastly, we want people to enhance their lifestyle. We want them to learn new things or try new techniques when they stay at our hotels--whether it's being pampered at the spa with a new treatment or taking yoga classes.

HotelChatter:
What are some of the hotel trends that the Kor group is looking closely at?

Clayton:
There has been a trend towards combining business and leisure travel so we'll keep watching that. Eco-sensitivity and awareness is also important to us. We will be watching our long-term energy costs, our water treatment and our impact on the local community. We don't want to be straining local resources with our hotels. We will also incorporate organic foods and beverages procured near the sourced into our drinking and dining.

And we always want to provide the best and latest in services and amenities that we can. For instance, poolside at some of our hotels you will be able to rent headsets that have a movie playing in front of your eyes.

Lastly, we will focus on new ways for our guests to reconnect with one another so we will specialize in creating romantic events as well as offering fun packages like a Gentleman's Weekend.

HotelChatter:
Now, I hate to tell you but Kor Hotels made our Worst WiFi Hotels list again this year. Will there be any changes on this front in the future?

Clayton:
Our general standard is that it's a value-added service. We may change the model going forward but right now, it's something that the general managers at each hotel decide. Obviously if they are charging something outrageous like $27 and it's affecting occupancy then we will step in and say something. Yet we're not going to micro-manage it. That said, it is a big debate and we'll be paying closer attention to it.

Special Thanks to Nicholas Clayton and Daniel Guerrero for making this interview happen.

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Tags: Hoteliers That Matter / Nick Clayton / Kor Hotels / Interviews / Pitch Your Hotel

by juliana