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The Sahara Shutters Two Towers, Closes Buffet
The other week we roamed around the Sahara Resort and Casino, made famous by the Rat Pack in the 50s and 60s and we were saddened by the well, sad state of affairs there. Sam Nazarian has promised to turn Sahara into a swank SLS Hotel but instead, the hotel has just closed two of its three towers citing weak room demand and they also shuttered the buffet, something they do every year during the off-season.
None of this bodes well for an SLS Hotel and we wouldn't be surprised if Nazarian sold it off at some point in the near future. But now that CityCenter is open and cannibalizing other hotels on the Strip and even its own sister MGM Mirage properties, we expect even more closures to happen. There is just simply too many hotel rooms in Vegas these days.
Tags: Snapshot / Viva Vegas / SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags
An SLS Hotel is Still a Long Ways Off for The Sahara
We spent some time inside the Sahara in Las Vegas yesterday and despite the fact that this iconic Vegas property belongs to Sam Nazarian, he of the SLS Hotels, the Sahara is simply put, a tragedy.
The first thing to greet you when you walk inside is the smell of decades upon decades of (probably not filtered) cigarettes. While the casino at the front of the house is impressive-looking (lots of giant chandeliers hanging closely overhead and flashy Middle Eastern decor) it's all very downtrodden and sad. And it doesn't make any sense that the Nascar Cafe is inside here.
Yet at the front of the hotel's entrance there is a sign that says SLS Way, reminding us that good things are to come. Remember, Sam still has plans to change this into an SLS Hotel, which we think would be excellent for Las Vegas. Except there's just no money yet to do it.
So that means the Sahara will continue in its sad existence for a lot longer. Sigh. FYI, rooms start at $55 this weekend.
Tags: Hotel Woes / Sam Nazarian / SLS Hotels / SBE Entertainment / Starwood Hotels / → All Tags
So Long Sahara? SLS Hotels Encounter Some Turbulence
It seems like only yesterday that a nightclub operator and hotelier practically meant the same thing but thanks to the rough economy, it's become very clear to Sam Nazarian that a hotelier has far bigger troubles than a nightclub owner.
The Wall Street Journal took a look behind the scenes at Nazarian's SBE Entertainment company which counts several nightclubs frequented by the brainless cast members of "The Hills," restaurants prominently featured in the background of paparazzi shots, and of course, the SLS Hotels which include The SLS Los Angeles, The Sahara in Las Vegas and the old Ritz Plaza in Miami Beach.
While the SLS Hotel in LA has been generally well-received, especially thanks to its Bazaar restaurant manned by superstar chef Jose Andres, the other two properties are languishing in debt and construction nightmare. And SBE is suffering for it:
In the past 18 months, Mr. Nazarian has cut much of his development team, including architects and designers, and outsourced legal counsel and other services—downsizing his corporate staff nearly in half to around 55 people.
Tags: Hotel Hype / SLS Hotels / Miami Hotel Mambo / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags
SLS Miami Is Set for 2011, So They Say
Hollywood club impresario and frequent "Hills" guest star Brent Bolthouse may have parted ways with Sam Nazarian and his SBE nightlife company--which also oversees the SLS Hotels. But plans for the hotel's expansion are still on. Sorta.
A year ago, we questioned what was happening with this hotel and there really wasn't much going on. But in the release we received about the departure of Bolthouse we noticed a very interesting tidbit at the end:
Also in the SBE Hotel collection are Miami’s Ritz Plaza hotel, to debut in early 2011, and Las Vegas’ Sahara Hotel & Casino, which will undergo a complete redevelopment for completion in early 2012.
2011? That's only about a year and a half away. A tipster told us in March that signs at the construction site said late 2010 and according to this photo on Flickr, taken in July, the inside is gutted but the skeleton of the building remains. In other words, there hasn't been much progress.
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Ding Ding Dong, The SLS Is Open
Yesterday, we posted a quick snapshot from the official opening and bell-ringing of the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles. Aside from Sam Nazarian and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, several other VIPs were on hand for the occasion. They were councilmembers Jack Weiss and Wendy Gruehl; Arash Azarbazin, President of SLS Hotels; Philip Dailey, SLS General Manager; Bazaar chef Jose Andres, Carla Murray, Starwood's VP of Operations for the Northwest Region and even Sam's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Nazarian.
We don't think every hotel has an opening ceremony like this but thanks to Nazarian's money-making SBE which has the hottest nightclubs prominently featured on "The Hills" (remember Heidi once worked here) like Area and Hyde, and the Katsuya and XIV restaurants, the city is kind of in love with Sam. Also it helps that SLS has created 400 new jobs and SBE's properties will bring the city about $4 million in tax revenue. Thus Villaraigosa presented Sam and SBE with a city proclamation. It's good to be Sam right now.
Tags: Sneak Peek / Inside SLS / Hotel Restaurants / Hotel Openings / Los Angeles Hotels / Jose Andres / Top Chef / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags
Inside The Bazaar at SLS Hotel
This is the second part of a three-part series on the SLS Hotel.
Now that we've taken you through the lobby and check-in and up to your room, it's time to explore The Bazaar at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills and helmed by chef Jose Andres.
Much like the guest rooms inside the hotel, The Bazaar changes all your preconceived notions about a hotel restaurant. For starters, it's actually three restaurants. There's Bar Centro, Pâtisserie, and Rojo y Blanco. In addition, there is a Moss custom-curated retail area where guests can purchase eclectic pieces which are all on display in free-standing glass vitrines.
Walking through the Bazaar is no easy feat. Not because you can't make your way past stuff but because you can't make your way past all the stuff without stopping to stare and look at it. Like the dark-humored mobile that hangs from the ceiling of a hideaway nook and features plastic guns. Or the wall of shelves with dozen of photographs of the back of people's heads. And like the rest of the hotel, the furniture is Starck-inspired (remember this man loves chairs) and almost every piece, whether it's a lamp, chair, ottoman or vase, is different from the next.
In short, Bazaar is quite bizarre.
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SLS Beverly Hills Is Opening Next Week
Calling all dog-loving celebrities and their paparazzi entourages: Add the SLS Hotel Beverly Hills to your stalking/hang out spots--it opens next week, and with perks for your furry friends!
Sam Nazarian's first SLS Hotel will finally open next week on Oct 28th. Reservations are being accepted online for stays from November 1st beyond. We checked for Nov. 1st and that night was sold out. But we did find rooms on Nov. 8th and 9th for $444 a night.
Those are some pricey digs, so what do you get for that? In addition to having a guests-only lobby, The SLS will also feature The Bazaar at SLS which is a combination of Jose Andres' restaurant, another lobby and a boutique retail store in one. And as we already told you, the hotel will have these funky Fitness Suites, which include a Kinesis Fitness machine.
But what really pulls at our heartstrings is the attention SLS devotes to your dog. Upon check-in your dog gets: a personalized letter, dog bowls, food and water, a dog bed, "Dog In Room" door sign, a treat, clean up bags, chew toy and SLS branded personalized dog tags.
We're thinking the dogs get treated better than their owners, which is fine by us because we love our doggies.
Tags: Miami Hotel Mambo / Hotel Hype / SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / Philippe Starck / → All Tags
What's Happening with The SLS Hotel in Miami?
A reader sent in this snapshot of the old Ritz Plaza in Miami Beach saying that this is supposed to be the site of the new SLS Miami.
The first SLS Hotel is set to open in Beverly Hills sometime later this fall and Andrew Calvo reported on Passions of a Zealot that Miami is to be the next location.
But even as far back as 2004, Hotel Online reported that Sam Nazarian and Philippe Starck would take over the Ritz Plaza on Collins Avenue for a new SLS hotel.
Yet as this photo clearly demonstrates not much is happening with SLS Miami. Que paso? Anyone who knows, send us a hint.
Tags: SLS Hotels / Sam Nazarian / Starwood Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags
The First SLS Hotel in 'Beverly Hills' to open July 15
Thanks again to tipster Kal B who let us know that Starwood Hotels has put up a website link for their new SLS Hotels brand and its first location The SLS at "Beverly Hills."
We put quotes around that because it's the very border of LA and Beverly Hills. To say Beverly Hills is actually quite misleading because it's way closer to the Beverly Center than Rodeo Drive. Indeed the actual address of the hotel (on La Cienega) puts it in the LA zip code.
Anyways, there are two photos of the rooms up and we are so far not loving the fur blanket on the beds. We are also not loving the planned 10am check-out time. What is going on with Starwood? First Aloft gets at 10am check-out and now SLS?
Still, we're trying not to be too grumpy about this new brand so here are some positives:
Each of the 297 rooms and suites, including 32 anti-allergen "pure" rooms, feature Phillippe Starck designed customized décor. Plush bedding, 42" flat screens and a host of personalized indulgences and amenities create a study in modern opulence.
There's also going to be a rooftop pool and a restaurant from chef Jose Andres. And who doesn't love goblet-swilling monkeys?
Tags: Hotel News / SLS Hotels / Hotel Hype / Philippe Starck / Sam Nazarian / Las Vegas Hotels / Brent Bolthouse / → All Tags
Brent Bolthouse Coming to the Sahara
Even though Las Vegas' Sahara has super-cheap blackjack, don't expect the planned clubs to match. Sam Nazarian hopes to lure a latter-day Rat Pack with not one but four clubs by Brent Bolthouse. (You know, the guy who Heidi works for on The Hills.)
Besides the sure-to-be-bottle-service venues, Nazarian wants to turn his new trophy into a boutique hotel to rival the Viceroy in Santa Monica and the SLS Hotel in West Hollywood. And, yep, Philippe Starck is rumored to be involved on this redo, too.
As usual, we'll qualify all this under the Hotel Hype heading and wait for your insider tips.
[Photo: Wikipedia]
Related Stories:
· Fab Four Return Home [Las Vegas Magazine]
· SLS Hotels coverage [HotelChatter]
Tags: SLS Hotels / Hotel Hype / Sam Nazarian / Philippe Starck / → All Tags
Skinny Monkeys With Goblets = New Paradigm In Luxury
Way back in 2006 we learned Sam Nazarian, the man behind Hollywood club Privilege, was launching his own line of luxury hotels with Phillipe Starck in tote. Then more recently, HotelChatter West did drive by at Le Meridien Los Angeles and noticed renovations were underway.
Fast forward to October 2007 when a little black box from Sam Nazarian arrived at HotelChatter headquarters. The message:
Sam Nazarian and SBE Hotel Group Proudly Present A New Paradigm In Luxury. The first SLS, SLS at Beverly Hills opens in early 2008. Keep listening.
The leave behind is a little black book that starts off with the sentence: "This is not a hotel" accompanied by an illustrated monkey holding a goblet. Don't believe us? The same monkey can be found swinging from your browser here.
Our reaction? Proudly Present A New Paradigm In Luxury sounds a lot like A Game Changing Hotel. That illustrated monkey with a goblet looks like an aneroxic version of our favorite nightlife lovin' beaver with a martini glass. But hey, this is LA right?
Oh and as for the "Keep Listening" part? Seeing that a great deal of HotelChatter stories end that way, SLS must have really nailed that one.
Of course, we eat hotel hype for breakfast and will continue to dissect this first SLS hotel opening like a 10th grade fetal pig.
Related Stories:
· SLS Hotels Coverage [HotelChatter]
Tags: Hotel News / SLS Hotels / Hotel Hype / Philippe Starck / Sam Nazarian / → All Tags
Philippe Starck Now Belongs to Sam Nazarian
News about LA nightlife impressario Sam Nazarian, the man behind Hollywood clubs Privilege, the Abbey and some other place that Paris Hilton frequents, launching his own line of luxury hotels has been burning up the hotel industry wire. But it's not really all that new.
Last year, (actually almost exactly a year ago) we learned that the Los Angeles Le Meridien was set to undergo some Philippe Starck renovations then reopen as an SBE Hotel in 2008.
So what's new this year? Well, Sam Nazarian has decided to fully lend his name for promotion's sake. The marketing campaign centers around "It's not your father's hotel" (gag). The hotels will be named SLS followed by city location, but will still be under the Starwood hotel group. And each hotel will have a nightclub and a hip restaurant, of course.
But what is perhaps most shocking is that Philippe Starck can't design hotels, restaurants, bar, or nightclubs with anyone else other than SBE for 15 years.
That means when Ian Schrager gets over his Julian Schnabel partnership (if he isn't already over it), he can't phone up Starck until 2022. And will boutique design hotels even be cool by then?
Related Stories:
· Hotel Hype: LA Le Meridien No More? [HotelChatter]
· Nightclub owner to launch hotel brand [LA Times]
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