GREENWICH, CONN.—Starwood Capital Group announced the launch of two new hotel brands, the luxury brand Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, and the lifestyle eco-brand 1 Hotels & Resorts, with five hotel openings scheduled under the group’s hotel brand management company, SH Group. The initial five hotel openings will occur over the next 24 months and include: Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York, N.Y.; Baccarat Hotel Rabat, Morocco; 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach, Fla.; 1 Hotel Central Park, N.Y.; and 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Park, N.Y.
“With two revolutionary hotel brands entering the marketplace and five hotel openings in the next two years, we are confident that Baccarat and 1 Hotels will place Starwood Capital Group at the very forefront of the dynamic hospitality industry,” said Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group. “What was once just an idea will soon be a reality.”
1 Hotels, the first ground up luxury eco-design and living hotel concept will marry responsible travel with sophisticated taste. Starwood intends to celebrate nature in its interior and exterior design and offer farm-to-table dining and other ecologically responsible amenities as well as distinctive green services. Each property will be built using LEED-certified building standards, including the adaptive re-use of raw materials wherever possible. 1 Hotels will begin its journey with three unique properties: The 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach, opening early 2014; The 1 Hotel Central Park, located on 58th Street and Sixth Avenue, opening in the spring of 2014; and, The 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, opening in the summer 2015. Additional 1 Hotel properties will open internationally with the first location expected to open in Marrakech, Morocco.
“The 1 Hotel name reflects my belief that there is only one world; that together we have a responsibility to take care of our planet for the benefit of future generations,” said Mr. Sternlicht.
First 1 Hotel to Open in South Beach
The 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach is expected to open in the first quarter of 2014. The 1970s building is being gut renovated and completely redesigned inside and out with new systems in an effort to achieve LEED certification. While being respectful of the iconic South Beach design sensibility, the exterior and interior design will celebrate nature and light. The building’s clean, simplified architecture will enhance its natural advantages such as sweeping water views from most rooms and one of the widest beaches in all of Miami. The 1 Hotel & Residences South Beach will feature 417 hotel rooms, four swimming pools including the largest pool in South Beach and famous rooftop pool, lush landscaping, a spa and very large fitness center, private beach amenities and a variety of entertainment and dining destinations, including a new signature farm-to-table restaurant. As the first branded residential property tied to the new 1 Hotel brand, the project will also include 163 private residences ranging from one-to-four-bedrooms, as well as distinctive duplex homes. Residence owners will have access to a private lobby and arrival courtyard and concierge, as well as access to a full range of 1 Hotel services. Sales for The 1 Residences South Beach are slated to begin in April 2013.
Baccarat Hotels will position the venerable crystal company as a leader in luxury lifestyle. Originally created by decree from King Louis XV, Baccarat is renowned for unmatched craftsmanship, innovation and stunning design since 1764, matching the desires of its illustrious customers such as Czar Alexander the Great, the King of Thailand and Coco Chanel. The company still operates and manufactures its products in the picturesque town of Baccarat in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. Only absolutely perfect crystal creations are allowed to bear the Baccarat name. The same will be true at Baccarat Hotels where the hotels will strive for the perfection of customer service in every facet of its operation. The hotels’ distinctive design will celebrate the brand’s heritage reflecting the shimmering richness of its nearly 250-year history.
Poised to be one of Manhattan’s most prestigious addresses, Baccarat Hotel & Residences New York is located on 53rd Street just off Fifth Avenue directly across from the Museum of Modern Art and its sculpture garden. The striking 50-story glass tower will feature 114 guestrooms including 26 suites, as well as 61 private residences ranging from one- to four-bedrooms, including four full-floor units and a five-bedroom penthouse duplex with an outdoor terrace. The hotel will feature a stand alone “crystal bar” atop the base podium surrounded by an outdoor “tuileries” terrace, spa, indoor pool and fitness facility, and a bar and restaurant entered at street level. Sales of the Baccarat Residences New York are expected to begin in March 2013. The Baccarat Hotel & Residences will open in 2014, coinciding with the brand’s 250th anniversary.
Future Baccarat locations are planned in some of the world’s most exciting urban and resort destinations, including Rabat, Dubai, Marrakech, and other locations in the Middle East and Asia. Baccarat, the crystal company, which is majority owned by a subsidiary of Starwood Capital Group, will also unveil their newest flagship store in New York City on Madison Avenue in June 2013. The distinctive design concept for the 2,000-square-foot store will become a new global retail prototype for the brand.
Go to Starwood Capital Group.
