YOU ARE EXPANDING RAPIDLY. WHAT NEW HOTELS ARE YOU OPENING
IN 2018? ARE THERE ANY FAVORABLE MARKETS/DESTINATIONS?
Looking ahead, we’re going to remain aggressive – we expect to sign 150 deals over the
next five years. As for geography, we’re focusing on major metropolitan
cities and smaller secondary markets across the U.S., Europe, Latin
America, Asia and the Middle East. At the end of January, Dream
Hotel Group had already signed three deals, one for Unscripted
Tulum in Mexico, another for Unscripted Belize and the third
for Dream Belize. The company is also adding a residential
component to a couple of the hotels under development—
Dream Palm Springs (175 keys) will have Dream Residences
(35 condominium units). The Dream in Belize will also have
Dream Residences. Dream Nashville is slated to open in
late 2018 as well. We’re doing a really fun project called
the Chatwal Lodge up in Bethel, N.Y., very close to
where Woodstock took place. [The 50th anniversary of
Woodstock is in 2019]. We may be rolling out more of
these five-star wilderness lodges—almost as if Ralph
Lauren did a retreat in the middle of nowhere. We’re
going to do some glamping tents as well as cabins on
the lake.
HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR F&B OFFERINGS ENTICING?
Our theory is that if you build attractive, engaging dining and nightlife experiences for
the community, the hotel guest will also be well-served with a more genuine and locally
relevant experience. It allows us to think and build outside the box. It also means not
using a formula. It’s not a cookie cutter approach. It’s about understanding the local
community, culture and what consumers want in that specific market.
HOW DO YOU BRING THE COMMUNITY INTO YOUR HOTELS?
F&B exists at the center of the overall guest experience and is a great local draw. For us,
F&B is everything. We build each hotel’s ethos first around the local community. If we
build something that our neighbors love, the transient guest will too because everyone
wants to feel like a local.
WHAT TREND WILL YOU BE KEEPING AN EYE ON FOR 2018?
As for geography, we’re focusing on major metropolitan cities and smaller secondary
markets across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East. Many cities
seem to have been neglected in the lifestyle boom – and with no good reason behind it.
We plan on capitalizing on that oversight. There’s definitely a rise of that “great hotel
as a social hub” mindset again, and we’re leading that charge. In so many places, a great
hotel is a landmark, an icon.
8 ILHA