Finally, A Proper Hotel in San Francisco

Proper Hospitality Announces Kelly Wearstler-Designed Flagship Hotel to Open Summer 2017 in Mid-Market

. July 05, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. July 5, 2017 - San Francisco is a frontier city, perpetually on the edge and always looking forward. This is where the gold rushes, Ginsberg Howls, consciousness expands, love is legal, and young CEOs invent change. Now, the pioneers that converge in this 'Paris of the West' have another thing to look forward to: A 'Proper' Hotel. And the timing couldn't be better.

This summer, a beloved flatiron hotel building on the corner of 7th and Market will be reborn as San Francisco Proper Hotel, the first injection of true luxury lifestyle hospitality into the city in over a decade. Once a hideaway for high society at the crossroads of deco ritz and juice joints, the district fell into disrepair. Now the landmark is a beacon of the neighborhood's resurgence as a hub of innovation: cutting-edge tech companies inhabit once-blighted architectural marvels while once-thriving theaters have been revived, artistic institutions provide rare exhibits, and thousands of residential units are coming online.

Each Proper experience is an ode to its city, and in this case, San Francisco serves as the hotel's muse. It's a renaissance story befitting the launch of Proper's flagship. A hotel long forgotten, burned, and rebuilt, poised to reclaim its status as a culturally connected hangout for next generation bon vivants.

“Proper Hospitality and The Kor Group have been committed to helping develop this dynamic community, investing significant time and resources into delivering our first flagship hotel and our own unique brand of taking care: of guests, of a building, of a neighborhood,” said Alex Samek, Co-Founder of Proper Hospitality and Principal of The Kor Group.

From the outside in, every detail has been meticulously attended to by veteran hotel developer The Kor Group and world-renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler. A crumbling facade has been stripped away to reveal Beaux-Arts ingenuity, and the historic lobby has been painstakingly restored by local artisans, who employed centuries-old techniques to brilliantly showcase its accumulated history.

“While carefully preserving the original elements of this classified landmark, we looked to bring something new to San Francisco by collaging a reimagining of past, present and future,” said Wearstler. “The spirit of pre-modernist European influence, hand-selected vintage furnishings, and works by local artists are all part of the warm, inviting design mix.”

Part reception, part meeting space, part commissary, the lobby has a genuine, residential flair, with cozy moments throughout that invite both rhetoric and repose. Within it lies a sophisticated and sensual lounge - a classic salon in the European manner - that transitions into an intimate restaurant, a Cubist inspired envelope, in which Wearstler combines elements from various European modernist styles.

The residential feel continues in each of the 131 guestrooms, where a downtown vibe meets old-school French and Italian sensibilities. Like a textbook city pied-à-terre, each room is at the same time chic and practical, showcasing a collection of Proper's favorite things, like Aesop bath products, Vifa speakers, Aireloom mattresses, and Bellino fine linens.

The hotel's highly anticipated restaurants and rooftop lounge will have their own local appeal. Proper tapped acclaimed cocktail consultants Josh Harris and Morgan Schick of BVHospitality (Trick Dog, The Bon Vivants) for its beverage program, having together enjoyed a white-hot run with Rio Grande, a beloved pop-up bar that occupied the ground floor of the building, pre-restoration.

“As we do on all our projects, we sought out not only local, best-in-class partners, but also true hospitality veterans with market expertise to bring our vision to life in San Francisco,” said Brian De Lowe, President and Co-Founder of Proper Hospitality, and President and Principal of The Kor Group. “Our collective talent will be critical to launching this flagship hotel and to propelling the mission of Proper Hospitality forward.”

James Beard-nominated executive chef Jason Franey (Campton Place, Eleven Madison Park, Canlis, Restaurant 1833) oversees the culinary offering at Proper, marking his return home to the city that helped catapult his career. Four distinctive concepts will weave together in a series of indoor/outdoor spaces that inspire a natural progression from cocktails to dinner to stargazing.

From the lobby, guests are transported to a one-of-a-kind oasis on the rooftop terrace. Inspired by the natural beauty and decorative living environments of the Viennese Secession art movement, the expansive terrace feels unlike anything in the city, with a lounge and garden meant to evoke the spirit of romantics. Proper's antidote to the everyday, this dramatic gathering place offers an unparalleled view into the soul of San Francisco - past, present and future - spanning the stimulating street life to the commanding Bay.

Other notable amenities further establish San Francisco Proper Hotel as a one-stop hospitality destination:

· Concierge Services: Should they desire something special, guests can summon the Proper Concierge with a few taps on the Proper App. Developed in partnership with Keypr, the Proper App is a guest's tool for accessing all of the services and amenities in Proper Hotels and Residences. Guests can use their mobile device or the tablet in their guest room to order room service or arrange a private flight - and everything in between.

· Meeting & Event Spaces: The boardroom accommodates up to 14, while its neighboring meeting room flexibly seats 50 in a class-style setting or 75 informally. The Hotel also has a selection of non-traditional spaces including the 14-person private dining room, over 3,400 square-feet of space on the rooftop, and intimate restaurant spaces, which will all be available as buyout options.

· Fitness Amenities: The fully-equipped fitness center features an array of state-of-the-art machines and free weights, while private instruction is available for hire through the Proper App. Shinola bicycles are provided, free of charge.

Overseeing the San Francisco opening is the recently announced President and COO of Proper Hospitality, Arash Azarbarzin, who served as President of sbe hotel group prior to joining the Proper team. Grace Chow (Corporate Director of F&B), Joshua Katz (Creative Director), and Alexis Kagan (Corporate Director of Sales & Marketing) support the local team, which is led by Lorenz Maurer (General Manager) and Xavier Bon (Director of Sales and Marketing).

San Francisco Proper Hotel welcomes its first guests in August 2017, paving the way for the brand's three upcoming openings in Downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Austin. It is the only member in San Francisco of Design Hotels™, the exclusive portfolio of handpicked, design-driven hospitality experiences. Rates start at $400 per night. To book a room at San Francisco Proper Hotel and find out more information, visit www.properhotel.com/san-francisco and follow Proper Hospitality on Instagram (@properhotelsandresidences).

About Proper Hospitality

Led by the co-founders Brad Korzen, Brian De Lowe and Alex Samek, Proper Hospitality designs, brands, and operates high-end lifestyle hospitality experiences under the Proper Hotels and Residences and Avalon Hotels Brands. Each is a distinctive reflection of the vibrant community surrounding it, yet as a group they share a common belief in uncommon luxury, convenience of location, and world-class amenities provided by locally vetted innovators in food and beverage, technology, art, music, fashion, and wellness. Proper Hospitality currently manages Avalon branded hotels in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs and began rolling out the Proper brand with the opening of Hollywood Proper Residences in June 2016. Over the next few years, additional Proper Hotels and Residences are slated to open in other emerging urban innovation districts within dynamic U.S. cities, including San Francisco, Downtown Los Angeles, Austin and Santa Monica.

About The Kor Group

The Kor Group is an international real estate investment and management company with extensive holdings and development experience in commercial real estate properties. Since its inception in 1999, Kor has acquired and developed hospitality, residential, and office assets valued in excess of $2.5 billion. Central to Kor's investment strategy is value creation through distinctive design and branding. By fusing creative design with an agile investment and development discipline, Kor has amassed a portfolio of high performing assets and has built a signature brand translatable across its properties. Kor has acquired, repositioned and managed over 14 million square feet of residential, mixed use, hotel, commercial office and retail space. Kor has over $1 billion in active developments - 1.4 million square feet in the acquisition, development, or construction stage, including ground-up development, value-add repositioning, and adaptive reuse. For more information, visit: www.thekorgroup.com.

About Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler's eponymous global luxury lifestyle brand is renowned for its distinctive designs and sophisticated soulful vibe pioneered by the celebrated interior designer. The brand's breadth of influence spans from residential, hospitality and commercial interior design to curated collections of furniture, lighting, rugs, fabrics, wall coverings, stone and tiles, home accessories and objets d'art. Named to Architectural Digest's preeminent AD100 Architecture & Interior Design list, The A-List from Elle Decor, France AD's World's Top Interior Designers and one of Wallpaper's Top 20 Designers, Wearstler's work and profiles are frequently featured in top design, travel, fashion, lifestyle and business publications worldwide. Wearstler's collections are sold at the Kelly Wearstler flagship store in Los Angeles, Bergdorf Goodman in New York, internationally at Harrods London and other fine boutiques, and Wearstler's robust online store kellywearstler.com. Visit the world of Kelly on Instagram @kellywearstler.

About Jason Franey

Jason Franey, Executive Chef at San Francisco Proper, has built his impressive career by making his mark on storied restaurants around the country, including San Francisco's Campton Place and New York City's Eleven Madison Park, where he spent six years working as Executive Sous Chef under acclaimed chef Daniel Humm and ushering in a new era of fine dining within Danny Meyer's hospitality empire. Franey then served as Executive Chef of Seattle's landmark Canlis Restaurant, helping shape the 60 year-old restaurant into the city's preeminent food destination. Prior to joining San Francisco Proper, Franey held the post of Executive Chef at Monterey, California's Restaurant 1833, honored as "Best Restaurant in Monterey" and awarded three-and-a-half stars by revered San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer. Franey was named a Food & Wine Best New Chef, as well as the publication's People's Best New Chef Northwest. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, he was a finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Northwest and in 2013, was named one of 161 Relais and Châteaux Grands Chefs in the world.

About BVHospitality

In 2016, Josh Harris and Morgan Schick founded BVHospitality. Their lengthy careers in the hospitality industry have included opening several highly-regarded Bay Area restaurants and developing beverage programs for the likes of Quince and Michael Mina. They are partners in Trick Dog, an award-winning San Francisco cocktail bar that opened in January 2013. Trick Dog has been named semifinalist for three James Beard Foundation Awards for Outstanding Bar Program and was nominated for the prestigious award in 2015. Trick Dog has also been included on the 2014, 2015 and 2016 World's 50 Best Bars lists, and has earned several nods from the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, including being named Best American Bar Team and nominations for World's Best Cocktail Bar, World's Best Cocktail Menu and Best American Cocktail Bar. Nightclub & Bar Media Group named Trick Dog Cocktail Bar of the Year in 2017. Trick Dog is the only establishment of its kind in the Bay Area to receive a 3 Star review from San Francisco Chronicle restaurant critic Michael Bauer. Harris is the co-founder of The Bon Vivants, a spirits marketing and trade advocacy agency, and the philanthropic event series Pig & Punch. Schick is the Creative Director for The Bon Vivants, and co-founder of Jupiter Olympus, an events marketing company.

Media Contacts:
Alexis Murray-Merriman
NJF, an MMGY Global Company
[email protected]
(212) 228-1500

Allyson Berkowitz
NJF, an MMGY Global Company
[email protected]
(212) 228-1500

Morgan Shapiro
NJF, an MMGY Global Company
[email protected]
(212) 228-1500

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