Gemstone Signs Management Agreements
Carlton Hotel, NYC and Hotel Washington, Washington DC.
PARK CITY, UT, February 8, 2007. Officials of Gemstone Resorts International, LLC, a leading hotel and resort management company, today announced that it has signed management agreements to operate luxury hotels in New York and Washington, D.C. To reflect significant growth and expansion in urban upscale and luxury boutique hotel management, the company also announced it has changed its name to Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, LLC.
"Although we are adding only one word to our name, 'hotels,' it represents an important strategic change in our company," said Mark van Hartesvelt, Gemstone principal. "As a mid-sized, more hands-on management company specializing in boutique properties, we have the opportunity to help create a signature, singular property for each hotel we manage. We always play an important role in creating the strategic positioning for our hotels.
"Luxury hotels are not about adding a thicker carpet or crystal chandeliers. We believe that creating a singular hotel experience for each guest, what we call experiential and participatory theater, is what creates a special bond and makes guests loyal to your hotel. We believe this approach gives us a distinctive competitive advantage.
"We have a very active pipeline for both existing and planned hotels," he noted. "In addition to hotels and resorts in the U.S., we are in discussions with owners in the Middle East, the Far East and Mexico."
The two new hotel management contracts are:
Carlton Hotel, Manhattan-Located at 88 Madison Ave., the hotel recently was restored to its historic elegance by renown architect David Rockwell. Gemstone will oversee a multi-million dollar renovation of the hotel's 316 guest rooms and suites, hallways and back-of-the house infrastructure. In addition, the hotel will add approximately 1,500 square feet of high-end retail. The hotel's Country restaurant, led by Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, recently was awarded two stars by The New York Times.
"The Carlton already is a four-star quality hotel and was voted by Conde Nast Travel as one of the 15 Best hotels and resorts in the world in 2006. With our repositioning, it will remain one of the leading luxury properties in the city," said Thomas Prins, Gemstone principal. "We have been very active in the New York market and currently are actively bidding on four other luxury hotels. The New York luxury hotel market is one of the most competitive in the world. Not only do we absolutely believe that the Gemstone management system will work very well in Manhattan, but the move sets the stage for our international expansion. We have been very active in the New York market and currently are negotiating with a number of other luxury hotels."
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