Of traditional hotels, that is: Hotelier André Balazs wants out of the traditional hotel business. Balazs – who operates the historic Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, the chic Mercer in lower Manhattan and London’s exclusive Chiltern Firehouse hotel – plans to convert at least the first of those hotels into a private residential club and then expand in new cities by creating more members-only properties with annual membership dues.
More from the Wall Street Journal
Montage to open in Bahamas: Montage Hotels & Resorts on Tuesday announced Montage Cay, a 48-acre private-island resort and residential community in The Abacos Islands in the Bahamas scheduled to open in 2023. Owned in partnership with Sterling Global Financial, the project will see the rebranding and complete redevelopment of the private island of Matt Lowe’s Cay in The Abacos, re-emerging as Montage Cay, alongside the launch of The Residences at Montage Cay. The private island features seven beaches and is located less than one mile off the coast of Marsh Harbour. The private-island resort will feature 50 all-suite accommodations and a limited collection of Montage Residences. A 46-slip marina accommodating vessels up to 110 feet anchors the resort, allowing guests and residents of Montage Cay access to an array of boating, fishing and water sports activities.
Wyndham in Atlanta: Wyndham will have its first development in Atlanta – an expansion of the Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham and Club Wyndham vacation club portfolios. The 22-story, dual-branded resort location will be the first-ever timeshare in Atlanta and will have 200 suites. The tower is anticipated to be completed in 2022.
Minority leadership in hospitality scholarship: Hanyc Foundation, the charitable arm of the Hotel Association of New York City, has announced a new scholarship dedicated to the advancement of minorities into leadership roles in the hospitality industry. The Hanyc Minority Leadership in Hospitality Scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a course of study in a culinary or hospitality program during the Foundation’s Annual Scholarship Awards ceremony in August at the Madison Avenue Courtyard of Lotte New York Palace.
Charlestowne operating in Colorado: Charlestowne Hotels, based in Charleston, South Carolina, will open and operate the Hotel Maverick on the Colorado Mesa University campus in Grand Junction, Colorado. The boutique hotel operates as the only hospitality teaching facility of its kind in western Colorado. Hotel Maverick features 60 guest rooms and suites, a combined 3,793 square feet of meetings and events space, and an outdoor soaking spa and fitness center.