Boutique Design - June 2016 - 23

HEROES
AND

MAVERICKS
Boutique Design's second annual Up-and-Coming Hotelier honorees Jason Pomeranc, Barry
Sternlicht and Jay Stein have their battle scars from going their own way. But, they've won
their wars to change the hospitality landscape and force the industry to question and grow.
by oriana Lerner

The irony of being selected as Boutique Design's 2016 Up-and-Coming
Hoteliers isn't lost on Jason Pomeranc, partner and ceo, SIXTY hotels; Barry
Sternlicht, chairman & ceo, Starwood Capital Group; and Jay Stein, ceo,
Dream Hotel Group. They're not only industry veterans with decades of experience; they're household words in an industry where C-suites typically have
revolving doors and a long list of "where are they now?" former executives.
Though they traveled different career paths, they all had substantial success
early on-from Stein's unstoppable rise through posts with Hilton Worldwide
and Doral Resorts to Pomeranc's genius time as the visionary behind the toocool Thompson Hotel brand to Sternlicht's tenure as the wunderkind whose
David-sized private equity firm nabbed ITT's Goliath hotel brands (think Sheraton and Westin) and showed the world that boutique hotels can be brandable
and scaleable with just one letter: W.
But they weren't just mavericks when going against the grain was easy.
They've all taken their knocks-whether it was Stein spending 18 quiet years
as the chief operating officer of then-Hampshire Hotels Management LLC or
the stormy break-ups that severed the ties between Pomeranc's Thompson
Group and Geolo Capital or sparked Sternlicht's departure from Starwood
Hotels & Resorts.
That's where the hero part starts. Not only did they continue to fight to

make their vision a reality, they have proven they aren't afraid to go back and
reinvent the wheel when things don't work out. Pomeranc had to restart from
almost ground level zero after a split with Geolo's Commune Hotels + Resorts.
Sternlicht largely decamped from start-up brand building after leaving Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Stein had to learn a new set of rules when Starwood
Hotels & Resorts bought out the three New York Doral properties he managed
and again when former Wyndham Hotel Group ceo Eric Danziger left Dream
in 2015 to become ceo of the Trump Hotel Collection.
Though their strategies are different, each of this year's winners stands out
because of his ability to find the gaps between what travelers want and what
the hotel industry is actually offering. One thing they all agree on is that identity-for both the brand and its ceo-is key to being a thought leader. For
Pomeranc, it's about translating his midcentury design-loving, art collector
aesthetic into a relatable spin on insider cool. For Stein, it's about avoiding
clichés in design to keep each property unique.
Sternlicht's take? Identity goes way beyond design, operations and service-
his 1 Hotels flag is a cause, not a nameplate "If we cannot prove that a missiondriven brand like 1 Hotels can be profitable and scalable, not only will it never
grow or have the impact I want it to, but other business won't follow suit," he says.
Here, this trio of these industry leaders share their insights and lessons learned.
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Boutique Design - June 2016

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