Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 71

interview: king & grove
By Stacy Shoemaker Rauen
right stuff
There’s a new lifestyle hotel brand on the block. But don’t expect
trendy, modern hotspots. In fact, with King & Grove’s approachable,
comfortable, and locally driven mentality, the brand is anything but.
Founded by Morgans Hotel Group alums, former CEO Ed Scheetz and VP
of entertainment Ben Pundole, the hotel impresarios have already made
their mark in Montauk, Long Island, with surfer hangout Surf Lodge and
the more recent summer camp-inspired Ruschmeyer’s. Next up: hotels
in Brooklyn, South Beach (they will manage and renovate the Tides),
and downtown LA, with a plan to open eight to 10 in the next fi ve years.
Here, Pundole and King & Grove’s VP of design Heather Maloney (also
an ex Morgans staffer) discuss achieving that perfect balance, crafting
experiential service, and getting back to the basics.
HD: Why did you want to create King & Grove?
BP: The idea was to create something that was very accessible; something
small with a food and beverage component, design driven with a little
HM: Boutique has been watered down so much because you have twelve
hundred-room hotels calling themselves boutique, as well as fi fty-room
hotels. So there’s just no substance behind it any more, and I think that
what we’re trying to do is obviously get away from that title, and really
develop something that has more substance and depth to it, that’s going
to be a more timeless brand instead of one that is going to date with each
decade. I think the way that we anticipate designing the interiors is really
more with a sense of history, a sense of timelessness, but mixing that with
eclectic, worldly intent.
BP: And at the same time, having a connection to the local community.
Above, from left: King & Grove’s Ben
Pundole and Heather Maloney. From left:
Wood dominates the restaurant bar and a
guestroom at Ruschmeyer’s, set on three
acres of lakeside woodland in Montauk,
Long Island.
perspectives
nightlife that was not the primary focus of the property, but something
that included these things that was also quite nostalgic. And I know
that’s somewhat of a trend right now, certainly with the Bowery and Ace
hotels, but I think it works. The boutique hotel vision of the nineties and
noughties, with a wow factor and minimalist design and slick service,
it’s not really relevant any more. The generations below us see straight
through that and it’s not very attractive. We grew up when boutique
hotels didn’t exist, and so when they came to market, we were fascinated
by them and thought they were the coolest things in the world and that
Ian Schrager was this guru. There’s been so many imitators, I think,
naturally, that the hotel world has changed so much, and I don’t think just
because a hotel has a design focus or a nightlife entity it can be called a
boutique hotel any more.
www.hospitalitydesign.com
HM: Absolutely.
BP: And to have food and beverage offerings that are honest and aspiring,
rather than these destination restaurants. People who do that well are
the Standard [in New York]. There’s no celebrity chef behind it. There’s
no partnership there. Same with Gemma at the Bowery [in New York].
They do the food and beverage themselves. We want to do a similar kind
of thing. The idea is to try and position ourselves slightly under the
radar, and hopefully that will drive a lot of longevity. There are certain
hotels that do that really well, like [Manhattan’s] Greenwich Hotel or
the Crosby. And their rates are great, and people love them. There’s a
generation that looks at some of the boutique hotels of the past fi fteen
years, and they’re not appealing any more. They’re not really relevant to
the new generation; the new generation wants something different, a little
more comfortable and substantial, but at the same time, a place that has
everything—a design focus and the nightlife entity. But that’s just expected
now. If we can do the food and beverage, the design, the community spirit,
the kind of global infl uences, I think we could get it right.
HM: It’s diffi cult because I don’t think, as a brand, that there really is a
singular descriptor to it. Because we really feel like we will be branching
December 2011 71
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hospitality Design - December 2011

Hospitality Design - December 2011
Contents
Online Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
People
People
People
Sketchbook
Sustainable Studio
Trends
Trends
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Places
Interview
Interview
Interview
Interview
Iacoli & McAllister
Bedding
Lighting
Cersaie
Industry Outlook
Consumer Trends
A Look Back
Platinum Circle Weighs In
Back Space
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Intro
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Hospitality Design - December 2011
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover2
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 1
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 2
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 3
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 4
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 5
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 6
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 7
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 8
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Contents
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 10
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Online Contents
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - From the Editor
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 13
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - From the Show Director
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 15
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 16
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 17
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 19
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 20
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 21
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 23
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - People
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 25
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 26
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 27
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 28
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Sketchbook
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 30
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 31
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 32
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Sustainable Studio
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 34
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 36
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 37
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 38
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 40
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 41
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 42
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 43
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 44
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 46
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 47
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 48
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 50
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 51
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 52
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 55
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 57
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 58
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Places
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 60
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 62
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 63
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 64
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 65
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 66
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 68
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 69
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 70
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 72
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 73
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Interview
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 75
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 76
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Iacoli & McAllister
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Bedding
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 79
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Lighting
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 81
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 82
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 83
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cersaie
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 85
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 86
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 87
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 88
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Industry Outlook
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 90
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 91
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 92
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Consumer Trends
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 94
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 95
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - A Look Back
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 97
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Platinum Circle Weighs In
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 99
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 100
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 101
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 102
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - 103
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Back Space
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover3
Hospitality Design - December 2011 - Cover4
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