Iconic Design

An Interview with Bryan Woody, General Manager, Royalton Hotel The Royalton living room (left); bar (above); and lobby (below)

EDITORS’ NOTE Prior to his cur- When you step into a building like signifi cant reinvention of the food and beverage rent post, Bryan Woody was Hotel the Royalton designed by Philippe at that property and it has been tremendously Manager for Hudson of Morgans Starck, it’s very distinguishing. successful. Through creative repositioning around Hotel Group in New York. Before Would you talk about the what a customer wants and diversifying each of this, he was Assistant Director of room mix at the Royalton and is the offerings, we have been able to turn a profi t Food & Beverage at Waldorf Astoria there a common feel throughout in the food and beverage outlets. Hotel, as well as at The Ritz-Carlton the property? In the lifestyle segment, how much of New York, . He was The rooms here are much larger a focus does the spa need to be? also Private Dining and In-Room in footprint than Hudson – we’re get- I don’t think the spa product is necessary, Dining Manager with the Gordon ting much better square footage, and at least in the New York market. If you have Ramsay Group. Woody graduated most of them have large bathtubs in a 24-hour/seven-day-a-week fi tness center that from the University of Utah with a them and functional fi replaces. It ca- ticks all the boxes, that is what people are look- Bachelor of Science in Economics. Bryan Woody ters geographically to a business trav- ing for. We’re fortunate enough to have locations eler. However, some of our guests close to Bryant Park and adjacent to Central PROPERTY BRIEF The iconic Royalton are looking for something more spacious and Park that offer outside options. For the rare oc- (morganshotelgroup.com) has been brilliantly they’re coming out for leisure; we’re right next casion where someone needs something more, reinvented by Roman and Williams, reinstating to Bryant Park and off of but not we have some strategic partnerships where we its place as the stylish living room of , within the madness; in the center of midtown work with full-service fi tness centers and spas and a crossroads for international travelers and Manhattan, there is something for just about where our guests can utilize their services. the New York elite. Simultaneously sophisticated everybody. How far have you taken the technology and complex, this New York midtown luxury and how do you ensure that you don’t lose boutique hotel features a fl oor-to-ceiling, hand- that personal touch? forged cast bronze fi replace, a 20-foot screen that We always want to stay ahead of the curve was once part of the façade of a building in with the technology, and make sure that we’re France, and hand-upholstered leather walls focused on a social media side and engaging reminiscent of African tribal art. Royalton’s pop- them in that manner. ular Forty Four bar and restaurant remains the Other competitors have put in fully auto- gathering place and power lunch spot for New mated systems and removed that human ele- York City’s media, publishing, and fashion elite. ment altogether, but that puts you at risk of Located in the heart of midtown, the Royalton eliminating the hospitality element. It’s a very is just steps from great shopping, , the fi ne line and we’re going to err on the side of Theater District, Grand Central Station, Empire exceptional customer service. State Building, Times Square, Bryant Park, and Have the rates come back and where . do we stand on those today? We’re seeing them come back slowly. We What excited you about coming to Morgans haven’t seen them hit that tipping point of the Hotel Group and has the role been what 2007 levels but New York is always going to you expected? drive that occupancy. It’s just the rate and that The potential to shift my focus to life- seems to be the challenge. style hotels was what enticed me to come to A bit more time and patience and a bit less Morgans. I have always worked in luxury or incremental inventory in 2015 would help a lot. in an old-world luxury setting, and an oppor- At some point, will you worry about tunity to come in with a group like this fi t my the oversupply in New York? personal taste better. The New York market will always drive ad- I tend to gravitate towards things that are ditional visitors and there will always be new a bit more cutting-edge and that is the direction supply. This past year was a benchmark year, the industry is going. Have you found a way to be profi table and with Superbowl faltering as much as it did, Are there certain characteristics that in the food and beverage part of the busi- it’s worrisome to some. However, as long as we defi ne a Morgans property or is it specifi c ness and, for Morgans, how important is it can get better regulation and enforcement of to the immediate location? that the properties offer that component? competitors like Airbnb, it’s something that will be There are many qualities that make it dis- It’s more important than ever for us to be manageable. New York will remain an 85 to 95 tinctly Morgans: iconic design is one. It gives able to compete in that arena. Being at Hudson occupancy percent market regardless of the in- you an immediate sense of feel and place that three years ago, when we looked up and down ventory; it’s just a question of ADR. Regardless, sets it apart from the rest of its competitors. , nobody was succeeding. We did we will continue to compete well in it.• 172 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2015 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1