Leading Triumph Interviews with Debbie Silverstein - The Washington Jefferson, John David Agosto - The Evelyn, Kate Martin - Hotel Chandler, Robert Holmes - The Iroquois New York, Scott Geres - Hotel Belleclaire, and Sava Vasiljevic - The Cosmopolitan-Tribeca, General Managers, Triumph Hotels Debbie Silverstein be- Kate Martin worked with After college, Scott Geres gan her career in the InterContinental Hotels of started as a member hotel industry at the the World while in school. of the opening team at Rihga Royal Hotel. She later worked at the the SoHo Grand Hotel. She gained further Rihga Royal Hotel, The He then worked at the experience at IBM Iroquois New York, and Le Tribeca Grand Hotel Conference Centers, Marquis Hotel. She served before joining Triumph Dolce Palisades, and as General Manager at Hotels as Executive IBM Armonk be- The Washington Jefferson Assistant Manager at The fore joining Triumph Hotel before assum- Iroquois New York and Hotels as the General ing her current role of subsequently becoming Manager of The General Manager of Hotel General Manager of Debbie Silverstein Washington Jefferson. Kate Martin Chandler. Scott Geres Hotel Belleclaire. John David Agosto had Robert Holmes spent three Sava Vasiljevic began work- his fi rst management po- years at The Grand Hyatt ing with the Marriott Marquis sition as the Front Offi ce New York. From there, he Times Square. He later joined Manager at The Wales moved to the Park Hyatt the Sherry-Netherland Hotel Hotel. Following stints Washington D.C. and later before assuming roles at the at The Franklin Hotel, to the Hyatt Regency on Le Marquis Hotel, the Dylan The Shoreham, Tribeca the Hudson before joining Hotel, and most recently as Grand Hotel, The City Hotel Wales, where he soon Assistant General Manager Club Hotel, and Hudson became General Manager. of Hotel Chandler before Hotel, he assumed the role He currently serves as the assuming his current role of General Manager of The General Manager of The of General Manager of John David Agosto Evelyn. Robert Holmes Iroquois New York. Sava Vasiljevic The Cosmopolitan. COMPANY BRIEF Triumph Hotels’ (triumph rooms, and it was Triumph’s fi rst hotel, so it’s true Square Park, the NoMad District is within walking hotels.com) properties match the diversity and va- to their core in dealing with the hospitality in- distance of Midtown, Union Square, Greenwich riety of the city surrounding them, drawing on dustry. We also have Triomphe Restaurant, our Village, and New York University. New York City’s rich heritage, ever-evolving pres- 45-seat French American restaurant and Lantern’s We are in the fi rst phase of our transfor- ent, and bright future to deliver memorable expe- Keep, our speakeasy cocktail salon that seats 28 mation. When it’s completed, we will consist of riences to its guests. for our guests to enjoy while staying with us. 160 rooms, 11 of which will be suites. We will be We predominantly have corporate business a luxury corporate hotel. We envision attracting Would each of you please introduce your from Monday through Wednesday and it switches start-ups, technology, and blue chip companies. properties? to leisure travel from Thursday through Saturday. The rooms are residential and inspired by Geres: Hotel Belleclaire is on the Upper West We’re on one of the most historic blocks in the musical and art heritage of the neighborhood, Side. We opened in 1903, so it’s a very historic the city – there are fi ve other hotels on the block paying homage to beaux-arts style with modern landmark building with 240 guest rooms. that we compete with, but it keeps us on our toes conveniences. We are very fortunate to be in one We’re in close proximity to Central Park – three and we do a great job with customer service. It’s of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. blocks away from the Museum of Natural History true to our mission statement to make sure we’re Everyone seems to be building hotels in the area. and a couple of blocks away from the Historical exceeding our guests’ expectations. Martin: Hotel Chandler is located in the Society, as well as the Beacon Theatre and Lincoln Agosto: I’m the newest GM to the group – I Flatiron district, and we consider ourselves at Center. arrived a year and a half ago. The Evelyn is the epicenter of New York. We’re truly Midtown We are mainly a leisure hotel. We also do tre- located in the historic NoMad District, which South: Flatiron is to our west, we have Murray Hill mendous business with the educational segment is a combination of residential and commercial to our East, and right below us we have NoMad at Columbia and Fordham Universities. We’re tap- businesses. In its prime during the 19th and 20th and Gramercy. ping into the entertainment industry right now centuries, the area was known as Tin Pan Alley, We’re the one property that has completed through the Beacon Theatre, the Apollo, and serving as the epicenter of the American Popular all of our renovations. One of our goals was to Lincoln Center. Music Industry with a steady stream of Broadway change the look and feel to attract a higher-end Holmes: The Iroquois New York is on 44th and Vaudeville performers, musicians, songwrit- clientele. To help accomplish this, we joined Small Street, in the heart of Times Square. We have 114 ers, and publishers. Centered around Madison Luxury Hotels, which was one of the goals of the 162 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2015 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1 owners since our sister property, The Iroquois, is a Still, it’s very important to all of us as general Geres: The Hotel Belleclaire just went through member of this prestigious collection of boutique managers, and on an ownership side too, that we a multimillion-dollar renovation in the lobby and properties. remain individual in what we do. We don’t want it guest rooms. We removed three ceilings and we Ownership also wanted to prioritize food to all be the same. We want to have core elements found a 40-foot skylight. We had three fl oors that and beverage, even though The Iroquois has a that bring us together, be it service or architecture, were removed and we found the original mosaic very successful restaurant at their location. Our and the obvious fact that we’re all located in New tile that we enhanced to create a “wow” factor restaurant, Juni, which opened a year ago, has York City. We have every neighborhood covered when you walk into the lobby. From less than received its fi rst Michelin star, which we are very at every price point. 1,000 square feet, the lobby is now more than proud of. Holmes: It also helps on the sales and mar- 2,000 square feet, which is back to the size it was With our renovation, it has become clear that keting side, with some of the trade shows that when it originally opened in 1903. we achieved what we set out to do, which is to you can’t get into as an individual hotel, or in our Vasiljevic: Some of the upgrades can be co- offer a home-away-from-home feel and not to be approach to a local travel agent. If we approach ordinated seamlessly without the guest being that hip hotel where you don’t know where the a travel agency with a group of hotels represent- inconvenienced. When this is not possible, it is front desk is located. ing 1,800 hotel rooms, we gain access where we important to communicate to the guest what will Silverstein: The Washington Jefferson has 158 would not be able to do so with just a 117-room happen during their stay and how it might be dis- guest rooms and we are located on 51st Street be- property. rupted. All the improvements to The Cosmopolitan tween Eighth and Ninth Avenues, which is north It also helps us in that we can negotiate pric- thus far did increase our pricing, which became of Times Square and close to all Broadway Theaters, ing on products. We are in the planning stages prohibitive to some existing clients, but we have as well as right in the middle of Hell’s Kitchen. of introducing a guest rewards programs that will found that our new clients like the improved Located on a neighborhood street, guests have the give our guests some of the membership rewards product and keep returning. comfort and seclusion that the location brings. that the largest chains offer, that we otherwise Are rates coming back and is the market The location is perfect because the subways couldn’t compete with. It will be a great added strengthening? are a block away and you can easily get to any- benefi t for our travelers. Martin: Our hotel is a brand new product where in the city, by train or foot. Are all of the properties going after a so our rate has grown tremendously. We were We cater mostly to leisure clients as well as to very similar clientele? struggling with occupancy for a while because we local corporate businesses in the arts and theater Geres: We each have our own unique clien- were pushing rate, but now we’re enjoying both. communities. As a boutique hotel, the staff is able tele. The Belleclaire caters to a leisure clientele. Silverstein: Occupancy is still very strong to create a home-away-from-home feeling for our Our proximity to Central Park and our location for us, thankfully.