NEWNEW YORKYORK New York’s New Boutique Hotel Brand An Interview with Gerald Barad, Co-Owner, Triumph Hotels The Iroquois New York EDITORS’ NOTE Gerald Barad is a of the rooms and the hallways, and In the Belleclaire, we found a second hidden second-generation hotelier and has renovating the lobby. We also added 10 skylight that had been covered by three layers of been an active investor in commer- guestrooms, a bar, and the restaurant sheetrock for 75 years. The lobby feels very similar cial and multi-family residential Juni, where Shaun Hergatt is serving to the way it did when the hotel opened in the real estate in New York City for over some of the best food in New York City. early 1900s. We’re really focused on building out 20 years. In February 2014, with his We’re creating another private din- the historical aspect of our hotels. When guests business partner Shimmie Horn, ing room with a skylight and a rooftop walk into our hotel lobbies, they cultivate an emo- Barad united six iconic boutique where people can have private dinners tional connection to the hotels. properties to form the Triumph Hotels catered by Shaun. Hotel Chandler is a Our sixth property, the Washington Jefferson, brand. He is also part of the Triumph high-end, boutique hotel suitable for is located on 51st Street, and we’re organizing a ren- Executive team. In addition, Barad is both the leisure and business traveler. ovation project now that will start in four months the founder of Generations Against The Chandler’s neighborhood just North It will involve redoing the lobby, putting in a new Genocide, a charitable organiza- Gerald Barad of Madison Park has also become quite food and beverage outlet, and renovating rooms tion for human rights. He received a hot over the past few years. and hallways. This will probably take 12 months. Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory University The Gershwin is in the heart of NoMad, just Will the expansion in the future need and a graduate degree in social work from the a few blocks north of Eataly, and it’s undergo- to stay within that same focus and how hard University of Southern California. ing a complete gut renovation. When we’re done, will it be to grow? we’ll have 160 new boutique hotel rooms that are We’re looking to organically expand into ar- COMPANY BRIEF Triumph Hotels (triumph geared for the luxury and business traveler. We eas with properties that we can bring our set of hotels.com) operates six hotels as diverse and dis- are planning to have a rooftop bar/lounge and, values to, in terms of our ability to renovate, our tinct as the city surrounding them. From tradi- on the fi rst level, there will be an 8,000-square- ability to be creative with design, and our ability to tional luxury to graceful elegance to downtown foot lobby that will incorporate a long hidden manage effi ciently. They don’t necessarily have to chic, each of their six boutique hotels in New York 25-foot-wide circular skylight that had been cov- be hotels that were built 100 years ago; they have City delivers a unique experience inspired by the per- ered for over 50 years. The lobby will also include to be hotels that we can improve and that allow sonality and character of its neighborhood. The one, if not two, bar/nightlife elements as well as us to give our guests a better experience. Boutique Luxury hotels include The Iroquois a high-end restaurant and a café. We will fi nish Is it a similar guest that goes to all six New York and Hotel Chandler, and the Limited the rooms within the next six months, and plan to properties? Service Boutique Hotels include Hotel Belleclaire, complete the lobby renovation within 12 months. Not necessarily. Our hotel on the Upper Cosmopolitan Hotel-TriBeCa, and Washington The Cosmopolitan, on Chambers Street in West Side has a different guest profi le than our Jefferson Hotel. The Gershwin is being converted Tribeca, was built in the 1840s. It is considered the hotels in Midtown or Tribeca. However, once all now to a Boutique Luxury property. oldest continually operating hotel in Manhattan. It the hotels are renovated, any guest that stays at has 131 rooms, and is in the fi rst stages of a refresh a Triumph Hotel will experience an exceptional How is Triumph Hotels evolving in terms of that will include expanding the lobby, renovat- level of service and luxury regardless of which properties and brands? ing the rooms and hallways, adding an elevator, they choose. By consolidating our six hotels un- It’s an organic organization that was started and updating the retail outlets to include innova- der one umbrella and establishing our corporate by New Yorkers. We have been in the hotel busi- tive food and beverage options. This will take 12 offi ces this year with centralized reservations, ness since the 1950s – it’s very much family run. months to complete. marketing, and brand initiatives, it allows us to The properties are unique in that they’re historical The Iroquois Hotel is located on a beauti- train our employees the same way so that the and located in a variety of neighborhoods. One of ful block on East 44th Street, which is famous guests always enjoy a consistent level of qual- the aspects we’re embracing as a brand is the his- for having several lovely hotels. We’re about to ity, service and an excellent guest experience tory of the hotels and the various neighborhoods add 40 additional hotel rooms on adjacent land throughout the brand. where they exist. Each of the properties is in vari- and then we’ll expand the lobby, add meeting Do you worry that the market can sustain ous stages of renovation. rooms, and create a new restaurant/bar con- the amount of product coming online and In terms of the full organization, we’re six cept. This involves some ground-up construc- does it bring a certain pressure to the game? properties and 1,000 rooms, consisting of 500,000 tion and will take 12 to 24 months. There has been an incredible amount of ho- square feet and 75,000 square feet of retail, Most of the renovation of Hotel Belleclaire tel development in two categories: in the ultra- and we’re looking to expand over the next few is complete. It has 232 rooms and is an Emery luxury product at $600 or above ADR, or in the years throughout New York City and to other Roth masterpiece. Mille-Feuille bakery just opened mid-block, limited service fl agged properties that markets. This year, we united the hotels to create in a retail space and we have Coffee Bean and are 75 to 200 rooms and are competitive in the the Triumph Brand and centralized many of our Tea Leaf offered in the lobby. We’re actively $200 and below market. departments in order to maximize effi ciencies and planning a renovation to revive the rooftop, We want to create a luxury brand that can improve the guest experience. which in the past housed a restaurant and events compete with the $600-plus property, but our The Chandler was the fi rst renovation to be space. It has beautiful views of the Hudson ADR will be in the $250 to $450 range, so we’re completed and that involved the refurbishment River as well as north and south on Broadway. very confi dent we can compete effectively.• 234 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 37, NUMBER 4.