Moments of Magic An Interview with Jonathan H. Crook, The Peninsula Suite living area (above); Clement restaurant mirror room General Manager, The Peninsula New York (below); The Spa reception area (left) EDITORS’ NOTE In April of 2011, As you are aware, New York is an October, we renovated Gotham Lounge, an ex- Jonathan Crook was appointed to extremely competitive market and we tremely popular spot for both guests and locals. his current post. He most recently do consider ourselves to be one of the The new space includes stunning artwork from a served as General Manager for The top hotels in the city. We continue to private collector and enhanced afternoon tea selec- Peninsula Manila. Prior to that, see the same fi ve or six hotels within tions. In 2015, we plan to renovate our rooftop bar, Crook served as Hotel Manager of our competitive set. During slow pe- Salon de Ning, which would complete the upgrad- The Peninsula Tokyo and Resident riods, we also see a bit of competition ing of our restaurants and bars. Manager of The Peninsula Beijing. He from the smaller boutique luxury ho- The spa experience is a key part of the began his Peninsula career in North tels in Midtown, which are priced very Peninsula heritage. How important is that America within the food and beverage competitively. product in a city like New York? departments at Peninsula hotels in Why is it so important to main- The Peninsula Spa is a true fi ve-star experi- New York and Chicago. He attended tain the food and beverage product ence and one of the most popular amenities our the University of Gloucestershire in Jonathan H. Crook and is it diffi cult to be profi table in hotel offers. The spa opened in 2009 after a year- Cheltenham, U.K., where he received a that part of the business? long renovation, and has consistently won many Higher National Diploma in Hotel and Institutional awards over the years, including Best Hotel Spa Management. He furthered his studies via the in the U.S. by Condé Nast Traveler readers. I think Executive Development Program with the Kellogg our spa has an incredible winning combination of School of Management at The Hong Kong University a luxurious environment, highly skilled therapists, of Science and Technology and Harvard Business and two superior products lines. We are lucky School. Before joining The Peninsula Hotels, Crook to work with two partners, ESPA and Biologique worked at Dorchester London and other leading in- Recherche, to provide treatments that are both lux- ternational resorts and hotels. urious and results-oriented. Are you happy with the suite offering PROPERTY BRIEF The Peninsula New York and will there be any changes there? (newyork.peninsula.com) occupies an elegantly re- We are very happy with our suite offering at stored, 23-story, Beaux-Arts landmark building The Peninsula. Our two top suites, The Grand Suite on Fifth Avenue in the heart of Manhattan’s pres- and The Peninsula Suite, were recently renovated tigious shopping, cultural, and business neighbor- over the past few years and they continue to be ex- hoods. Featuring 239 rooms and suites equipped tremely popular. In 2015, we are considering add- with state-of-the-art technology, a glass-enclosed spa ing a third themed suite to meet the demand. We and health club, rooftop bar, and the popular Fives still see the need for larger suites with multiple bed- restaurant, the property is the recipient of the AAA rooms from both the domestic and international Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star ratings. The ho- traveler, especially from the Middle East and South tel was recently awarded number-one hotel in New America as those markets continue to mature. York City by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. The How do you defi ne what a true luxury ho- Peninsula New York is managed and owned by The tel experience is today? Peninsula Hotels (peninsula.com), a division of The Peninsula has always been very adept at offer- Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited. ing a unique experience, and we have wonderful buildings in key locations in each city combined Are you concerned to see how much supply with a superior physical product that we constantly is coming into the New York market and that reinvest in. the city will get to a point where the market As a luxury hotel, our food and beverage What makes the ultimate difference is the staff can’t handle it? product is considered an integral amenity to pro- and the personalized service that is focused on New York is one of the top fi ve cities in the vide our guests with a fi ve-star experience. While recognizing the guest. Our team truly wishes to world along with Paris, London, Tokyo, and it may be true that it can be diffi cult to run a profi t- know our guests and create a unique experience Sydney, so it will always be a driver. As the growth able food and beverage operation, we will always that touches them personally. of tourism continues, New York will always be one continue to invest in the product to ensure that Our Peninsula Academy offers programs of those destinations that people will come to fi rst. our guests have an incredible experience. Last that are unique to each city and destination and we With the opening of new hotels within the luxury year, our main restaurant, Clement, opened after have a focused team that ensures that we begin segment, it is only helping to meet – not exceed – a year-long renovation to the main dining room before arrival to meet expectations and create little demand and I still feel the market can handle ad- and bar. The new look is very elegant, yet cool touches – we want guests to experience that mo- ditional supply. and modern. We also hired a Chef de Cuisine for ment of magic where they walk out of the hotel How broad is the competitive set you con- the restaurant, further cementing our commitment and think it was a great experience. This is what it sider for this property? to ensuring an incredible culinary experience. In takes to ensure a loyal guest.• 108 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2015 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1.