Quick Hits: Stephen Starr Goes Taavo in Philly

You live in a house or apartment, but you only stay in a hotel room for a few nights. Damn that's a quick visit. This is a hotel edition of Quick Hits. Do you have a tip or link that may rock our world? Our telefax is always plugged in.

1. Stephen Starr, everyone's favorite Philly blowhard, is reaching into Freeman's Alley to bring a little Hell Square cachet to the Ill D. Starr has signed up Freeman's own Taavo Somer to help redesign his space at 706 Chestnut in Philly, which has been the home of a few previous Starr concepts that have bit the dust. Not only that, but Starr is planning to turn the rest of the property into a very intimate boutique hotel. Wonder where the Wonder Boy got that idea?

2. The Kor Group, the LA based boutique powerhouse, is expanding the Viceroy Hotel brand way beyond the beach. After a lengthy and difficult battle, the company recently got approval for the Viceroy Snowmass. As in Aspen. As in boo yah.

3. Our friends at Curbed don't believe there's any chance that Gild Hall can open its door by the end of this year. Oh yeah? Then why are they hiring?

Starr Heads South

Stephen Starr, the restaurateur that private equity longs for, is on the move. Well, at least his restaurants are. Pelican, a little Florida birdy, sings, "Starr is coming to the W Hotel and Residences in Ft. Lauderdale to open one new restaurant. It's either Buddakan or Continental. Hotel opens in early 2008, Starr will open soon after." Interesting. Very interesting. We thought Starr was concentrating on getting Continental opened in New York. Maybe that's off. Not too big a deal, because the place really is an expense account special. You won't miss it.

Is Stephen Starr For Sale?

It seems Starwood Capital CEO and hospitality visionary Barry Sternlicht's buying spree may not end with B.R. Guest. A little birdy let us know that Philly's most famous (and pompous) restaurateur may be the next target for Sternlicht's firm, saying "Starwood Capital may be looking to buy the Starr Restaurant Organization and then make a play to take back control of Starwood Hotels." Hmm, Starr just made a successful move into Atlantic City (Continental, Buddakan) and NYC (Buddakaan and Morimoto), and with Continental NYC coming soon, why sell now?

We needed an explanation, and since we our just a blog (but a great blog at that!), we turned to our hotel guru, who explains:

Long a loss leader in the hotel business, hotel restaurants have become an important part of of the future of the business. After the death of the hotel dining room, hoteliers and restaurateurs have had a hard time trying to figure out how to work with each other (witness Rande Gerber and Ian Schrager, Alan Yau and Schrager, Chodorow and Schrager, etc.). Some hotel brands have done long-term deals (witness W and Jean-Georges), but visionaries such as Sternlicht are realizing that restaurants done right can be vertically integrated into the hotel model and attract business.

Consider us impressed. Expect to see W hotels filled with Dos Caminos and Continentals popping up in towns near you (and you!) soon. Guess it's better than Barca 18.