In 1984, Morgans Hotel Group developed its first property, Morgans on Madison Avenue in New York City. An instant hit, the hotel revolutionized the hospitality industry with the introduction of the “Boutique Hotel” concept, characterized by personalized service and home-away-from-home ambiance in a setting of timeless elegance. This boutique concept was again showcased with great success at New York’s Royalton, in 2007, when the first property designed by Philippe Starck was re-imagined by Roman and Williams. Forty Four, Royalton’s new sophisticated cocktail lounge, features pre and post prohibition beverages conceived by a global all-star team of bartenders known as “The Cocktail Collective.”
, which opened in 2000 in New York City, delivers a potent combination of urban adventure, daredevil design, and true affordability to arguably the most jaded city in the world, giving Manhattan something even it has never seen before. In a city renowned for its boldness, diversity and eclecticism, Hudson is an inspired piece of organized chaos – a reflection and distillation of New York itself, a melting pot of styles and ideas – shimmering with a hot-rod vivacity and in-your-face style that is hard to ignore and even harder to forget. Hudson Hall, designed by Studio Arne Quinze, provides a dining experience inspired by the atmosphere of a New England college campus with long, wooden communal tables and red brick walls.
In 1995, Morgans Hotel Group opened the hugely well-received Delano, set directly on Miami Beach. Located in the heart of one of America’s most energized gateway cities, Delano represents the next generation of “Urban Resort” – where the notions of the “Indoor/Outdoor Lobby” and the idea of “Simple Chic” were initiated. Delano is, all at once, a red-hot trendsetting hub of social activity, a sophisticated, serene hotel and an elegant beachfront family resort offering reasonable price points. Located on the hotel’s roof, the renowned agua spa in Miami is a serenely beautiful and peaceful space that offers state-of-the-art spa treatments aimed at rejuvenating the body, mind and spirit. Below ground, The Florida Room, a dazzling collaboration between Morgans Hotel Group and Kravitz Design, is a modern-day piano lounge inspired by a classic period of South Floridian glamour. Blue Door Fish, the re-conceptualized signature restaurant by Master Chef Claude Troisgros, offers a gorgeous renovated interior and an updated modern seafood-oriented menu – perfect for today’s more health savvy diner.
, relaunched by Morgans Hotel Group in 2003, is a spectacular oceanside resort also located in Miami Beach. Designed by famed British architect David Chipperfield with landscaping inspired by the rich intense Matissee colors of the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakech, Shore Club continues to redefine cool on Miami’s South Beach. The magic is in the details of the hotel: the landmarked Art Deco lobby is conceived as a calming transition to the labyrinth of gardens with secret passageways, alcoves and succession of different indoor/outdoor “rooms” that flow seamlessly throughout the hotel. Shore Club represents the next wave in Miami Beach’s dynamic development.
Morgans Hotel Group came to Los Angeles in 1996, with the opening of Mondrian, located on the world-famous Sunset Boulevard. Mondrian represents the consummate expression of a balancing act between apparent contradictions – entertainment and spirituality, cutting-edge style and simplicity, fantasy and reality. The hotel perfectly captures the quintessential California lifestyle by uniting its deeply rooted appreciation of the outdoors and relaxed, casual living with a pervasive sense of magic, glamour and excitement. Skybar, boasting some of the finest views of Los Angeles, has been the spot for the hottest nightlife from the day it opened. Perched above the Pool and Outdoor Living Room, Skybar appears to almost float in the clouds, with an open-air hut that sparkles with custom-designed, handmade furniture. With its innovative fusion menu, Asia de Cuba provides diners with the option of eating either indoors with its chic white-on-white interior, or on the sensuous patio, which includes a stunning trellised area comprised of enormously over-scaled terra cotta pots. The recently renovated agua spa is a Los Angeles urban sanctuary – a refuge from the hurried pace of modern life. In 2008, Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz rejuvenated Mondrian into a wonderland that invites the imagination down the proverbial rabbit hole.
The opening of St Martins Lane in London in late 1999 represented Morgans Hotel Group’s first foray across the Atlantic. Received with great fanfare and both critical and customer acclaim, St Martins Lane is an utterly original urban hotel that takes the Morgans Hotel Group concept of “Hotel as Theatre” to a new level to provide its guests with a singularly magical, exciting and visceral experience. The hotel is predicated on the idea that today, luxury is about new experiences, about making a connection with something truly special. Situated in Covent Garden, one of the city’s most lively districts, this hotel combines warmth, glamour, charm, sophistication and style with a real sense of its setting in one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities. St Martins Lane partnered with Amy Sacco to open the London location of the renowned Bungalow 8 in 2007. St Martins Lane has also joined forces with London’s ubiquitous GymBox to provide guests with a most unique workout experience with its state-of-the-art cardio and resistance equipment, Olympic-sized boxing rings, huge ‘hammer strength’ free weights sections, spin rooms, nightly resident DJs and laser-lit dance studios. For global travelers with a cultured palate and a love of variety, Asia de Cuba restaurant combines elements of Asian and Cuban cuisine served sharing-style in a high energy London restaurant.
As a follow up to St Martins Lane, Morgans Hotel Group opened Sanderson in London’s stylish Soho district in 2000. This first of its kind “Urban Spa” is a magnificent landmark property with a spectacularly landscaped interior courtyard that opens to the sky and is surrounded by guestrooms. The property combines modern and classic elements to create a one-of-a-kind oasis and refuge in the middle of bustling London. Set on the ground floor of Sanderson, Suka restaurant offers modern authentic Malaysian cuisine prepared with European sensibility in a relaxed and casual ethos. The Purple Bar, with its veritable symphony of purples, lavenders and violets, is a chic and intimate lounge that has become one of London’s hottest gathering places. Sanderson’s agua spa has a peaceful, dreamy and almost cloud-like ambiance with its miles of diaphanous white curtains, 14 all-white treatment rooms, chill-out zone and mediation beds.
Clift, Morgans Hotel Group’s first San Francisco property, is a template-breaking tour de force that has forever changed the notion of what it means to be a luxury hotel since its opening in 2001. Elegant and sophisticated yet in a totally modern manner, Clift takes conventional hotel philosophy and turns it on its head. While still bearing some of the hallmarks of the traditional luxury hotel experience such as exemplary service and amenities, what makes Clift truly special is its daring and brilliant juxtapositions. The hotel reads like a page ripped from the surrealists’ manifesto: a desire to bridge the gap between fantasy and reality, the pairing of seemingly unrelated objects, and a desire to return to the innocence of childhood where a freewheeling, “down the rabbit hole” approach to life is embraced. Clift is Wonderland for the Jet Set. The famous and historic Redwood Room has been restored and reinvented as an exceptionally elegant and modern San Francisco bar and landmark that is back and better than ever. In 2010, Clift introduced Velvet Room, a multi-purpose venue for eating, drinking and entertainment. Designed to complement the iconic Redwood Room, Velvet Room is a unique venue for corporate meetings and select nightlife events, while offering breakfast and dinner daily.
With Mondrian in South Beach opening in 2008, Morgans makes a pioneering move away from the bustle of Miami Beach’s oceanfront tourist center to the fashionable, growing neighborhood of Biscayne Bay. Morgans Hotel Group’s first hotel residences, envisioned by Marcel Wanders as “Sleeping Beauty’s castle”, are built on a prime waterfront location with views of the bay, ocean and downtown. Consisting of 342 studios, one and two bedroom apartments and penthouses, Mondrian in South Beach combines the most exhilarating design elements of a fantasy modern getaway with all the comforts and conveniences of home. The latest agua spa in Miami features 4,000 square feet of Marcel Wanders-designed interiors with six treatment rooms equipped to offer an extensive variety of services. Set intimately between the stunning lobby and Mondrian’s Susnet Lounge, Asia de Cuba illustrates the same brilliant design of Wanders combined with the work of renowned restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow. Joining the ranks of Delano’s The Florida Room and Shore Club’s Skybar, the indoor/outdoor Sunset Lounge offers the only bayside destination for watching the sunset over Miami’s downtown skyline. Comprised of multiple spaces, Sunset Lounge highlights Wanders’ signature silent bell light fixtures and a grand black spiraling staircase, as well as the poolside private cabanas created from curtains of living foliage, a tented adult-sized sandbox and a labyrinth garden with discrete “kissing corners.” Also located in the lobby, ‘Morgans Semi-Automatic’ revolutionizes the traditional hotel gift shop. The touch-operated screen allows guests to indulge in everything from a Paul Smith Toothbrush to a two-bedroom condo at Mondrian.
Morgans paired up with Normandy Real Estate and Rockwell Group in 2009 to enliven one of Boston’s most special buildings, and proudly opened Ames, a Morgans Original. The Ames building was erected in 1893 as the headquarters of a family owned and run company, and the city’s first skyscraper. After various owners passed through the building, each taking its toll on the landmark building, Morgans Hotel Group seamlessly delivered a brilliant concept - a rich blend of historical reference and up-to-date modernism, of old-world aesthetics and contemporary luxury, and of dedicated homage to history and forward-thinking innovation. From the chandelier of thousands of reflective discs in the lobby to the dramatic, “Pepper’s Ghost” illusions in the corridors and the “Cabinets of Curiosity” in Woodward, Ames is a thoughtful example of the Rockwell Group’s architectural storytelling and Morgans Hotel Group’s innovative approach to the past. Named “Boston’s Hippest Hotel Restaurant” by Food and Wine Magazine, the award-winning Woodward is a modern-day tavern that features a unique offering incorporating the freshest local foods and a dynamic beverage program that is heralded throughout Boston.
For the first time since its debut in 1984, Morgans Hotel Group claims a stake in Manhattan’s famed neighborhood and home to the sophisticated and chic, SoHo. With the opening of the latest addition to its eminent Mondrian brand, Morgans Hotel Group enchants guests with yet another innovative vision by Benjamin Noriega Ortiz, inspired by Jean Cocteau’s cinematic interpretation of the tale of “La Belle et la Bête”. With Mondrian’s design, Noriega awakens the imagination and invites guests into a fantasy that offers an escape. The hotel boasts a mesmerizing ambiance that captures the sparkling charm and romance of New York, Imperial No. Nine - a modern sustainable seafood restaurant by chef Sam Talbot, Mister H - an intimate downtown nightlife concept by Morgans' own Sal Imposimato and Armin Amiri, and 270 guest rooms - each with stunning views wrapping around the island of Manhattan, custom-designed bath fixtures, and a clever nod to the tale here and there.
Morgans Hotel Group Co. (NASDAQ: MHGC) is widely credited as the creator of the first “boutique” hotel and a continuing leader of the hotel industry’s boutique sector. Morgans Hotel Group operates Morgans, Royalton and Hudson in New York, Delano and Shore Club in South Beach, Mondrian in Los Angeles, South Beach and New York, Clift in San Francisco, Ames in Boston, Sanderson and St Martins Lane in London, and a hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Morgans also owns, or has ownership interests in, several of these hotels. Morgans Hotel Group has other property transactions in various stages of completion including a Mondrian at Baha Mar in Nassau, The Bahamas, a Delano in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a Delano in Cesme, Turkey, a Mondrian in Doha, Qatar and a hotel in New York to be branded with one of MHG’s existing brands. For more information please visit www.luxuryexplorer.com/hotels/morganshotels.
