VOLUME 24 NO.

4 MARCH 7, 2015

INSIDE
Forbes Travel Guide revealed its

hotelbusiness.com

Moxy Hotels to
debut in U.S.
next year
By Matthew Marin
Associate Editor

Frits van Paasschen brought a

deep branding background to
Starwood when he took over
as president and CEO in 2007.

Starwood eyes room growth

after van Paasschen exit
By Dennis Nessler
Editor at Large
STAMFORD, CTFrits van Paasschens seven-year reign as president
and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Worldwide came to an abrupt end
last month as the companys board of
directors identified a need for improvement in both overall execution and net
rooms growth going forward.
Van Paasschenwho came to Starwood with a deep consumer branding
background with companies like Nike
and the Molson Coors Brewing Companyresigned by mutual agreement
with the companys board. Adam Aron,
a Starwood director since 2006, has
been named CEO on interim basis as
the board conducts a search for a permanent CEO that will include internal
and external candidates.
In a conference call with investors,
Bruce Duncan, chairman of the board,

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide,

stated, We have come to the conclusion that now is the right time to turn
to new leadership to drive execution of
Starwoods growth strategy, improve
performance and sharpen our focus on
operational excellence.
Duncan further added of the
decision: Let me be clear that this
change has nothing to do with any
disagreement over strategy. Its about
putting the right team in place to
ensure effective execution.
Van Paasschen was reportedly at odds
with shareholders and board members
in recent months, primarily due to what
was seen as his failure to significantly
increase the number of hotels in the system. For example, the company added
74 hotels in 2014, but lost 28 during the
year to competing franchise companies.
During his tenure, van Paasschen
oversaw the 2008 launches of
continued on page 18

BETHESDA, MDAfter launching

Moxy Hotels in Europe last year, Marriott International, Inc. recently unveiled plans to introduce the companys
new, contemporary brand to the U.S.
Projects have been slated for major
metropolitan locations including New
York City (Chelsea, Midtown and Lower Manhattan), San Francisco, Seattle
and Chicago, and the first U.S. property will open in New Orleans in 2016.
We decided to introduce Moxy in the
U.S. because we actually saw a white
space in the select-service hotel tier,
said Toni Stoeckl, VP, lifestyle brands,
Marriott International. The brand,
defined by its attitude and price, is just
a pleasant surprise. Until now, what
the competition offered was tired and
basicstripped of personality.
Moxy made its debut in September at
the Milan Malpensa Airport with Nordic Hospitality as the first franchisee.
More hotels are set to open across Europe in Germany (Munich, Frankfurt
and Berlin); Denmark (Copenhagen);
and the United Kingdom (London) over
the next two years. The brand projects
opening 50 hotels throughout Europe
over the next five years and 150 over
the next 10. With our combined expertise, we expect to grow the brand very
quickly in Europe, said Stoeckl.
The brand offers a value proposition
as a boutique hotel concept for
continued on page 18

57th list of worldwide Star Rating

recipients. Who made it? page 12

Capital Hotel Management, LLC

and Warnick & Company joined to

form CHMWarnick, representing
roughly $8B in assets undergoing
asset management. page 19

Cleveland is hot. After adding

nearly 1,000 hotel rooms in 2014,

the city has another 1,500 in various stages of development. page 22

[Blackstone]

bought us at a good
time: The segment
started to take
off, they invested
their money in the
estate, and they got
the ROI they were
looking for.
Jim Amorosia
G6 Hospitality

page 15

the stat corner

U.S. Hotel Industry
at a glance
January 2015
RevPAR

8.6%

ADR

4.3%

Occupancy

4.2%

Demand
Supply

Sponsored by

5.2%
1.0%

Powered by

SUPPLY SIDE FLOOR CARE

From design to maintenance:
How to handle hardwood floors
By Matthew Marin
Associate Editor
The installation of hardwood flooring
can provide a number of benefits for
hotels. This long-lasting surface can
be refinished instead of replaced, and
presents a calming, soothing aesthetic,
according to Nydree Flooring, a manufacturer of engineered wood flooring,
headquartered in Forest, VA.
Bringing a natural product into an
interior space requires thoughtful
consideration, and Nydree Flooring
has some advice for hoteliers. From
integrating bold patterns and experimenting with new colors to combining
different wood species, Jason Brubaker, the companys VP of sales &
marketing, offered these five tips on
how hotels can incorporate hardwood
flooring in an innovative way:
1. Formulate a pattern: Instead of
installing wood flooring in a traditional,
random-length plank format, hotels can
use a combination of patterns such as
fixed length, herringbone, basket weave
and parquet. Using wood flooring as an
insert in the middle of carpetor vice
versacan break up the space and add
interest to an open floor plan.
2. Install on walls and ceilings:
The natural grain and variation of
hardwood flooring can add warmth
and character to any interior space. Installing hardwood on walls and ceilings
further complements the space.
Nydree Flooring recommends wrapping wood around floors, walls and
ceilings in a striped pattern. Hardwood
can also be used as an accent behind
a reception desk or below a serving
counter, with a company logo installed
over the wood. Typically, a plywood wall
substrate is required to staple wood
flooring planks for maximum hold.
The use of hardwood on walls and
ceilings is increasing because of the
random-plank look that replaces the
often-used, wood-wall veneer, said
Brubaker. In many instances, its more
cost effective to use plank-style wood
flooring from both a material and installation perspective. Chevron and herringbone patterns seen in home decor
and fashion trends are carrying over to
walls and ceilings.

14 | March 7, 2015 |

3. Install directly on concrete:

Most commercial interiors have a
concrete subfloor and, with todays
adhesive technology, engineered wood
flooring can be glued directly to a concrete subfloor. Thick plywood substrate
is no longer a common choice. Direct
glue-down wood flooring is usually
1/2- to 3/8-in. thick and transitions to
commercial carpets and tiles.
Hoteliers avoid the large, upfront
cost of construction on a subfloor
sleeper system. Plywood and extra
materials are simply not needed with
todays technologically advanced adhesives with a high-quality engineered
hardwood floor, said Brubaker.
Wide-plank, solid wood flooring can
still benefit from a sleeper system but,
for 90% of hardwood installations in
a commercial environment, the planks
can be directly glued to concrete, according to Brubaker. This also allows
a seamless transition to other surfaceslike commercial carpet, tile or
stonewithout a large height difference transitioning to hardwood.
4. Use color: Todays wood flooring
manufacturers offer a multitude of
looks. Bleached tones, oil finishes,
special texturing, bright colors and
various gloss levels are possible. Naturals, grays and whitewashed woods are
becoming increasingly popular. This
trend is a shift away from mahogany
and red-toned exotic woods.
Now, the move to natural, weathered
and textured woods is very popular in
hotels at all price points, said Brubaker. Our product has been installed in
the high-end Shangri La Hotel in London and into Courtyard by Marriott
hotels across the country. Properties
across the spectrum are moving toward natural tones and textures.
5. Mix species: In order to add visual interest and break up a monolithic
appearance in a large foyer or lobby,
mixing species of wood can produce
a variety of styles, such as walnut
and maple for a teak-and-holly look.
Weve worked on projects desiring a
teak-and-holly effect, in which a dark
color such as oak in wide plank is alternated with a light, natural maple
accent stripmirroring a ship deck,
said Brubaker. HB

hotelbusiness.com

So, youve installed wood flooring in your hotelbut how do you maintain it?
Nydree Floorings Jason Brubaker offers these floor-care tips:
3 Wet mopping and wood flooring are not compatible.
3 Water and vinegar could harm finishes that require specific maintenance
regimens.
3 Trying to save money and waiting to recoat your wood floors could lead to costly
plank replacement.
3 All wood floors can be scratched, and manufacturers have varying claims as to
wearability, scratch resistance and American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) test results.
3 Temperature and humidity levels can cause buckling or cupping. Consider your
environment when adjusting these settings in your hotel.
Every hotel should follow the specific manufacturer maintenance instructions, but
for pre-finished wood floorsexcluding oil finishesa simple dry microfiber pad
with an eco-friendly, non-buildup wood-floor cleaner is preferred, said Brubaker.
He added, Stay far away from heavy wet mopping and high-shine products that
are difficult to remove later and require a continuous and rigorous maintenance
process to keep the look intact. Todays factory-finished floors require vacuuming as
needed, and daily to weekly cleaning as desired.

COR Wenge flooring was

installed in the lobby of
the Courtyard by Marriott
in Summerville, SC. The
products Baltic Birch plywood
core eliminates warping or
cupping, increases durability
and promises a lasting stain,
according to the company.