Changes Abreast At BHG: COO Leaves, New Hotel Opens

NEW YORK— The Boutique Hotel Group (BHG), headquartered here, has recently undergone several big changes, including the departure of its president/COO Steve Marx, the opening of a new Anguilla property, and the discontinuation of management at the Peery Hotel in Salt Lake City. HOTEL BUSINESS® learned that Marx left his position, which he held for one year, this week. Marx was previously credited for setting the company’s sights beyond its New York City concentration with an aim of doubling BHG’s size within the next couple years. According to BHG, Marx was hired under a one-year contract, which expired in June and was not renewed. His replacement has yet to be named. Meanwhile, BHG recently discontinued management of the Peery Hotel, which it was retained to operate this past December by Freemont Investment and Loan of California. According to a spokesperson for the company, “We were hired to come in and prepare the hotel for sale… which we did successfully until it was sold on June 28.” The 73-room historic hotel was bought earlier this month by Denver-based Sage Hospitality, which will also manage the property. Separately, the BHG recently opened its latest location in Anguilla, representing the company’s foray into vacation rental management. The high-end residential property consists of three villas (two featuring 5,500 square feet each and the third totaling 6,700 square feet) and is owned by Bob Sillerman of New York, said the spokesperson. The Caribbean property will not bear the Boutique Hotel Group name, due to its dramatic difference from the company’s other five Manhattan properties. “It’s a vacation rental. It’s run nothing like a hotel,” noted the spokesperson, who added that the ultra-luxury property rents for about $35,000 per week. —Diana M. Rodriguez