BROOKLYN, NY—The surge of hotels, both branded and independent, continues in this New York City borough, with the latest property slated to come online next month in the Sunset Park section.
Hotel BPM, a 76-room boutique property, is set to open May 14 at 139 33 St., proximate the elevated Gowanus Expressway.
Touted as trendsetting in its decor and environmentally friendly in its features, the hotel is the brainchild of Bijal Panwala, a disc jockey who readily admits his hotel experience derives from his globe-trotting for music gigs and having friends who work in the industry.
The property is held under US 33rd St. BPM, LLC, composed of Panwala and his family, and the emerging hotelier expects to put his university major in business management and marketing to work, overseeing the six-story hotel.
“We’re actually too small to have a management company. That’s something I looked into. So we’re actually going to set up the property on our own,” said Panwala, who added he intends to be “pretty hands-on with the overall brand (e.g. marketing), but not the day-to-day aspect.”
While running a hotel may be new to him, being in the spotlight is not. Panwala has parlayed his DJ skills into a syndicated urban radio show and collaborated with recording artists. His affinity for the scene was the inspiration behind the hotel’s name: BPM comes from “beats per minute,” which paces off a song.
And since most lifestyle hotels need a hook, Panwala fully intends for music to be Hotel BPM’s differentiator. A soundtrack selected by Panwala will stream throughout the property 24/7 via a central sound system, and guests will have the ability to patch the music into their soundproof rooms through the flip of a switch in the guest bathroom. Guests may also personalize the experience by requesting a song or artist when making their reservations.
While not as trendy as some other Brooklyn neighborhoods have become, Sunset Park is well situated for his first hotel. “It’s close enough to [amusement area]Coney Island, close enough to downtown Brooklyn and [the soon-to open sports and entertainment venue]Barclays Center, and you’re also close to Manhattan. So you have a nice location where you can go to different areas, but you’re not enveloped in the thousands of people that are in New York,” said Panwala.
The new-construction project has been in the works for about three years, under development by NY SAI Hospitality, which has hotels in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts, and several under construction in New York City.
Panwala said the design of the hotel also recalls his travels as a DJ and what he likes to experience during a stay. “I like things that are very modern and contemporary; that’s the style of the overall property. I’m a little bit of a minimalist, so we don’t have more than you need in the rooms. We don’t have extra furniture taking up space where it may be more valuable for you, as the guest, to just place your luggage, or to just have more freedom of space in your room when you go shopping and return with your bags,” said Panwala.
Guestrooms are either king or double and feature 40-in. HDTVs, laptop-size safes, Keurig personal coffee makers, wall-mounted nightstands, upholstered headboards, an armoire with a half-closet, a desk and free WiFi.
While the design may be spartan, the owner has layered in features that are at a luxury level and/or environmentally friendly. For example, all beds will have Frette linens and 12-in.-thick pillowtop mattresses. A dual-shade system offers guests an option for blackout or translucent shades. Guest bathrooms have porcelain walls and tiled floors, rainfall showers, steam-proof mirrors, dual-flush toilets and Gilchrest & Soames Bee Kind bath amenities.
The hotel also will provide an off-lobby lounge where breakfast and light fare will be served. A fitness room and small meeting room also are offered.
Panwala expects to see a mix of leisure and international guests at the property, with business travelers largely limited to those connected in some way to the music industry. He also expects to see business from the local area; one of Brooklyn’s largest health facilities and hospitals, Lutheran Medical Center, is nearby. “We plan on having a ‘local rate’ available to make the hotel more affordable to guests within our area. We try to be a friendly neighbor and support our community,” he said. Toward this, since there is no restaurant on site, the hotel intends to establish relationships with local eateries.
The hotel will offer a promotional rate of $139 when it opens, later hitting a range between $200 and $300. “I don’t expect us to be breaking $300 too often unless it’s a major holiday like Fourth of July,” Panwala said.
And since New York City has a famous annual fireworks display, that might be a holiday that plays well into Hotel BPM’s future, as Panwala is looking to secure permits to have a rooftop venue for the hotel. “Hopefully, next summer (2013) we’ll have it available for events,” he said.
And for himself, Panwala’s vision goes even a bit further in terms of having more BPM hotels. “I could see us being in cities like Miami and L.A. that have an entertainment base. Hotel BPM is where music meets hospitality, so if you enjoy music, we may be the perfect type of hotel for you.”