Renaissance hotelier Sean MacPherson is known for his acquisition, redevelopment, design and operation of often-moribund buildings and properties, resuscitating them with the help of A-list partners, and breathing life into not only the revived hotel, but the neighborhoods they occupy.
Within his portfolio in New York are The Bowery Hotel and Gemma restaurant; The Jane; The Ludlow; The Maritime Hotel; The Marlton and Margaux restaurant; Lafayette House; Waverly Inn restaurant; and The Crow’s Nest Inn in Long Island.
In Los Angeles, the California native operates a variety of restaurants, including El Carmen, Jones, The Pikey, Swingers, Bar Lubitsch, Good Luck Bar and The Roger Room.
Hotel Business recently caught up with MacPherson to discuss his career in the hospitality, as well as what makes him tick.
You’ve worked in hospitality for more than 20 years focusing on hotels, restaurants and bars/nightspots. What sparked your interest in taking this path? It’s all been something of a happy accident. I always liked the idea that certain venues offered people a place to meet, interact and learn from one another. In the late ’80s, I started promoting hip-hop events during a time when the music and culture were quite fresh and dynamic. I was drawn to the excitement of feeling connected to a changing culture. From there, I did restaurants, which led into hotels. I was always interested in trying to create places that brought people together and enriched everyone involved.
Aristotle noted that man is a social animal, and I have always been interested working around that premise.
What was your first hotel project, and why was it intriguing to you? The Maritime Hotel, which opened in 2001, was my first hotel, and I was attracted to everything about it. When we acquired the Maritime building in 2000, the neighborhood was still considered fringe, which is hard to believe now that Chelsea and the Meatpacking District are booming. I loved the neighborhood and felt strongly that the charm of Meatpacking and the gravitas of the Chelsea galleries, mixed with the
High Line and proximity to the river, was an irresistible and inevitable cocktail. Also, growing up in California, with its treasure trove of modernist buildings, I felt intimately connected to the Maritime’s mid-century architecture.
With your hotel projects, you sometimes work alone (The Marlton) or with partners, including Eric Goode (The Jane) and Ira Drukier and Richard Born (The Ludlow). And, in the case of The Maritime Hotel, you worked with all three. What makes you decide solo or SWAT team? Every project I have done has been site-specific, and I have always tried to do whatever felt most appropriate for each project. Some of the smaller projects have felt like they only need one person to give birth to them, while some of the larger projects have felt like they needed more manpower.
How do you collaborate when you have partners, particularly those mentioned, who are equally high-profile in the boutique/lifestyle lodging space? I have been extremely fortunate to work with people I respect and who prioritize the good of the project over their own interests. If one respects one’s partners’ abilities and trusts that they are working toward trying to create the best project they can, collaborating is fairly easy and satisfying.
How do you sustain your kind of creativity, as you’ve been touted for being very hands on (i.e., designing, building out and operating) regarding your properties? I deeply care about what I do and I genuinely enjoy what I do, which makes going to work fairly effortless.
In creating the ambiance of your hotels, you’ve been cast as “obsessive” regarding detail. Are you happy to take this as a compliment? And, how do you pull it all together in terms of sourcing, as much is not your typical FF&E? Rather than being obsessive, I might say that I care deeply about my projects. I believe good hotels have identities and souls, and good designers and operators respect their hotels.
What are some of the challenges doing things the Sean MacPherson way? Do you feel a contrarian to the über-slick, 3-D-printed-furniture, single-pea-on-a-plate brigade? The world has become increasingly sophisticated and, now, everyone has access to virtually all information all the time. I love that general taste has been elevated by instant access to information, but it makes creating unique environments increasingly difficult. As good taste has become the norm, I have become increasingly interested in individual, idiosyncratic, human taste.
How would you describe your own hotel design preferences? I am partial to timeless design that is built to last.
How has your design philosophy changed over time? As quality design has become more accessible (which is a good thing), I have become less interested in provenance and codified design and far more interested in individual taste. I’ll take an impassioned owner’s taste over a hired designer’s taste every time.
What is key today in terms of hotel design, particularly in guestrooms and public/lobby space? The good news—to me—is that there is no single key. It’s different strokes for different folks, from minimalism to baroque. Having said that, I think everyone appreciates, even expects, hotel rooms and lobbies to be thoughtfully designed and highly functional, i.e., we all have electronics and expect
to be able to easily find an outlet, rather than hunt for one on our hands and knees.
Is there anything the hotel/hospitality industry is doing design-wise with which you disagree? No. I love that different people have different ideas and desires. Hotel design is better and more varied than it has ever been, which is great for everyone involved.
Are there any particular trends you’re seeing that you find noteworthy? After [Ian] Schrager and [Philippe] Starck reinvented—or even invented—highly designed hotels, we experienced an onslaught of hyper-designed hotels where guests were hit over the head with design. As something of a response to that trend, some hoteliers have started designing hotels that are so subtle the design is almost invisible.
What are you working on now hotel-wise that’s intriguing? For the first time in my career, I am not building a new project. Instead, I am focusing on my existing venues and taking time to try to make sure they are operating as well as possible. I believe it’s good practice to regularly do tune-ups on one’s car.
How do you see yourself influencing the future of hotels? With the world changing so quickly, keeping up with the present and being present—not on one’s mobile—is a task itself. I have always tried to live and work in the present, and have hoped that a meaningful connection to the present will carry one to the future. Or, as [John] Lennon mused: “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” HB