NEW YORK— HOTEL BUSINESS® has learned that on Oct. 8 Tishman Hotel Corp. assumed management of five upscale hotels here, previously operated by the Boutique Hotel Group (BHG). What this means for the future of BHG has yet to be seen. All owned by Credit Suisse First Boston, the five Manhattan hotels included in the transaction were: The Shoreham, The Roger Williams, The Mansfield, The Franklin, and Hotel Wales. With a small portfolio to start with, the loss of these contracts (representing 620 rooms) leaves NYC-based BHG with only two properties in its management portfolio: the 47-room Hotel 41 in New York, which opened this year; and Tenemos, a collection of three luxury villas in Anguilla that opened in February. All of this falls on the heels of an already active year for the company. In addition to the loss of these five NYC management contracts and the opening of its two latest hotels, BHG also saw the departure of its president/COO Steve Marx in July and the discontinuation its management contract at the Peery Hotel in Salt Lake City. Representatives from Boutique Hotel Group did not return repeated phone calls from HOTEL BUSINESS®. Regardless, the transaction is certainly helping Tishman Hotel Corp. forge a name for itself in the hotel management arena, bringing its portfolio to 22 managed hotels, including one other New York City property— the Clarion Hotel on 5th Ave. “We have a great relationship with Credit Suisse First Boston,” said Dawn Walzak, vp/Tishman Hotel Corp. Tishman also manages two other hotels for the investment banking firm, including the Doubletree Club in El Segundo, CA (near LAX) and the Ramada Plaza also near the Los Angeles Airport. Tishman will not hold a equity stake in any of the five Manhattan boutique hotels. “The deal happened very quickly,” said Walzak. “We’re still meeting with general managers [and other property level employees]to see what they think needs to be changed at the hotels to improve the guest experience.” Tishman has no plans to replace any employees or managers at the hotels, “but whom those people report to is now changed,” she stated, referencing Tishman’s management team which, “has great experience working with hotels in New York.” In addition to the Clarion, Tishman also previously managed the Doral Park Avenue Hotel in the Big Apple. After reviewing feedback from the hotel employees, Tishman may make changes to the operating philosophies at the properties, but there are no plans as of yet, nor are there any initiatives to change the “physical appearance” of the hotels. Tishman’s management team is, however, “is in the process of changing the collateral” at the hotels, which previously included the Boutique Hotel Group name, and discontinuing the “common front page” on the Internet that grouped the five properties together, she stated. “In the past, the hotels were marketed collectively, but in the future we’re going to market them independently,” she explained, noting this will ultimately help play up their unique attributes. Tishman is also working to improve the experience of frequent guests to the NYC properties. “We’re not creating a frequent-guest program… We’re just evaluating the check in process,” said Walzak, adding that Tishman is trying to ensure the check in process for repeat customers is easier, or at least different, than that of a first-time guest. Credit Suisse First Boston bought the hotels in 1998 from Bernard Goldberg, a local hotelier, and according the Crain’s New York, the five New York properties have been up for sale for more than a year.