Philadelphia, PA, Oct. 31, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HHM announced today that the “Independent Collection,” which represents its luxury and lifestyle division, has doubled in size to 24 properties with over 3,000 rooms in just the past two years. These independent hotels and resorts range from urban boutiques to beach resorts to luxury properties, and feature unique bar and restaurant experiences that serve as an amenity for hotel guests and are popular with local residents from their neighborhoods. Notably, the Independent Collection was launched just ten short years ago with the Duane Street Hotel in Tribeca, New York.
HHM is partnered with numerous sophisticated institutional owners who have shown an increasing interest in developing and investing in these types of hotels. In order to support the guests and owners of this growing portfolio, the Independent Collection has also significantly expanded its dedicated and highly-skilled team of two dozen branding, marketing, revenue management and e-commerce professionals to ensure an unrelenting focus on distribution, social media, communication, and the changing tastes and preferences of independent travelers.
By way of example, the Independent Collection includes these ten remarkable hotels and resorts:
- Freepoint Hotel - a hip boutique hotel in the Cambridge submarket of Boston;
- The Ambrose Hotel - an intimate lifestyle hotel with luxury appointments in the heart of Santa Monica;
- The Sanctuary Beach Resort - an oceanfront hotel on 19 acres of Monterey Bay dunes along the California coast, and home to the highly regarded Salt Wood Kitchen & Oysterette;
- Hotel Milo - a favorite Santa Barbara hangout alongside the iconic Stearns Wharf and beloved West Beach;
- Hotel Figueroa - a soon-to-be-launched luxury lifestyle hotel in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles featuring urban activation in multiple restaurants and bars and a lively party scene at the pool;
- Hotel 48LEX New York - a sophisticated and upscale Four Diamond hotel in the heart of Midtown Manhattan;
- The St. Gregory Hotel - a stylish lifestyle hotel in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C. and home to the newly launched Tredici Enoceta Mediterranean restaurant;
- The Boxer – a downtown Boston boutique hotel known for its distinct location in the city’s triangular Flatiron Building, and directly across the street from TD Garden’s entertainment and sports complex;
- Pan Pacific Seattle - a gracious, four-star luxury hotel in the heart of Downtown Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood; and
- The Rittenhouse – widely recognized as the finest independent luxury hotel in Center City, Philadelphia featuring Lacroix, a AAA Four Diamond Award restaurant, and Scarpetta, a nationally-regarded concept that first launched in New York’s Meatpacking District
Jim Biggar, is a widely-recognized industry thought leader and hospitality veteran with years of lifestyle, luxury and branded hotel experience in major gateway markets across the United States. He joined HHM earlier this year and leads the Independent Collection, including oversight of operations, branding and marketing. Prior to joining HHM, Biggar served as president of Sixty Hotels, where he launched a new lifestyle brand and oversaw existing lifestyle hotels in New York, Miami and Beverly Hills. Prior to leading Sixty Hotels, Biggar worked with Interstate Hotels most recently as executive vice president with oversight of 85 full-service hotels. Biggar also prior held corporate positions at Hard Rock Hotels & Resorts and the Tishman Hotel Corporation. He began his career in various sales and operations roles at Stouffer Hotels (now Renaissance Hotels and a part of Marriott International), plus holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a Bachelor’s of Science from St. Lawrence University.
“Jim Biggar is an exceptional addition to our executive team and brings the right blend of hotel know-how, technical expertise and consumer insight to continue our remarkable growth in the luxury and lifestyle space,” said Naveen Kakarla, HHM president and CEO. “His robust experience in operations, sales and brand marketing across dozens of independent hotels in various consumer segments, combined with a history of operating nearly 20 franchised brands, complement our existing team and ensure we keep our focus on results and financial returns for our owners.”
About HHM
HHM, formerly known as Hersha Hospitality Management, operates nearly 135 hotels across the United States. It provides turnkey hotel management, investment, and development services for independent hotels and leading brand affiliations through Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and Intercontinental Hotel Group. HHM’s highly experienced team is accustomed to serving as a fiduciary to publicly traded companies, joint ventures, institutional real estate owners and private investors. Additional information on HHM can be found at hhmhospitality.com.
About The Independent Collection
Often referred to as iC, the Independent Collection represents HHM’s luxury and lifestyle division and is focused on the growing segment of independently minded travelers. iC is one of the fastest growing collections of lifestyle hotels across various consumer segments in highly desirable and irreplaceable neighborhood and gateway markets across the country. Our hotels are renowned for their simple sophistication, authentic connection to local communities and personalized service. Independent Collection hotels are created for the independently minded traveler and invite guests to experience the true spirit of the city. iC Local, our loyalty rewards program, has fast become the most sought-after perk among our consumers. Additional information on iC can be found at independentcollection.com, a popular destination for sophisticated travelers and consumers from coast to coast.
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