Quatre Esprits Magnifiques: The four masterminds behind LA’s newest luxury hotel, SLS, share their vision with us

Image courtesy of SBE

Quatre Esprits Magnifiques: The four masterminds behind LA’s newest luxury hotel, SLS, share their vision with us

Issue 31 Archives

“We want to create a new paradigm in the luxury hotel experience that speaks to a global, sophisticated, and intelligent tribe.” Theresa Fatino

If authentic experiences are the only things set to survive the bleak times ahead, then newcomers like the SLS hotel certainly have nothing to worry about. Despite its emphasis on modern luxury, five star accoutrements and impeccable service, the hotel is rooted in a kind of earthiness one could only find in such lively places as Istanbul’s or even Cairo’s Grand Bazaars. In fact, as a nod to its ancient counterpart, the hotel’s ground floor is even called The Bazaar. Yet instead of selling Ottoman relics, or serving traditional Arabic tea, the Los Angeles version sells sleek products from iconic design retailer Moss, while serving an array of modern takes on traditional tapas and cocktails from award-wining Spanish chef, José Andrés. Designed by Philippe Starck, spearheaded by W-Hotel mastermind Theresa Fatino and bankrolled by LA wunderkind Sam Nazarian, SLS has so far lived up to its name: Something Lovely’s Started.

Sam Nazarian: It’s Not Your Father’s Four Seasons

interview: marisa mazria-katz

Despite his youth, just 34, SBE founder Sam Nazarian has already been credited with jump-starting LA’s nightlife from its sleepy past. Yes, boutique hotels are aplenty these days, but as Nazarian explains to clear, SLS is unlike anything the world has ever seen.

What was the catalyst for your transition from restaurants and bars to hotels?

I get asked that a lot, and the real answer is it wasn’t a transition. I started both divisions when I started my company, SBE. I had the opportunity to open the restaurant and nightlife division first while I was building my hotel company, which included finding locations and building relationships with our designers while cultivating the operational and branding side of our business. It was kind of bifurcated for me, in a sense, because it was important to have a stand-alone nightlife and restaurant company that had its own credibility and its own brand. At the same time, I wanted to have a hotel company with its own brand so that these two could feed off each other in a very synergistic way. It’s easier to buy a nightclub, redo it and open it, than doing the same with a hotel. SLS took a little longer because we needed to find the appropriate property to acquire and renovate. The perception is there was a transition, but in reality, it was actually thought out in advance.

In what way did you want the SLS venture to be different then other boutique hotels?

I wouldn’t consider SLS a boutique hotel. By definition, a boutique hotel is a very small and low ‘amenitized’ hotel. SLS is really a new generation of luxury [hotels] that has all the amenities a Four Seasons would have, but it incorporates the thought and the parameters a boutique hotel has in the sense of design, and food and beverage experience. SLS is a grown up boutique hotel. We like to call it ‘not your father’s Four Seasons.’ That is what SLS really embodies. From business travelers to the very sophisticated luxury traveler, it has all the amenities.

What was it about Philippe Starck that made you feel he was the right one to carry out your vision?

Philippe is a thinker more than a designer. He lives the design that he is designing. He is on the road 300 days a year traveling the world and being exposed to the most cutting-edge ways to deliver a lifestyle experience. In a sense, having him as part of our organization really allowed us to deliver something like SLS, which in many ways is pushing the envelope, but still delivers the same luxuries you would find in South America, the Middle East or Asia.

When it came time to set up your company, why did you choose Los Angeles?

Los Angeles had such opportunity for this type of product. When I started SBE six years ago, there wasn’t one company that really took the initiative to take LA to the next step and deliver a product that was on the level of what we are delivering. LA did not have the sophistication we put into our management. New York obviously led the market. No one had taken any initiative in LA—outside of Wolfgang Puck—to deliver this platform of a diversified product, which is hopefully cutting edge on many levels. I felt the opportunity was here and I think we were proven right because we are somewhat successful at it.

Where did the concept for the Bazaar located in the lobby of the hotel come from?

It was a collaboration between Philippe and I. We were really looking at concepts that integrated food and beverage, retail and nightlife like Collette in Paris, Jeffery’s in New York or Harrod’s food court in London. There is a very European base to the Bazaar. It added much more once we brought in José Andrés as our culinary partner and then Murray Moss for the retail side. It was an ambitious goal and hopefully we pulled it off in the sense that nothing like this exists in the world—let alone LA. You could say a souk or bazaar in Istanbul may be at the core of the layout and concept. We like to call it a tribal village, in the sense that you can share many different experiences and moments. It’s not just a place to have a great meal, but you can go for a drink, shopping, pastries and high tea. It has really become the center of the community. It’s been so well received on all levels. It’s a sensory overload, but once you get past that, it becomes a warm place to share any experience. I call it the perfect place to have a first date. Because there are so many things going on, it’s best to have that awkward first moment at the Bazaar.

A New Paradigm: Theresa Fatino Redefines Luxury

interview: emin kadi

edited by: marisa mazria-katz

SBE’s branding and creative visionary, Theresa Fatino, seems to have a sixth sense about emerging cultural trends. Here, she shares her thoughts on developing for a more astute clientele.

How does one come up with a unique design boutique hotel concept when it seems everybody’s got one and everybody’s doing it?

The idea is that we want to become part of our customers, and our customers are a part of us. They’re involved in evolving and contributing to our hotel. Elegance, timelessness, intelligence and a sense of community—these are all the words that we wanted to portray in our brand. We have to have a soul and it must be quality. We knew that we would have to provide poetic moments where intelligence meets reverence. Putting these emotions into our products will differentiate us. Our vision is that we want to create a new paradigm in the luxury hotel experience that speaks to a global, sophisticated, and intelligent tribe.

How did you come to define the SLS experience?

We created a manifesto. And this manifesto was really asking ourselves ‘What is luxury today?’ and ‘Who are we really today?’ and ‘What makes me, me?’ And it’s all these experiences that make up ourselves, whether it’s our family, or a late night, or a relationship, or travel, or making a statement. All of these components make up ourselves, and that forms our decision-making and our choices. Doesn’t there seem like there’s so much pressure in the world? There’s so much pressure on us now. So, surprise me. Spark ideas. Make me feel…I don’t want to be like a robot going through space. Challenge me and make me think.

What are some of the things guests can expect at SLS that set it apart from other hotel experiences?

We really believe that emotional connectivity adds value. It’s true value. What are the things that make us feel good? Being given a choice, a secret smile, being ahead of the game, being around people like us, or being left alone, or a sense of peace, a timeless sensation, generosity. What we wanted to do is translate these emotional experiences into a physical product that directly relates to our thesis. We believe putting this emotion into our products is what’s going to differentiate us—whether it’s a feeling of trust or lotions and potions.

How would you describe an SLS encounter to someone who has never been to the hotel before?

We have the best product in the market. I can guarantee you that. We put the money back in so that [we’re] creating a feeling of trust…We are generous to our guests, just as we would be to our family or to ourselves. [We are] creating a warm and fuzzy feeling, whether it’s service oriented, or sliding into our 600 thread count sheets or 600-gram Egyptian cotton towels. You know when you put that robe on and you’re like [gasp], or slide into that fresh, crisp bed and it’s cool and then all of a sudden you’re warm and you’re so happy. It’s providing things just as they should be. Knowing when to deliver the right thing at the right time.

How is the SLS venture different from those in your past?

In my past, we would so often dummy things down. I would be like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m not designing for a person that doesn’t get it.’ If they don’t get it, it’s OK. They could get it in a year from now. But I don’t want to dummy down the thought process. I want to reach for the stars. So that’s what our goal is there. Our guide is one of intelligence, community, authenticity, elegance, spirit, and humanity. Our promise is that we must create something to feel good about, something that makes us feel smarter, that makes us feel inherently good and right. We must look authentic right from the start. We need to tell a story.

What was it like to work with Philippe Starck on the project?

I’ll tell you this: when I first started contemplating working with him I never thought, ‘He has an intimidating reputation.’ I have only experienced the most kind, generous, hard-working, true, original thinker I have ever worked with. He is the hardest-working guy I have ever seen. He does not stop. When he showed us the guest rooms at SLS, it completely blew me away. I couldn’t believe that that’s what he came with. It was a new Philippe…He’s continually evolving himself. And he’s very much interested in preserving love and humanity. He’s always the life of the party. It’s kind of like drinking the Kool-aid.

José Andrés: It Takes a Village

interview: marisa mazria-katz

Recreating the hustle and bustle of a bazaar in a town where there’s always parking would seem an impossible feat. But as José Andrés—the man who essentially introduced tapas to America—reveals, nothing he turns his attention to is unattainable.

How would you describe the culinary experience in the hotel to someone who has never been before?

We all knew we wanted it to be more than just a restaurant [where] you arrive, sit down, have dinner and go. We wanted it to be a place that you can live the space, almost become part of the space. I believe the restaurant industry is the entertainment industry of the 21st century. And I believe we achieved a certain level of entertainment in the Bazaar. Almost every thing there has a synergy with the other. Just like any other restaurant we have a bar, but our bar is different; it’s more like a welcoming place. Then there is Moss—for retail—so while you are drinking you can also shop. We offer different options if you are hungry. Seafood you can eat at the bar, the vegetables you can eat at the room called Blanca, or you can eat tapas at the room called Rojo. In the end, The Bazaar by José Andrés is the kind of place you can have all or nothing.

You also spearheaded a group called the Think Food Tank. What is it exactly?

It is my room, my space, to keep developing things, to keep thinking, studying, and researching. At the Think Food Tank we are influenced by anything and anyone. We are looking for what the next thing will be for us. The Think Food Tank is a place for all of our ideas, all of our creativity, all the things we learn, and all the things we want to work on. It’s the place we keep researching different machinery, utensils, equipment and different products that can help us create a very avant-garde dish, or a very traditional dish that comes from a cookbook from the 15th century. It’s where we ask ourselves, ‘What can I do with this potato today?’ It’s a place to think about food and what food can help us achieve.

Did the design of the hotel inform the menu?

I knew I wanted to have elements that united all the spaces. We have these carts, for instance: one that makes frozen cocktails or one that serves caviar, which have been very successful. These carts were very important to me. When you go to the bazaar in Istanbul, you see people serving food from carts. I really wanted to bring this international experience into one place. The Bazaar is like a village under one roof.

“Me, I’m Just a Dreamer.” Philippe Starck on SLS

interview: anna carnick

Design seer Philippe Starck describes his experience working on SLS, and the unique creative rationale behind the project.

What was it like to collaborate on this project?

You know, to make beautiful children, parents must be in love. And if the family around is nice, it’s better also. SLS is the child of SBE, and SBE is Sam Nazarian. Sam Nazarian is a fantastic guy. He’s young, even sexy—[laughs] my wife thinks he’s sexy—, so smart, such a pleasure to work with, so fun. We cannot really work together because we just make nonstop stupid jokes night and day. But the result looks like a success.

Sam is the type of guy with who is guaranteed success—the perfect partner to make success. And Theresa is part of the team, and she makes the art part, and Sam makes the high level of business. Me, I am just a dreamer, and Theresa, she built it. You know, you never make something good alone. It’s impossible…

How would you describe the difference in character between SLS and IconBrickell?

There is no difference, because in both we express ourselves. In IconBrickell with Yoo and in SLS, the companies forget any idea of architecture, of business, and we’re just speaking about vision, of the future. What can be the life? What must be the life? How is a place [made out of] concrete, stone, glass [turned into] poetry, humor, vision, and creativity?

…And because we tried to create some type of village which will not please everybody. We will try to please a certain type of people. And we know these people because they are us. They can be my mother, my wife, my friend, my daughter. And it’s always better to work for the people you love. To work is to work for the people you love, and that is all.

[Both are] like a real community of change. It’s business, partnership, drama. It’s life. SLS, with the Swedish bath, Spanish cuisine, a cartoonist…so many things you cannot see everything at one time. You know that at every hour of the day and the night, everything will happen in this place, this sort of universe. And you will always find a place that will fit to your mood or to the situation, [whether] you are with your wife, with your children, with a business team, or alone, in a good mood or sad. There is only the style of freedom and the style of spice of life. That is all.

Images courtesy of SBE and James Merrell