 HOTELS
The Passion of Pomeranc
Hotelier Jason Pomeranc takes some time to chat with the Observer this week and addresses the issue that always seems to be staring him in the face, namely the delays that have pushed back the opening of his new Thompson LES on several occasions now (not to mention made Pomeranc something of a running joke in the industry). But Pomeranc has good news! Three of the 22 floors will open this week, although if you`d like to use the pool or sample the restaurant on the second floor, you`ll have to wait until October 15th when it will probably be too cold to swim anyway. "There are always unforeseen circumstances that cause delays in scheduling," Pomeranc tells Chris Schott. (Not addressed: The rumor that Pomeranc spends more time jetting around the world with his hottie publicist girlfriend Ali Wise, above, than he does at the office.) But if you think the delays and bad press may have humbled Jason just a little bit, well, don`t get ahead of yourself.
You`re going to be thanking him pretty soon for making the Lower East Side, don`t you know?
"Usually, that process culminates with a luxury project—like what I believe the Thompson Lower East Side will be—where it integrates the vibe and the flow of the neighborhood but introduces a new audience as well.
"I view a project as successful, like when we opened 60 Thompson, when it inherently became identified with the neighborhood. It became synonymous with Soho. I hope that the Thompson Lower East Side will do the same."
Well, just as soon as the hotel actually opens and Jason and Ali get back from St. Tropez or Porto Cervo or wherever they are this week.
Fashionably Late [Observer]Trivia
Dior`s Uptown Feet
Gwyneth Paltrow was a no-show, but, then, she was not invited. A few Hollywood luminaries attended the party that Christian Dior and Vogue gave on Thursday night to introduce Dior`s new line of shoes, but they were upstaged by a more rarefied breed of fashion arbiter: those impeccably groomed, high-profile New Yorkers who represent Manhattan`s young society. The screen stars and supermodels who customarily grace such events seemed, well, so yesterday, compared with the uptown princesses Dior enlisted to act as billboards for its brand.
Invitations that read ``Dare to be spoiled with the hottest Dior shoe of your choice`` were sent to a select 100 of Manhattan`s hip and rich. Among those who raced to the Dior boutique on 57th Street to claim their share of $75,000 in free shoes were Marina Rust, Emilia Fanjul, Casey Johnson, Elizabeth Kieselstein-Cord and Samantha Boardman. ``We agonized over the list,`` said Ali Wise, Dior`s director of special events. ``Each of these guests were handpicked.``
Turning socialites into Cinderellas for the night was part of a marketing strategy for Dior. The gambit is a form of ``viral`` marketing, a strategy meant to ensure that a product will get into the right hands -- people whose endorsement creates a demand by causing a ripple effect among their peers. ``Some of those girls are our best clients,`` said Marla Sabo, the president of Christian Dior Couture. ``We have a tremendous customer base uptown.``
Marketing experts also see the tactic as a bid to reclaim an exclusivity that some brands have lost in recent years as luxury retailing became a mainstream business. Inviting society women to wear your product ``has a basic snob appeal,`` said Leslie Savan, the author of ``The Sponsored Life,`` about advertising and American culture. ``It gives the brand a certain cachet, like being a member of the best club.``
None of which mattered to Ms. Johnson, who braved driving rain to line up for her free shoes. Not that she needed them. Ms. Johnson had already purchased a pair of the company`s lizard boots. But she did snare a pair of $950 red multibuckled corset boots, which, it turned out, was one of the most popular styles of the evening.
``They are very outrageous,`` Ms. Johnson said, exultant. ``Normally I`m more conservative, but these shoes were free, so I felt I could choose something frivolous.``
Since then, she has shed a few inhibitions. Next on her list is a pair of yellow velvet pumps with pompoms. ``They`re cool,`` she said. ``I`ll probably buy them this weekend.``
Bags Full of Luxury
There is more than one way to restore the sheen to a lackluster luxury business. This fall, Gucci has joined a growing list of companies inaugurating or reviving made-to-order programs to woo back their core customers -- those large-living plutocrats who first gave high-end bags their cachet.
In March, Tod`s began offering custom bags to V.I.P. clients in its Beverly Hills showroom. Hermès recently expanded its increasingly successful custom program to include new signature bags. And early next month, Gucci will introduce a made-to-order collection of five vintage-style bags in a choice of seven skins and 37 colors.
The extravagant end of a trend to customization, which has swept industries from computers to cars, made-to-order accessories are aimed at consumers ``who want things that are special and crafted to last,`` said Tom Ford, the designer for Gucci. Offering tailor-made bags is a new way to develop ``a more personal relationship with our customer and give him what he wants,`` Mr. Ford said.
What the customer wants is more bang for the buck -- and a role in the product`s design. The cost of a custom bag can vary from $2,500 to $15,000 for an exotic skin. For that price, a client can choose skins, colors and hardware.
``Really what this is about is broadening your appeal while keeping the exclusivity of your brand,`` said Melanie Slouquet, a luxury goods analyst for J. P. Morgan Chase. ``The way to do that is to differentiate the product to keep your core customer happy.``
Robert Chavez, the president of Hermès Paris, would agree. ``Our clients are willing to wait for exactly what they want,`` he said. ``Even when that wait is up to three years.``
(NYT http://query.nytimes.com/)
Know Your Manhattan Hoteliers
June 23, 2008 at 3:02 PM | 1 Comment
Ask and you shall receive. In a story the other week about the possible cold war thaw between feuding hoteliers Gregory Peck and Matt Moss (actually, that was just wishful thinking. The frenemy war rages on still), we asked for a copy of the Page Six magazine featuring some of NYC`s hottest hoteliers.
And a kind soul sent us a copy!
In it, you see Jason Pomeranc (with ever-present arm candy/fashion publicist/girlfriend Ali Wise), Matt Moss and Greg Peck (totally did not pose together), scary Sean MacPherson and partner Eric Goode, the ever-dapper Andre Balazs, grunge hotelier Alex Calderwood of the Ace Hotel brand and chefs/restauaranteurs Todd English and Ken Friedman.
(hotelchatter.com)
October 15, 2008 at 10:57 AM | 1 Comment
How to get your new hotel on the map, even if it`s still under construction -- the Thompson LES way: host a party for Madonna.
Fashion Week Daily reports the new Pomeranc spot was christened by the hot high heels of Madge on Monday night as the Thompson LES played host to the afterparty for Filth and Wisdom, Madonnas directorial debut.
Notable A-Listers in attendance: Jessica Alba and funny-named boyf, LiLo, Jeremy Piven, Lake Bell and Padma Lakshmi -- among many others.
We hear the fashion was all about Dolce & Gabbana, which is no surprise since Pomeranc`s girl, Ali Wise, is the Director of Entertainment PR at D&G. Nicely done.
(hotelchatter.com)
My favorite host committee of the year has to be Jason Pomeranc and Todd English who enlisted an UES guy gang (Alex von Furstenberg, Andres Santo Domingo, Danny Baker, Diego Garcia, Jon Ylvisaker and my brother Topper Mortimer) to host Wednesday night`s preview of The Libertine, a restaurant and bar at Gild Hall, Pomeranc`s new swanky hotel on Gold Street. These dudes never slap their names on anything, but for Jason they were willing to represent. Naturally, the testosterone charged frat-style party attracted a flock of stylish beauties like Ali Wise, Lauren Santo Domingo, Alexandra Kramer, Eleanor Ylvisaker, Tinsley Mortimer, Charlotte Ronson, Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Dani Stahl, Fabiola Beracasa, Serena Nikkhah, Devon Schuster, Jackie Astier, Kim Vernon, Hope Atherton and Elise Overland.
(paper5.client.logicworks.net/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=astier)
photo by Jaesung Lee
A FASHIONABLE LIFE: THE NEW BOND ST.
Hollywood glitterati gathered to celebrate the opening of the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel
By ROSE APODACA
Buzz up!
There`s nothing quite like throwing together an A-list Hollywood party at the very last minute. But that`s exactly what hip hotelier Jason Pomeranc and his other half, Dolce & Gabbana`s Ali Wise, managed with aplomb. "Only Ali and Jason could pull off a celebration like this so sensationally," remarked Kate Hudson, an old school chum of Wise`s. What the pair effortlessly clinched was a star-studded dinner for 130 of their best L.A. pals, including Ellen Pompeo, Ali Larter, Giovanni Ribisi, Kyle MacLachlan, and David Arquette — with just 48 hours` notice and midweek, no less.
SEE LOOKBOOK: THE NEW BOND STREET
En route back to California from a winter holiday in the Maldives, the hosts decided to properly christen the freshly minted West Coast outposts of two Gotham favorites, the restaurant Bond Street in the new Pomeranc-family-owned Thompson hotel (sister hotel to 60 Thompson) on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. "Now I can visit New York in L.A. It`s so sleek; it`s so chic," observed rapper and actress Eve over the clatter.The Dodd Mitchell-designed interiors unabashedly embrace fashion, thanks in part to the curatorial input of Steven Klein, who hand selected several of his photographs to decorate the guest rooms and hallways. Bond Street founder Jonathan Morr is especially fond of the 2,500-year-old tree slab on bronze legs, which anchors the downstairs lounge. "I think the locals will appreciate the communal idea of it. They`re just so social here in L.A.," he says.
The family-style dining made everyone fast friends at the kickoff party. Nikolai von Bismarck passed a platter of striped bass with amberjack sashimi to tablemates Rumer Willis and Jamie Tisch. "It`s such an eclectic turnout," noted Cameron Silver as he surveyed the mix of director Larry Clark, Alexandra von Furstenberg, and interior designer Brad Dunning, who`s hard at work on the hosts` new digs, a nearby estate that was once home to Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee. While Dewey Nicks and Minnie Mortimer made the rounds, Joy Bryant stopped at a booth to chat with Jenni Kayne and Rachel Zoe. "It`s sort of a reunion for many of us here who are old friends," remarked Amy Smart. "I feel underdressed," groused Matthew Perry, scoping out the sea of fancily clad women. Lisa Eisner, in a white mink poncho, pondered the scene, saying, "It doesn`t feel like you`re in Beverly Hills. And we need more places with a scene here than Mr. Chow`s." China Chow, who was within earshot, didn`t seem to mind the friendly dig.
Of course, if any partygoers did not relish the trek home, they were just an elevator ride away from the sumptuous Sferra bed linens awaiting them in one of the rooms above.
(harpersbazaar.com)
Recently, the divine Dani Stahl and Elena Kiam previewed their spring 2009 collection of the lustrously luscious Lia Sophia jewelry line. The fete was held at The Rose Club at the newly renovated Plaza Hotel, and one couldn`t help but conjure up images of the famed hotel`s original spoiled brat/cutie, Eloise, as top editors, socialites, and starlets flocked in to view the latest jewels from the collection. In attendance were Dolce & Gabbana`s gorgeous goddess Ali Wise, the uber-chic Charlotte Ronson, Eleanor Ylvisaker, PAPER superstars Mickey Boardman, Michelle Lindsey, and Whitney Spaner (and yours truly!!), as well as socialite starlets Olivia Palermo and Leven Rambin. Check out some pieces from the latest collection and get ready to swoon.
XxPJC
(papermag.com)
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