Guests can expect to be more intensely monitored for clues to what makes them happy, said Brudney, who offered himself as an example.
"I belong to AARP, but I don't want to be solicited for my hotel business for how old I am, but for who I am," Brudney said. "A lot of these hip hotels . . . are all saying they appeal to Gen X or Y. I'm saying there are a lot of hip seniors who are going to like this stuff."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, July 23, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 61 words Type of Material: Correction
Hotels: In a June 28 story in the Travel section on luxury hotels that are opening or under construction, the company that owns the Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel was incorrectly identified. It is the Dorchester Group, not the Dorchester Collection. Also, the hotel 45 Park Lane in London is now scheduled to open in 2010, not this year.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday, July 26, 2009 Home Edition Travel Part L Page 3 Features Desk 1 inches; 52 words Type of Material: Correction
Upscale hotels: A June 28 story, "Sweet Deals on Upscale Hotels," incorrectly identified the company that owns the Hotel Bel-Air and the Beverly Hills Hotel as the Dorchester Collection. It is the Dorchester Group. Also, the hotel 45 Park Lane in London is now scheduled to open in 2010, not this year.
To glean those attitudes more effectively, hotels may make filling out guest satisfaction surveys more attractive by offering discounts or other incentives.
The only downside of this economy may be for consumers who lust for new properties. About 48,000 fewer hotel rooms are being built this year, a 23% drop from last year, according to a recent Smith Travel Research report on new hotel construction.
Next year looks the same, or worse, given that it can take two to three years to complete an average hotel. "Financing for new-build construction is, for all intents and purposes, dead on arrival," said Donald Wise, an investment banker with Johnson Capital in Napa, Calif.
So consumers will need to be content with such recent additions as Terranea in Rancho Palos Verdes, the Shorebreak in Huntington Beach (see article, this page), the Hotel Erwin in Venice and the Hotel Maya in Long Beach.
The 305-room W Hollywood is on pace to open in December as a new type of luxury hotel -- one that's "defined by convenience, comfort and a lifestyle of ease," said Marty Collins, president and chief executive of Gatehouse Capital, one of the developers and owners of the multi-use property. Despite the dramatic changes in the economy, the hotel hasn't altered its concept or moved its opening date.
At the enormous CityCenter hotel, retail and residential development in Las Vegas, travelers can expect the December opening of the city's first Mandarin Oriental, which will include a spa with 38 "water experiences." The center's all-suite Vdara hotel is scheduled to open in October; the 4,004-room Aria Resort & Casino will take reservations for mid-December.
Farther afield, the Dorchester Group, which includes the Hotel Bel-Air, Le Meurice in Paris and the Beverly Hills Hotel, next year will add the 70-room Coworth Park, a "country house hotel" built from a stately home near Ascot, England. This year, 45 Park Lane is scheduled to open as a sister property to the nearby Dorchester in Mayfair, London.
Executives came to the Peninsula Beverly Hills to announce the Peninsula Shanghai, its ninth hotel, which is to open late this year on the historic Bund. The company will enter Europe with the Peninsula Paris in 2012.
As he spoke about the new properties, Peter Borer, director and chief operating officer of the Peninsula's owner, Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd., described a hotel that has positioned itself for the new economy. The latest concept of luxury isn't about status and indulgence, but "loyal staff, value, comfort, security and exceptional service."
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