In April, San Rafael, Calif.-based hotel and restaurant developer and manager Palisades Hospitality Group launched a new division—the Mosaic Hotel Group. Offering unique boutique properties in locations along the West Coast and in Mexico, Mosaic already has four hotels operating under its umbrella and about four more in the pipeline. Palisades CEO Tim Harmon, who oversees all new development, explains to LODGING, “Our goal has always been to focus on the long-term. That is why we are so invested in the development of high-quality properties and restaurants.” Harmon took some time to share a bit more about Palisades’ development chops and what it has planned for the future.
Why did you decide to launch the Mosaic Hotel Group? | It really came from our success in the restaurant business. We wanted to take what we had learned and apply it to the hotel marketplace. Currently we have 30 restaurants in our portfolio, each of which reflects the local culture, features local ingredients, and attracts local diners. We’ve seen great success with those restaurants and noticed that people appreciate uniqueness. So the idea was to take the skills that we developed, apply them to the hotel side of the business, and develop a group of crafted, artisan hotels that embody the local culture and really give people a sense of the place and the area that they’re in, while at the same time delivering a high level of service and quality.
So curating each property to be authentic to its location is important? | It’s critical in the lodging industry to provide unique experiences. For example, take our Colony Palms property down in Palm Springs. It was designed to capture the essence of Palm Springs. The way the building and property is laid out around a central courtyard with a pool in the middle, it really captures the oasis enclave in Palm Springs that I think is unmatched. That is what we’re aiming to achieve in all of our properties.
Is it hard to reach the people who are looking for these very specific experiences? | Not really. That is what people are actively looking for, so it is much easier to market that type of experience, especially via online advertising and social media. By creating special experiences, we’re able to get the word out through those channels and really develop a strong customer base just through those channels.
Additionally, this desire for authenticity has created a marketplace where unique, independent properties can thrive. I don’t think that the large reservation systems used by major brands are as important today as they were in the past in securing business, though they can still be very useful.
How has your background prepared you for the launch of Mosaic? | Though until recently I was working with restaurants, I got my start on the hotel side of business. I started working with my brother, Mark Harmon, who founded Auberge Resorts, back in early 2000s. I worked with him for several years on the development of several Auberge properties until about 2005. I joined up with my current partner, John Swanson, to develop the restaurant business and for about the last 10 years, we’ve been focused on that. Once that restaurant piece of our business matured, I felt ready to go back into hotels.
Are your bringing a lot of your restaurant experience into how you run your hotels? | The biggest lesson we want to bring over from the restaurant side of the industry is how to create a property with longevity. Many of our restaurants have now been around for more than 20 years. We want to bring that same kind of long-term focus to our hotels.
What do you find most exciting in the lodging industry right now? | What I see is the opportunity to create properties with a lot of individuality. They are the types of properties I look to stay in when I travel because I want to feel like I’m staying somewhere that reflects the area. I want to feel like I’m a part of the community. Also, there is much more appreciation than there has ever been for things that are local, organic, artisan, and crafted. People really are appreciative of attention to those details and it’s great to see. It gives hoteliers a chance to do things that are really unique and special.
