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MIAMI—sbe and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts announced the launch of a new smart lifestyle brand under the working title, Project HQ Hotels & Residences.
Project HQ combines the decades of experience of Sam Nazarian with the global scale, resources, and reach of Wyndham. Owned by sbe with strategic investment by sbe equity partner Marc Anthony and his company Magnus, Project HQ will be affiliated with Wyndham’s Registry Collection Hotels.
This marks sbe’s first hotel brand after the 2020 sale of its hospitality brand and management platform, which included over 100 hotels (SLS, Delano, Mondrian, and Hyde, among others), more than 150 restaurants and lounges, and over $4 billion of luxury residential sales.
Sam Nazarian, founder and CEO of sbe stated, “At sbe, we believe in the fundamental value of hotels as places where people make memories and experience wonder. When we created lifestyle luxury back in 2005 with SLS, we forged a new category. Now, almost 20 years later we look to reinvent lifestyle again with Project HQ, the first smart lifestyle hotel brand. We will channel our entrepreneurial spirit and deep industry expertise into crafting intuitive, groundbreaking solutions for both hotel owners and guests. As a global leader for over two decades, we feel uniquely equipped to solve for the unmet needs of the next generation who are eager to engage with culinary excellence and vibrant social spaces that we’ve curated and cultivated with intention. It is such a privilege to have the support of an icon and entrepreneur like Marc Anthony as we embark on this next chapter. We also feel so honored to have established a strategic alliance with the best-in-class team at Wyndham and look forward to bringing The Wyndham Advantage to owners of Project HQ hotels around the globe.”
Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO of Wyndham said, “Today we are combining Sam Nazarian’s unmatched culinary and lifestyle experience with the unrivaled scale and resources of the world’s largest hotel franchisor to fuel Project HQ Hotels & Residences. Our owners drive our success. Hotel owners searching for a differentiated, yet approachable, lifestyle brand will immediately benefit from the scale and resources of the world’s largest hotel franchisor, gaining access to best-in-class sales, distribution, and technology, along with the industry’s number one hotel loyalty program in Wyndham Rewards.”
Smart Lifestyle: A New Category
sbe is bringing forth a new category, smart lifestyle, by building communities and creating memories for its Millennial and Gen Z guests through experiences. Project HQ was conceived to be a more approachable experience for the consumer who has been priced out of the lifestyle hotel market and doesn’t feel like they have a brand that speaks to their desires in travel. Project HQ is a smart lifestyle brand that provides solutions for the hospitality space. The brand name “Project HQ” is born from the concept that Project HQ Hotels will be in the heart of the cities they launch in, serving as the “headquarters” for dining, nightlife, and wellness.
Project HQ’s 360 Approach to Smart Lifestyle
Project HQ will provide a food and beverage experience that makes its hotels destinations for locals and travelers alike. With a comprehensive approach, Project HQ offers legacy hotel owners a simplified experience to revitalize their properties.
With a 360 approach to programming a property, Project HQ can equip a hotel with brand and global awareness, pre-approved FF&E packages, supply chain, technology integrations, OS&E packages, and programming to monetize otherwise underutilized spaces of the hotel. Project HQ can deliver this through its collection of partnerships and collaborations.
Project HQ will provide owners with sbe wellness programming, adding the med spa offering with sbe Wellness Clinics, and myriad food and beverage offerings. These enhancements will not only help hotels revitalize their real estate but enrich the guest experience.
Project HQ Branded Residential
Project HQ will also deliver a branded residential offering for underserved markets like integrated student housing, workforce housing, and the like. After launching a branded residential business with brands like SLS and Mondrian, this Project HQ product is set to build on that expertise to deliver a smart lifestyle residential program that will drive licensing revenue for owners and address a need for the Millennial and Gen Z audience.
A Strategic Alliance: Wyndham
Through its alliance with Wyndham, Project HQ join Wyndham’s Registry Collection Hotels brand. Wyndham in recent years has invested more than $275 million in technology, helping deliver sales, marketing, and digital innovations including mobile check-in/check-out, mobile key, and more. Project HQ will also participate in Wyndham Rewards.
The Future of Project HQ
Project HQ plans to open 50 hotels by 2030, delivering approximately 7,500 rooms designed for the Millennial and Gen Z traveler. Project HQ’s business development team will also benefit from the experience and reach of Wyndham’s large development organization, aiding the brand in seeking out both ground-up developments and conversion projects. Project HQ plans to open 50 percent of its properties stateside with 50 percent of openings internationally, and a mix of 80 percent conversion projects and 20 percent ground-up new construction.
