Swire Hotels intros EAST brand into U.S.

NEW YORK—Swire Hotels, the lodging division of Hong Kong-based Swire Properties Ltd., the owner/developer known for mega mixed-use projects in Asia and the United States, has debuted its proprietary hotel brand EAST in the U.S.

The 352-key luxury lifestyle property is the hotel component of Swire’s $1.05 billion Brickell City Centre mixed-use development in Miami, and features eight suites and 89 residence suites.

EAST, Miami is one of two dedicated brands umbrellaed by Swire Hotels. The U.S. hotel has two siblings: EAST, Hong Kong and EAST, Beijing. In addition, last year, Swire brought together a small eclectic group of hotels it had and created The House Collective brand. These include: The Opposite House, Beijing; The Upper House, Hong Kong; and The Temple House, Chengdu.

In considering which brand to bring to the U.S. first, Brian Williams, managing director of Swire Hotels, who was recently in New York, told Hotel Business the positioning of Brickell City Centre and its location “made sense for us to bring a slightly different style of brand to start with. EAST is a luxury product, but more of a lifestyle product instead of a super-luxury, upper-upscale House.”

While the hotel is new, the Swire name has been known in Florida through various development projects for decades and in Miami, in particular. It was the driver in a joint venture with Cheezem Development Corp., behind a $1-billion transformation of Claughton Island into what is now the thriving master-planned community of Brickell Key, which includes office buildings, retail, more than a half-dozen condominium towers and a 326-key, Five-Star Mandarin Oriental hotel, in which Swire is the majority (75%) owner.

Similarly, Brickell City Centre is a phased mixed-use development set to encompass more than five million sq. ft. and features luxury retail, restaurants, office towers, condominiums and the EAST, Miami.

While the two Swire hotels have proximity, Williams felt the guest base would be quite different although certain attributes could be leveraged to the benefit of both. For example, he said, “We didn’t build a spa [in EAST]because the Mandarin has an award-winning spa and if our customers want a spa, we’ll send them there.”

Although EAST, Miami may not have a spa, it does have a wealth of amenities and features helping to drive business as it begins its ramp up.

There are signature restaurants designed by Studio Collective and a host of casual F&B outlets. Quinto La Huella, located on the hotel’s fifth floor, offers 359 seats and is the first outpost for noted Uruguay beachside destination eatery Parador La Huella, which is owned by Martin Pittaluga, Gustavo Barbero and Guzman Artagaveytia. The three-meal Quinto will feature fire-cooking methods utilizing a parrilla.

On the 40th floor, Sugar, a rooftop bar and garden, serves tapas and cocktails, while in the lobby, Domain offers coffee, wine, cocktails and casual fare. A poolside bar and lounge also is part of the culinary mix and is adjacent to a cluster of pool “experiences” that includes a spa pool, hot tub, cold plunge and lap pool.

In a play on words, the hotel’s 24-hour fitness center is called BEAST (Body by EAST) and provides Technogym and resistance equipment, free weights and stretching mats. Wellness programing is in the works and guests may download the EAST, Miami app to review a monthly calendar of activities.

Since the hotel’s opening on May 31, Williams said, “Business is extraordinary and this [summer]is meant to be low season. Our biggest problem at the moment is wondering what to do with the security and the snake lines of people trying to get into the restaurants and bars in the evening, which have just proven incredibly successful.”

The executive noted the popularity of the F&B venues is helping to drive awareness for the brand. “We’ve had up to several thousand people a day going through and a lot of them are Miami people, not just hotel guests. They’ve become advocates for us. They’re talking about us to everybody who’s coming to Miami about the places to go: ‘The new hot place is EAST, Miami. Go there.’ So that’s creating our brand awareness for us,” he said.

The LEED-registered hotel, designed by Miami-based architectural firm Arquitectonica, with interiors by New York-based Clodagh Design, is expected to be a key destination for those coming to Brickell City Centre, where a 550,000-sq.-ft. shopping center will feature five levels of retail, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Valentino, and showcase South American brands debuting in the U.S.

“Our customers are a mixture of business and leisure. It’s going to be people from North America, the United States and many from Latin America. Don’t forget, Brickell is one of the financial centers for Central, Latin and South America,” said Williams.

To accommodate business and social needs, some 20,000 sq. ft. of event space is available at the hotel and includes a 3,300-sq.-ft. ballroom, two 1,600-sq.-ft. spaces; an 850-sq.-ft. boardroom; and four workshop spaces ranging from 630 to 1,525 sq. ft.

Adding to the overall vibe of the hotel, Swire partnered with Indiewalls, an art-curating service that has put together a collection of works by local and national artists that includes paintings, sculptures and photographs, and installed them throughout EAST, Miami. Swire also currently is the sole hotel corporate sponsor for YoungArts Foundation, a local art academy.

At press time, the hotel was still bringing on inventory and expected full inventory by October, said Williams.

The executive added the residence suites, which run from one to three bedrooms, are being sold two ways. “We can sell them on extended stay—two weeks, one month, one year—or we can sell them overnight. So, for instance, if the hotel is full, we can keep overselling the hotel if we’ve got vacancy in the residences. They’re not condos; we own them completely. We’ve decorated them, we manage them, we service them,” he said.

As for adding another hotel to Brickell City Centre, Williams said, “There isn’t currently space in the existing project but that doesn’t mean we won’t look at other opportunities as they arise.”

Noted the executive: “We are a slightly different type of company than most of the big hotel-management companies. We still are owner/developer/operator so when we do things we take a lot of time over it; we take a lot of care. We’re immensely involved in getting every detail right. We’re always considering new opportunities but the next hotel that we have to open is in The House Collective brand, and that’s in Shanghai next year.” HB