Editors’ Note

Holly Breuche was recently named the winner of the HSMAI 2014 General Manager of the Year Award. After launching her career at New York landmarks The Plaza and The Waldorf=Astoria, she became Associate Director of Sales at the national sales office of Hyatt Hotels. Her rise in the industry soon led to the role of Director of Sales and Marketing at both the Omni Berkshire Hotel and the New York Palace. Breuche later served as Hotel Manager and Acting General Manager for the Omni Berkshire before taking the helm at the Benjamin Hotel. During that time, Breuche held the distinction of being one of only five female General Managers in New York City. She has also served as Regional Director of Marketing for Morgan’s Hotel Group. In addition, she served as Chief Executive Officer of Point Blank Consultancy for nearly three years, an influential consultancy she founded in 2008. Breuche earned her Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Southern New Hampshire.

Property Brief

The Quin (thequinhotel.com), New York City’s newest luxury lifestyle hotel, is located on the corner of 57th Street and 6th Avenue, and melds modern opulence with its rich artistic heritage in each of its 208 thoughtfully appointed guest rooms, including 28 suites. Guests enjoy urbane and intelligent services, from the Attaché, who curate a guest’s New York experience, to distinguished amenities like an Executive Boardroom, state-of-the-art Technogym fitness center, Apple-equipped drawing room, Dux® beds by Duxiana®, Fresh® Spa Products, and a two-story, 130-seat artisanal American seafood grill, The Wayfarer. Quin Arts is an interactive arts program that celebrates the property’s rich artistic heritage and produces exciting new platforms for contemporary artists.

How is the property positioned and have you been happy with its reception to date?

We have been thrilled with the way in which guests and the New York City community have embraced The Quin. We’ve earned honors such as recognition on the Travel & Leisure’s “It List” for 2014; Travel Agent Magazine’s global “Hot New Hotels List” for 2014; Travel & Leisure’s “World’s Greatest Hotels” list for 2014; Fodor’s 2014 list of “New York City’s Best New Hotels”; and we just recently earned a Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Hotels in New York City.” Beyond awards though, we have been fortunate enough to have extraordinary partners in Bergdorf Goodman, Duxiana, Sephora, and Fresh, to name a few.

Is there a consistent feel throughout the property and how important is an enhanced suite offering?

There is a feel of refined elegance throughout the hotel, mixed with an inspiring dose of creative energy. We’re not a staid luxury hotel, but we’re not trying to be an edgy boutique. We’ve struck a balance that seems to resonate with guests, providing an oasis in an ideal location in the heart of Manhattan.

Twelve percent of our inventory is suites and we boast some of the most beautiful specialty suites in the city.

What makes them unique is not only their high ceilings but also the square footage and their sophisticated design, which is replicated throughout the entire property. In addition, a number of suites have a private terrace of anywhere from 250 square feet to almost 1,200 for the Penthouse, which also has a widow’s peak terrace surrounding the master bedroom.

These were part of the initial blueprint of the original Buckingham Hotel so we were able to transform the property yet capitalize on these unique features that aren’t often found in New York City hotels. Outside space is the most coveted amenity in New York City, so this is a big differentiator for us.

Another differentiator is the focus on your arts program. Would you touch on the vision behind that and what it means to the property?

When I came onboard three years ago, I was amazed and inspired to learn of the iconic artists and musicians who had been residents of the hotel, in some cases from many years back when it was known as The Buckingham. Ignacy Paderweski is one of the most famous pianists and composers who ever lived, and he was a resident of the hotel for 20 years. We were also home to Renata Tebaldi, one of the most famous Metropolitan Opera singers, as well as to artists Marc Chagall and Georgia O’Keefe. The list goes on, but I have yet to see another hotel anywhere in the U.S. that has had more significant names in the artistic community living there.

In transforming the hotel, we wanted to honor this artistic heritage in a way that would be meaningful for today’s travelers. We created the Quin Arts program to be an innovative platform that could offer guests touchpoints at multiple levels.

We hired an art curator when we first opened the hotel and he led a program that includes artist salons, exhibitions, lectures, musical performances, and more. This initiative extends to a substantial permanent collection, as well as to stunning displays on the lobby’s 15-foot video art wall.

One of the most popular Quin Arts programs for our guests has been the artists-in-residence program. We’ve hosted artists including street artist Nick Walker, photo realist painter Eric Zener, and Blek le Rat, the “father of stencil graffiti.” They have created original works at and for the Quin, and hosted intimate artists’ salons that afforded guests the opportunity to meet world-renowned artists, and learn more about their creative process and inspiration.

The artist salon is the kickoff or the inaugural of that particular artist’s debut exhibit at the hotel, and typically, the exhibit may be up for a month and a half to two months.

This is the center point of the guest experience at the hotel, so we reach out to guests prior to their arrival to let them know about it. Many guests will incorporate it into their itineraries. We welcome from 40 to 50 guests each time we do an art exhibit at the hotel.

We also know that access to the arts and cultural life of New York is important to our guests, so we ensure that guests have “insider access” through our luxury attaché to nearby venues, from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center to specially curated events throughout the city.

It’s about providing genuine hospitality and embracing what is happening in New York City, and introducing people to certain artists that they wouldn’t necessarily see on their own.

We’re always trying to reimagine what today’s luxury traveler is really looking for.•