Editors’ Note

Kanvar Singh has held his current post since September 2016. He began his career with the Dream Hotel Group as a front desk agent at The Time New York in 2002. He quickly rose to become one of the youngest GMs in the city at the Night Hotel in 2008. Under his leadership, The Night was voted “the sexiest hotel in America” by TripAdvisor and won service awards from Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Agoda. He then returned to The Time as General Manager in 2010, managing both The Time and Night properties for over a year. Singh is a graduate of Baruch College and of the General Managers Program from the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

Company Brief

Time Hotels (thetimehotels.com) are destinations for the creative set, for a new breed of traveler seeking progressively designed living spaces, interactive social areas, and dining that balances upscale refinement with touches of cool. The overall result is a unique sense of existence that isn’t readily apparent, but rather uncovered slowly as the clock’s hands move round and round. Their destination properties include The Time New York and The Time Nyack.

Would you provide an overview of Time Hotels and how you define the essence of the Time brand?

In this fast-paced world, time is the ultimate luxury. Our goal at Time Hotels is to both suspend time, as a boutique hideaway from the daily hustle and bustle, and save time with our thoughtful, tech-savvy design and bespoke hospitality.

Are there certain characteristics that each Time Hotel possesses or are the hotels customized to local communities?

Each Time property has a distinct personality curated from its environment. What brings Time together is our focus on design and moments of surprise for our guests. We combine the warmth and thoughtfulness of old-school service with the technological efficiency our modern consumer has come to enjoy.

StayNTouch mobile check-in allows our Guests Service Agents to perform a full check in, from swiping credit cards to making room keys, anywhere on site. No task is too small or too large for Amazon Alexa, located in each guest room. Alexa synchs with our maintenance software and concierge desk to provide speedy service for any request. Our Samsung Smart TVs allow our guests to surf the Internet, watch Netflix, or order in-room dining with the click of a button. At Time Nyack, Tesla charging stations make it easy to stay green.

Time currently has two properties, one in New York City and one in Nyack, New York. Would you highlight these two properties?

The Time New York is our flagship property. Designed by architecture guru David Rockwell, the 193 rooms feature a neutral color palette and natural materials that are interspersed with contemporary touches and high-design elements. Our lobby, an airy oasis where our guests can relax and unwind, features distinctive art pieces by up and coming artists including: “A Million Times 72,” by Humans Since 1982 – Directly behind the front desk, this installation is comprised of 72 independent clocks who’s hands move synchronistically to form abstract patterns, and each minute come together to reflect the updated time; “Random Flux,” by Marco Brambilla – A video art installation at the entrance of the hotel engages the guest with a dynamic display of New York City in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns; and various Pieces by Zack Seckler – With pieces located throughout the lobby, Seckler’s work depicts the surface of the earth through aerial abstract photography.

The Time Nyack, designed by the award-winning firm Glenn & Co. Architecture, is a converted factory building, then music studio. It has juxtaposed its original architectural features – soaring ceilings, exposed brick and pipe – with a rich color palette and whimsical details.

The Time Hotels also partners with luxury brands such as Maison Martin Margiela for bath robes and bath amenities, Frette for linens, Moroso for guest room chairs, and Equinox Fitness for a luxury gym and spa experience.

How do you describe the Time Hotels guest, and how broad is your target market?

With all of these unique amenities, The Time caters to high-end leisure travelers, families, and corporate guests looking for a bespoke experience and elevated service. Over the past year, since our renovation has been completed, we have dramatically increased our share of corporate accounts, particularly from the worlds of fashion, finance, technology, and entertainment. We project a continued growth in these types of accounts as we move forward.

You place a major emphasis on service standards. Would you discuss Time’s focus on employee training and providing personalized service?

I have received great support and guidance from Jay Stein, our CEO, and Rabinder Singh, our CFO, who give me the freedom to recruit managers from high-end luxury properties with a set focus on service. At the beginning of the renovation, we hired a new Director of Front Office who was tasked with raising the level of service at the hotel. She and I spent a lot of time finding the right people who fit with our concept and added value to the hospitality we were looking to provide.

We’ve created a Guest Relations Department whose sole job is to provide personalized hospitality to our guests. They reach out to our guests before their visits, greet them personally upon arrival, and continue to follow up with them throughout their stay and even after their departure.

It’s of paramount importance that our team is always on the same page when it comes to our guests. We make sure that we are always noting everything about a guest’s stay, from a particular wine that the guest has enjoyed to any challenge they may have faced. The more information we have, the better we can delight that particular guest.

For our employees, it’s important to recognize what people do well and celebrate that, as well as understand how each person can improve. Providing individualized coaching, in addition to setting clear standards, allows our team to consistently perform at a high-service level.

As you look to the future, are there key markets that you are focused on to grow the Time brand?

In the U.S., we are predominately focused on major cities and some secondary cities. We have had interest expressed in Miami, Dallas, Austin, Philadelphia, and Boston, to name a few. We have also been exploring the European market, as well as Central and South America.•