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 Night Hotel in 2008. Under his leadership, Night was voted “the sexiest hotel in America” by TripAdvisor and won service awards from Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Agoda. Singh then returned to The Time as General Manager in 2010, managing both The Time and Night properties for more than a year.

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.

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

The Time Hotels is a 4.5-star, design-focused brand with a strong emphasis on personalized service. Our goal at The Time Hotels is to both suspend time, as a boutique oasis from the daily hustle and bustle, as well as save time, with our thoughtful, tech-savvy design and bespoke hospitality.

Where do you see opportunities for growth for the brand?

We have our eye on major cities in the United States like Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami. We also see opportunities for international growth in cities throughout Europe and Asia.

Will you discuss the strength of the suite offering at Time properties?

At The Time New York, we have a 2,000-square-foot Penthouse Suite which is the hotel’s largest and most expansive accommodation, spread over three floors, with 500 square feet of private terrace space. The first floor includes a living and dining area, featuring a gourmet kitchenette and customized wine list, as well as a large private terrace. The one-bedroom master sits on the second floor with Hudson River views, a sauna and a luxurious marble master bath. A third-floor sitting room, with a private terrace, tops off the Triplex Suite. The in-room amenities also include Italian Frette Linens, Argon bath amenities and Maison Margiela robes, rainfall showerhead, an oversized soaking tub, jewel box dressing room, work desk with USB ports, Siberian oak flooring, three Samsung Smart TVs with USB and HDMI connectivity, drawer safes, Bluetooth clock radio and custom blackout drapes.

At The Time Nyack our premium suites range from 550 square feet to 700 square feet. In a nod to the building’s industrial roots, The Time Nyack’s suites are eclectic yet chic, gritty yet graceful, and infused with loft-style aesthetic. The Balcony Suites have sweeping views of the Hudson River and Governor Mario Cuomo Bridge, while the Timeless Suites have luxurious clawfoot tubs. In-room accommodations include one king size bed and a pull-out sofa. Both suite categories feature soaring 11+ foot ceilings and include high-speed internet access, luxury linens, mini refrigerator, in-room safe, Keurig coffee and tea maker, 47-inch flat screen TV, work desk, Bluetooth radio alarm clock, lounge chair with ottoman, custom C.O. Bigelow bath amenities and phone with voicemail.

What are the keys to being successful in food and beverage for Time Hotels?

Our success in food and beverage at Time Hotels depends on the synergy between our hotels, restaurants and lounges. Strong communication is key. Service, quality of food and curated cocktails provide a unique high-end experience for our guests. We pride ourselves in having the same high-level style of service consistently across all venues.

Serafina, like The Time New York, was designed by award-winning architect and designer David Rockwell. Combined with Time Hotels’ elevated service and Serafina’s classic Northern Italian menu, the guest experience is taken to the next level.

LeGrande Lounge, also designed by David Rockwell, has specially curated cocktails from Liquid Labs, along with gourmet light bites from our chef. In addition to The Time’s signature service, lighting, music and scent are important for creating the right ambiance for our guests.

Our boutique coffeeshop, Goldfinch, proudly serves Stumptown coffee, along with custom pastries and snacks. Included in our daily facility fee, each of our guests receive two complimentary coffees each morning to start their day.

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

The typical Time Hotel guest is a well-seasoned sophisticated traveler in their 30s to 50s. Our target market ranges from large U.S. cities to international cities in Canada, France, the U.K. and Brazil.

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

Onboarding and training at Time Hotels is curated to each property. We provide extensive interdepartmental training for each of our employees. Cross-training across all departments allows our employees to better understand each department and what they do. They also learn how to work as a team to reach our common goals of exceeding guest expectations. Additionally, we like to empower our staff to make decisions on their own and encourage creative problem solving to provide superior personalized service. An important aspect of training to provide personalized service is to ask simple questions at the point of reservation to set the team up for success in wowing our guests.

What advice do you offer young people interested in a career in the hospitality industry?

Personally, my advice would be that hospitality has a lot of growth potential, and if you work hard and are patient you will succeed. The best thing you can do is expose yourself to as many different facets as possible – from operations to revenue to sales. Narrow down which field you want to get into and work towards that field. Once you decide which direction you’d like to take your career, then do some market research, network, find a mentor and expect to pay your dues.