CEO Interview: The Future of Boutique Hotels Is to Go Big

Sitting in one of the bar spaces at the newly opened Freehand New York, Andrew Zobler, the founder and CEO of the Sydell Group, asks, "Do I look tired?" I'd just asked Zobler how he felt about opening three new hotels in just four weeks, and truth be told, he had reason to be tired. "This is really not recommended," Zobler said of the timing of the hotel openings, which included the LINE DC, followed by the Freehand New York, and the NoMad Los Angeles, all of which opened in January. "It wasn't really intended that way. No one would sort of plan to open three hotels in a four-week period, but actually, now that we're over the hump, it feels really good." And now that those openings have been completed, Zobler is turning his attention toward his next big project for 2018: a 2,700-room joint venture with MGM Resorts in Las Vegas, called Park MGM, which also includes a 292-room NoMad hotel as a "resort within a resort." The NoMad Las Vegas is scheduled to open later this year, wh