“I said, ‘Wow, this would be a collection of hotels, a collection of people coming together to do extraordinary things,” Fuerstman said.
He went to an art reference guide and found the word “montage,” which means, “artful compilation collection.” Time was tight because it was nearly time to announce the Laguna Beach project, the first hotel in the portfolio to open. Fuerstman had asked several firms to come up with a moniker for the young company, but wasn’t satisfied with the long list he received. Even within the destinations we want to be in, there is often just a small opportunity where Montage would be most suited,” he said. “We really don’t want to compromise on the quality with location. “We are looking in the Caribbean as well,” he added.įuerstman’s primary development concern is making sure that opportunities are consistent with the Montage brand. Projects are underway in Mexico’s resort destinations and there’s a Bahamas resort in the pipeline. “It’s a very strong hotel city and it would really help with our presence.” Other areas of interest include Washington, D.C., London, Paris and China. “New York is very important to us,” he said. New York City is on the top of Fuerstman’s radar, but he and his team are building a robust pipeline, focusing on major gateway cities in general, as well as resort areas that have markets that could achieve rates north of $500 a night.