Corinthia’s ambitious growth plans include first U.S. hotel

Note: This story first appeared in Travel Weekly

NEW YORK -- London-based luxury hospitality group Corinthia Hotels has made its move into the North American market with its first U.S. hotel.

The newly renovated Surrey hotel on New York’s Upper East Side, which dates back to 1926, reopened in late October as The Surrey, a Corinthia Hotel.

Simon Casson, who took the helm as Corinthia CEO in April after more than three decades at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, acknowledged that the move is a significant milestone for the brand.

“There’s immense brand value to opening [in New York] for a company like ours, which is quite small,” said Casson.

Since its founding in 1968, Corinthia Hotels has maintained a foothold across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, aiming to differentiate itself by capturing the appeal of a “boutique establishment combined with the grandeur of a grande dame.”

It currently operates eight hotels that are flagged under the Corinthia brand.

According to Casson, the Surrey project comes as Corinthia Hotels aims to “elevate and grow” its brand.

Casson said the company is “going through an evaluation process” with existing hotels to determine investments needed for each property to better align with Corinthia's luxury standards. For example, at the Corinthia Budapest, the company is in the early stages of exploring a “product improvement package” to elevate the guest experience.

The group is entering a period of relatively aggressive expansion. It plans to open a hotel in Brussels by the end of this month and another in Bucharest, Romania, by March. The debut of a Rome location slated to follow next summer.

Additional projects are under development in Doha, Qatar, where plans call for a hotel, golf course, yacht club, beach club and private residences, as well as the Maldives and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Corinthia is also in discussions with potential partners across China, Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East, Europe and additional U.S. markets, including Miami and Los Angeles.

Over the next 10 years, it hopes to expand to a portfolio of 30 hotels and resorts, according to Casson.

The Surrey’s rebirth

For now, however, Corinthia Hotels remains focused on successfully ramping up The Surrey, which is in the midst of a phased opening, with about 50% of its rooms in operation.

The 16-story hotel, located near the corner of East 76th Street and Madison Avenue, has a total of 70 guestrooms, 30 suites and 14 private residences. Along with fully refreshed interiors, the building is now home to a New York outpost of the restaurant concept and members’ club Casa Tua as well as The Surrey Spa, developed in partnership with French skincare and beauty brand Sisley Paris. An all-day lobby lounge, known as the Lounge by Casa Tua, is also open, serving coffee, cocktails and light bites.

Casson describes The Surrey’s rebirth as a “love letter” to the Big Apple. A tour of the property revealed how it celebrates its New York roots throughout, from a curated collection of local artists’ works to four signature suites that draw design inspiration from Central Park’s bridges.

According to a Corinthia Hotels spokesperson, entry level rates at the property start at around $1,200 per night. And according to Casson, the members’ only club has already sold a sizable number of memberships.

“We’re still allowing the hotel to get its rhythm,” Casson said. “But [we’ve seen] a fairly rapid pace of pick-up.”