Interstate Hotels & Resorts has launched a division
called Intrigue Hotels & Resorts to oversee "independent and
soft-branded properties including urban boutique hotels, upscale restaurants,
spa retreats and international properties."
The division will feature a centralized reservation system,
a national sales team and a procurement program to allow the hotels to cut
costs via economies of scale. The division will be overseen by Brian Sparacino,
who has worked for Marriott, Starwood and Trump Hotels.
Interstate didn't say which of its managed hotels would be
part of the new group, though it did say it would draw upon experience managing
properties such as New York's Nomo SoHo, Boston's Charles Hotel, and the Erwin
in Los Angeles' Venice Beach neighborhood. The division's management will be in
New York and Arlington, Va.