The property is undergoing an extensive revamp and will debut as the 295-room Pendry Newport Beach next year.ДЇor Fuerstman, who honed his hospitality chops at the Newport Beach Marriott from 1979 to 1984, the new hotel marks a return to Newport Beach.

Montage partnered with Eagle Four Partners in the deal the Newport Beach company acquired the former Fashion Island Hotel earlier this year for $144 million from Irvine Co. Next year, Montage plans to open three hotels, including the Pendry Newport Beach, the first property for the brand in Orange County. will open this summer, marking the portfolioвЂ™s 14th hotel.ДЄnother six hotels are in various stages of development. The newest hotel to open was the Pendry Park City in February. вЂњIвЂ™m so grateful to have their perspective-theyвЂ™re always honest, which is great for quality control,вЂќ he added jokingly. вЂњI didnвЂ™t push any of them into the company, they all joined on their own. вЂњI live and breathe hotels, and I have that same passion for my family as well,вЂќ Fuerstman said. After working for Legal Aid Society of Orange County, Heather joined Montage last year on the residential side of the business Jessica, who once worked as a pastry chef in MontageвЂ™s studio restaurant, now works with the communications team. вЂњThere are more markets that better support the Pendry brand,вЂќ Fuerstman said.ДЇuerstmanвЂ™s two daughters, Heather Fuerstman and Jessica Fuerstman Byrne, are also involved in the company. The six new hotels include two Montage resorts and four Pendry properties, a spinoff boutique brand that skews a bit younger in terms of market share.ДЇuerstmanвЂ™s son, Michael Fuerstman, heads that effort, which is expected to continue to grow at a faster clip than Montage in the coming years. вЂњWeвЂ™ve been extremely fortunate that our portfolio of hotels and resorts performed well over the past two years, and the market is now coming back stronger than before,вЂќ Fuerstman said. It also gave вЂњa much-needed breakвЂќ to parents.Д®xperience, and the established Montage brand led the team through the latest downturn, perhaps the most severe of them all. In 2020, he launched Montage Academy, a back-to-school program for resort guests that offered access to an all-day monitored study hall and educational programs for guests ages 6 to 17, including a range of afternoon elective activities from yoga to hiking, art to cooking and woodshop to conservation. He didnвЂ™t let the pandemic stop his plans or creativity. вЂњIt was the right resort at the right time, and we got off to an amazing start,вЂќ Fuerstman said.ДЇuerstman has now led Montage through three significant market downturns. An investment team led by Ohana Real Estate Investors-headed at the time by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar-acquired the site that would become MontageвЂ™s flagship property in Laguna Beach. ItвЂ™s the second time FuerstmanвЂ™s won a Business Journal award he picked up an Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award in 2002.ДЄfter several decades in the hospitality industry, Fuerstman set off to start his own hotel venture in the early 2000s-in the wake of 9/11-with the goal of creating a new brand that rethought the way guests perceived luxury. Montage International was one of five honored at the Business JournalвЂ™s 23rd Family-Owned Business Awards held on June 2 at the Irvine Marriott. вЂњItвЂ™s such a joy for me to see them as immersed in hotels as my children were at their age.вЂќ

вЂњI have four grandchildren, and they spend a lot of time at Montage Laguna Beach,вЂќ Fuerstman said. That vision now extends to several Fuerstman family members three of four children now count positions with the company. Much of the companyвЂ™s ongoing success is due to steadfast guidance from Fuerstman, who has kept the same vision for the firm since founding the company two decades ago. The companyвЂ™s flagship property, the 259-room Montage Laguna Beach, is fully staffed with 600 employees. Montage also seemed to fare better with another pervasive industry headwind: labor. вЂњThe strength of our brand and the strength of the markets weвЂ™re in has put us in a great position,вЂќ Montage founder and Chief Executive Alan Fuerstman told the Business Journal. The Laguna Beach-based hotel management firm nearly doubled its portfolio over the past 18 months to 13 hotels, from seven at the onset of the pandemic. That wasnвЂ™t the case for Montage International. The hospitality industry was amongst the hardest hit during the pandemic, with many operators shuttering their entire portfolio and pausing expansion plans that have yet to resume.

Montage hotel