The Wall Street Journal
By Craig Carmin
Real-estate investor and hotelier Barry Sternlicht, known for sleek, design-oriented lodging brands like W Hotels and the Baccarat Hotel, is launching a new hotel chain to celebrate the great outdoors.
Field & Stream Lodge Co. will operate hotels around national parks, woods, ski mountains, lakes and desert land across the U.S. It is aimed at families and outdoor enthusiasts, Mr. Sternlicht said. His real-estate firm sold the outdoor-recreation retailer of the same name in 2014 but retained the company’s lodging rights.
Mr. Sternlicht and his partner on the project, Ben Weprin, CEO of real-estate investment manager AJ Capital Partners, say they are targeting 125 U.S. markets, including the Snake River Canyon area in Idaho; Joshua Tree, Calif.; Lake Placid, N.Y., and even some more urban areas.
“We think it’s here to stay,” said Mr. Weprin, who also founded the college-town lodging brand Graduate Hotels, which has 33 properties.