The famed chef and restaurateur José Andrés has long operated destination restaurants in hotels. Now he’s opening a hotel of his own.
The José Andrés Group (JAG) on Wednesday unveiled plans for a 67-room luxury hotel dubbed The Bazaar House in Washington, D.C.’s elite Georgetown neighborhood. It’s a partnership with property developer Thor Equities Group.
Slated to open in 2027, The Bazaar House will feature multiple food-and-beverage outlets, curated by the restaurant group, which operates more than 40 restaurants, bars and lounges under 20 brands, such as Jaleo, Zaytinya and The Bazaar by José Andrés. But a focal point of the new hotel will be a private, members-only club, called The Bazaar Club, in a penthouse with “breathtaking views of Georgetown,” according to a press release.
That may seem antithetical to Andrés’ long-held philosophy of creating “longer tables” (the name of one of his cookbooks and a podcast) to bring people together to change the world.
But Joe Sitt, chairman and CEO of Thor Equities Group, said in a statement that the private club is “designed to connect thought leaders and foster a sense of community.”
Andrés said he saw Washington, D.C. as a place to bring people together over food when he arrived in the U.S. 30 years ago, later founding JAG, which was formerly known as ThinkFoodGroup.
“It’s one of the beating hearts of our country, a place where I knew I could meet anyone and do anything, starting with a great meal,” he said in a statement. “Well, today I’m happy to start a new chapter with The Bazaar House in Georgetown, an amazing opportunity to welcome people to my city in an entirely new way.”
JAG CEO Sam Bakhshandehpour described it as a first hotel and private club for the group, implying more are planned.
JAG, of course, has a long history of operating within hotels, beginning with the first location of The Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in Los Angeles, then owned by SBE. Now JAG has restaurants in outlets like Agua Viva and San Laurel in the Conrad in Los Angeles; a Bazaar in the Waldorf-Astoria in Washington (formerly the Trump Hotel); and four concepts at the Ritz-Carlton New York NoMad.
In an interview last year, Bakhshandehpour said several more hotel projects were coming, including food-and-beverage for a new Andaz Brand hotel in Miami Beach, which was being developed by Hyatt Hotels. It’s scheduled to open later this year.
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