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Alan Firstman, Founder and CEO of Montage, said:
Last week, we announced the 2024 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards.click here View the list of winners.
Running a 5-star Forbes Travel Guide hotel is like choreographing a world-class ballet. Teams must demonstrate grace and fluidity, even when performing difficult tasks. Actions must always be precise and everyone must move in unison. If one person is off, the entire production will be uneven.
Alan Firstman may not be a pirouette, but as founder and CEO of Montage International, he moves like a master ballerino on the hospitality stage. Furstmann’s company was founded in 2002, and Montage His Laguna and His Beach debuted the following year. Since then, the company has expanded its luxury portfolio to seven of his Montage properties, each outstanding in its own way. Montage Big Sky, which opened in 2021, achieved five-star honors this year, making it the only hotel brand in the world to have all of its properties bear his five-star plaque. This honor is a testament to both Mr. Furstmann’s vision and the ability of each address to precisely meet its goals every day.
Late dance icon Gregory Hines once said: “One of the things about working on stage, and in fact, working in show business, is that it’s a very collaborative endeavor.” As you can see in the following interview, in 2014 Fürstmann, who co-founded the Pendry Hotels brand, wholeheartedly agrees. Whether it’s a stage or a luxury stay, it’s the team that makes everything work.
Montage Big Sky receives its first top rating.
Congratulations on your amazing star rated performance on Montage. If you could point to a few things that stand out to you as to why your brand has been doing so well, what would they be?
Montage has an amazing focus on learning and training. We value the relationships we build with our guests. And the great performance of our employees every day is also amazing. But it actually starts with how you hire, how you coach, and how you train. What has propelled the brand is ongoing training and an ongoing passion for customer service.
When the idea for Montage came up more than 20 years ago, what was it that you were trying to fill in the space of a luxury hotel?
More than 20 years ago, my perception of traditional Old World luxury was that it was too stuffy and too pretentious. [I believed] The next generation of luxury travelers will want a more respectful and humble approach to luxury. So we built that into our philosophy of how we deliver our services. It is largely unscripted, highly personalized, and has a clear focus on creating memories and experiences that connect the guest with the hotel or resort.
How has this new generation of travelers changed compared to travelers just 10-20 years ago?
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen more and more multigenerational travel. Therefore, there are families traveling with different interests. But what unites them is their desire to spend quality time together. I think that’s really important.
We believe we have a great responsibility in curating the guest experience.Is that what you’re doing with Paintbox? [Montage’s children’s program] I think that’s really important, both for our younger guests and for some of the programs we do in local markets. I think our guests are looking for a true sense and spirit of a place. It’s the little things like ukulele lessons and lei making on Maui that really touch our guests. [coastal South Carolina’s] Palmetto Bluff, you may be experiencing a shooting club for the first time. Being able to experience the things of a place goes a long way in satisfying guests’ desire to experience a place in an unconventional and unique way.
Lowland luxury.
It’s funny that you say “multi-generational travel” because three generations of my family will be traveling to Montage Palmetto Bluff soon.
that’s right. The key is to program the hotel or resort for its guests. Because we know our guests are coming and we know what they’re going to do generation after generation. That’s very important. This will help generate interest and excitement for all your visitors.
Outside of COVID-19, what’s the biggest hill you’ve had to climb to make Montage what it is today?
Well, there was a huge economic crisis in 2008, 2009 and 2010 that understandably threw the industry into some turmoil. After that, I made a wonderful recovery.
I think the biggest challenge is being able to scale and transfer the magic from one hotel to another as we grow. We leverage the incredibly talented people within our organization to make that happen. The task force we provide supports the opening of new hotels. We hire some superstar employees from one hotel to help us introduce new hotels and new markets. Additionally, some of our employees start in specific positions and have gone through numerous promotions. This is a combination of talent that was coached from within and talent that was able to be recruited from outside. The combination of both provides a level of service that we are proud of.
View from the suite at Montage Los Cabos.
Speaking of new markets, where will Montage go next?
There is tremendous growth ahead of us. We are building in the Bahamas and will be opening a private island called Montage Cay. It is scheduled to open next year. I’m very excited about that. We are currently developing Montage Resort in Punta Mita, near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. There are phenomenal projects out there.
And our brand has seen tremendous growth as well. Because of the experience we have provided to consumers and investors, we are seeing significant interest and demand for our hotels and resorts.
When you’re not meeting with investors or doing interviews, what do you do to relax?
We have five small grandchildren. They are my pride and joy. They keep me active and busy. We love spending time doing that. we love traveling. I’m very interested in all kinds of sports and music, whether it’s golf or tennis. I have quite diverse interests.
In terms of travel outside of work, where would you like to go this year?
Ironically, most of our travels are in pursuit of Montage and Pendry’s amazing destinations. Therefore, we tend to combine our travels to explore opportunities and enjoy the places we go. We really enjoy going to Europe. I’d like to go to Australia and New Zealand within the next year or so.
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