••• In an article about how the Four Seasons Hotel in New York City never reopened, despite chatter otherwise, the New York Post found out the reason for the bad blood between owner Ty Warner and the Four Seasons management company, who are also in a standoff over the Four Seasons Biltmore resort. “At issue is the fact that the hotel has been losing money for years—even before the pandemic struck, according to property records. Warner […] has balked at the stiff upkeep fees demanded by the Four Seasons, the sources said. In response, the hotel chain has rebuffed his request that it adjust its fees to be commensurate with the hotel’s profitability or lack thereof.” It gets increasingly hard to imagine that any management company will want to get in bed with Warner once this is all settled.
••• Noozhawk got to see UCSB’s Munger Hall mockup. And “environmental report for the estimated $1.4 billion project is nearing completion; if approved, construction could start as early as summer 2023.” And then there was this: “Students who toured the mock-up were surveyed by the university. Before viewing the facilities, 80% of students reported negative feelings towards Munger Hall, [retired UCSB executive vice chancellor Gene] Lucas said. After touring the mock-up, 50% of students felt positive toward the plans, 25% felt neutral and 25% were still unsure.” So that means not one person felt anything negative? Or was that not even an option on the survey?
••• SFGate looks at why change is so hard to effect in Solvang—i.e., the old-guard “Danish mafia” that likes things exactly as they are.
••• “10 candidates for five seats in two local school districts shared their views Monday night about literacy, sex ed, pandemic learning loss and a host of other issues facing public education. A partnership of community groups […] sponsored a campaign forum featuring competitors for both the Goleta Union and Santa Barbara Unified district boards of educations.” —Newsmakers
••• “After vetoing similar legislation a year ago, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that no longer criminalizes jaywalking. […] The new law stipulates that a jaywalking offense will be only be enforced when there is ‘an immediate danger of a collision.'” —KSBY
••• Dirt identified Larry David as the recent buyer of a house in the Hedgerow.
••• From a Goleta press release on Noozhawk: “A public hearing on the San Jose Creek Bike Path Project will be held at 4 p.m. [today]. The project has reached the end of the environmental review phase and staff will be returning with additional information regarding impact to trees in the project area and the overall cost of the project.”
················
Sign up for the Siteline email newsletter and you’ll never miss a post.
Ty Warner doesn’t need another management company as he has his own- that’s why he’s sitting with his properties “under construction” (where per contract they do not have to be open) until his FS contract runs out.
I suspect that managing a property the size of the Biltmore, the Four Seasons New York, or Las Ventanas al Paraiso (Rosewood) is a much more complex endeavor than managing the 38-room San Ysidro Ranch (which is why he doesn’t hire someone to oversee it). He’s letting the two Four Seasons sit unused because he’d rather lose money than pride.
He has many more enterprises apart from the SYR- Montecito Club and Sandpiper to name only a few in SB. After the fires/mudslides several years ago (and him compensating most employees for 6 months+ from each property effected) it seems likely he has insurance that will compensate him in the event of a closure for any reason now.
No doesn’t have his own. The hotel management business is very complex and margins are razor thin requiring attention to detail. He is an accidental billionaire and does not have to play by normal rules like economics. The little people? What of them as they mean nothing to a sociopath like Mr. Warner.
For having work as a CFO in a leading luxury hotel group, margin are not thin.
As an employee of the property who is currently “on leave” during Ty’s selfish stand off- I am curious whether the public thinks Ty or FS is responsible for paying us our severance.
Let’s not forget who owns the Four Seasons Hotel chain – Bill Gates and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal…I think they can cough up the severance the Biltmore employees deserve!
Severance pay under most management contract would be the owner responsibility. At 4S, only the GM’ is likely to be employed by the management company.
But BG and AWBT could indeed afford it if they wanted to!
OK
So WHEN will the Biltmore finally reopen?
The property will reopen when Warner and the Four Seasons come to an agreement or their contract runs out and Warner brings on a new management company (or goes independent).
Regarding Ty Warner, this town really needs a shrink who specializes is money hoarding tendencies. I always imagine him in a house stuffed to the rafters with worthless things, steeped in paranoia and muttering to himself about how everyone’s out to get him. Get thee to a psychiatrist, sir!