SEA CHANGE
Beloved local eater y Serafina takes on an ambitious expansion with its first hotel, debuting in the Caribbean this spring
WHEN restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, cofounder of upscale Manhattan pizzeria Serafina, decided to open a new international outpost, he considered the kitchen . . . then added an additional 96 rooms. With the upcoming opening of Serafina Beach Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the Italian eatery is the latest in a growing list of brands attempting to break into a business long dominated by the Hiltons and Marriotts of the world.
While the hotel was originally slated to open in November 2017, devastating Hurricane Maria pushed its debut to the spring of 2018 (from $225/night in low season and $345/night in high season).
Over 22 years, Serafina has grown from a single Upper East Side location to a largescale operation. From Tokyo to Dubai to the Hamptons, the brand now operates 30 restaurants around the world, proving it has the right sauce to succeed. But Assaf says he longed to do more.
“We tried to create a hotel that would target the New Yorker as our customer. They are used to a certain level of quality and service,” he adds. Assaf was drawn to Puerto Rico for its yearround perfect weather and proximity to New York. A beachfront hotel was the natural next step. Assaf and team picked the Condado district, a 10-minute drive east of Old San Juan and a mere 15-minute ride from the airport.
And though Mother Nature threw a wrench in its execution, would-be hoteliers concede hospitality is already a tough market to crack. “It’s a challenging space to break into,” explains Lisa Zandee, a marketing advisor who has spent years launching and building brands including the W, James and 1 Hotels. “When a guest stays at a hotel — versus when she shops in a retail space or dines at a restaurant — the journey is different,” Zandee explains. “Customers have a different way to judge and assess the brand in a more intimate setting. [It] needs to transform into a 24/7 service brand. It takes a very thoughtful approach.”
Given its formidable res- taurant background, Serafina is ahead of the game. “In the hotel world, how you set up your food and beverage is very key to a successful property or brand. It takes a certain skill set and certain experience,” says Zandee. To create a space that exemplifies the trendy ethos at the Serafina outposts around the world, Assaf brought in Puerto Rico-based architecture firm Lefranc & Alemañy to design the property, while New Yorkbased studio iCRAVE led the project team and design vision.
There were challenges translating Serafina into a destination. “A restaurant is a great space to spend time for a few hours, but when you’re moving into a long-term space, you need a more residential approach,” iCrave’s design director Jesse MacDougall says. “You need to articulate and appoint the spaces with the level of elegance you would want in your home.” To that end, MacDougall built the ground floor around a dedicated dining space, a restaurant called aMare that evokes the Italian Riviera. Meanwhile, the expansive lobby and buzzy pool deck offer plenty of space to gather and enjoy a convivial cocktail-party vibe. The emphasis on socializing extends throughout the property. “Serafina’s spirit is fresh, hip, modern and unpretentious but at the same time chic and cool,” architect Salvador Alemañy says. “And the architecture needed to reflect that.” He points to elements like the infinity pool and raised outdoor deck (which has cabanas for rent), the restaurant’s terrace and the floorto-ceiling frameless windows that ensure all guest rooms have full water views.
Assaf is confident that once he builds it, they will come. “We have thousands and thousands of people a day in our restaurants in New York,” he says. “People love Serafina.”
And though he admits there will be challenges beyond just post-hurricane repairs, he is optimistic about the country’s enduring appeal as a getaway for New Yorkers. “Puerto Rico has perfect weather. It’s never humid, it’s never too hot,” he says. “It’s a natural fit.”