sbe

Brent Bolthouse Bolts SBE

Filed under: Events

The Los Angeles nightclub scene got a major shakeup this weeks with the news that nightlife impresario Brent Bolthouse has split from Sam Nazarian's SBE Entertainment Group. SBE is behind the Katsuya restaurants, the SLS Hotel, the Abbey and more. SBE bought half of Bolthouse's production business in 2005. Known on the LA club scene for years, Bolthouse came to national prominence as Heidi Montag's former employer on the MTV show "The Hills." StyleSection LA reports that Bolthouse and business partner Jenifer Rosero will continue to operate Bolthouse Productions as an independent entity continuing to produce events for their many prestigious clients.

And in a related real estate update, Sam Nazarian's gorgeous Los Angeles lair which was listed at $18.5 million appears to have been pulled off the market.

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Tags: brent bolthouse, BrentBolthouse, sam nazarian, SamNazarian, sbe

Chef Michael Mina Opens XIV in Los Angeles

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

In the latest of Sam Nazarian's ventures, acclaimed chef Michael Mina -- whose San Francisco restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars -- will helm a new L.A. chateau-style restaurant called XIV. The name is an attempt to capture the opulence of Louis's bygone days, though the monarchical reference isn't lost on me, nor the exceptionally long reign of influence.

As of today, you can make reservations at the Phillipe Starck-designed home of Modern American cuisine on Sunset Blvd.

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Tags: louis xiv, LouisXiv, michael mina, MichaelMina, sam nazarian, SamNazarian, sbe, xiv

Starck Joins New Hotel Brand

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

New hotel chains are popping up as fast as condo projects lately. Philippe Starck, the ubiquitous designer who is no stranger to hotel design, has been selected by SBE Hotel Group to create the look for a new unnamed hotel brand. SBE is owned by Los Angeles club god Sam Nazarian and the first property will be on the site of the Le Meridien in Beverly Hills which is set to open in 2008.

SBE managed to tied Starck down to a 15-year exclusive deal (so much for his claim in an interview last year that he'd be retiring in three years). The new boutique brand will be hitting all the hot spots including New York, Miami and the Caribbean but instead of creating new hotels, these will all be conversions. Starck will also remodel the Ritz Plaza in Miami but it will not be part of the new brand. He will also design restaurants and lounges including a new Brentwood restaurant set to launch in May.

SBE seems to have learned from the drama involving the Roosevelt hotel and Amanda Scheer Demme, who blocked hotel guests from her exclusive clubs. In an article in Travel Weekly, Michael Doneff, SBE Entertainment Group’s vice president of marketing promises that "if you stay at our hotels, you will have preferred access to our nightclubs.” It's a smart move to make the guests feel like they pare part of an exclusive group rather than feeling alienated in their own hotel.

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Tags: boutique hotels, hotels, le meridien, philippe starck, PhilippeStarck, Ritz plaza, RitzPlaza, sam nazarian, sbe, starck, travel