Montage International was founded in January 2002 by Alan Fuerstman. The first major acquisition by Montage occurred in June 2002 when the company partnered with the Athens Group to purchase a development that was then known as the Laguna Beach Colony. The deal was worth $190 million, which was the highest per-room price for a hotel in the United States that year. Montage Laguna Beach was opened in 2003 and became the first hotel to bear the Montage brand. In March 2005, Montage won a municipal election that allowed them to build a new luxury hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills. Montage Beverly Hills was eventually opened in 2008. Two years later, Montage opened its third resort, Montage Deer Valley in Park City, Utah. Ohana Real Estate Investors — which was created by the founder and chairman of eBay, Pierre Omidyar—provided investment backing for and ownership interest in several Montage Hotels properties, including Laguna Beach, Beverly Hills, and Deer Valley. In August 2013, Montage Hotels & Resorts expanded their portfolio to Hawaii and took over management of the Kapalua Bay property and officially became "Montage Kapalua Bay." In 2014, Montage acquired management rights to the Inn at Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina. In October 2014, the company launched a new lifestyle brand called Pendry Hotels. Pendry Hotels is led by Michael Fuerstman and opened their first Pendry in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter in February 2017. Construction crews officially broke ground on the hotel on October 8, 2014. In January 2015, Montage Laguna Beach was sold by Ohana Real Estate Investors to Strategic Hotels & Resorts for $360 million, which is currently the state record for the highest per-room price. Montage Hotels & Resorts continues to manage the hotel. In early 2015, Montage Hotels announced plans for their first internationalresort hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico on the Santa Maria Bay.
Properties
Montage Hotels currently manages five hotels in the United States with plans for one in Los Cabos, Mexico and Pendry Hotels. Each of the hotels also contain a luxury spa called "Spa Montage." Spa Montage Laguna Beach received the first ever 5 Star Spa award.
Montage Laguna Beach
Montage Laguna Beach is the flagship hotel of the Montage Hotels & Resorts brand. The hotel is built in the Craftsman style and is located directly adjacent to the Pacific Ocean and just south of downtown of Laguna Beach. It contains 250 rooms, 60 of which are suites, 37 beach bungalows, and Montage branded residences. It's built on 30 acres and incorporates artwork from William Wendt and Edgar Alwin Payne. Montage Laguna Beach has been in operation since 2003. Montage Laguna Beach was purchased by a Chicago real estate investment trust in 2015 for $360 million. It changed ownership again later in 2015 when the REIT was purchased by The Blackstone Group for $6 billion.
Montage Beverly Hills
Opened in 2008, Montage Beverly Hills is built in a Spanish Colonial Revival style and is located in the "Golden Triangle" district in Beverly Hills. The resort contains 201 guestrooms with restaurants, a spa, a ballroom, and library. The hotel contains 55 suites and Montage branded residences.
Montage Deer Valley
Montage Deer Valley was opened in 2010 in Park City, Utah. It contains 154 guest rooms, 66 suites and 81 Montage branded residences. The resort contains indoor and outdoor meeting spaces, a ski shop, Compass Sports, a spa, a bowling alley, and four restaurants.
Montage Kapalua Bay
Montage took over management duties at the Kapalua Bay resort in 2013. Montage expanded the resort's square footage, adding a suite-only hotel with 50 units and 56 Montage branded residencies. The resort's rebrand and remodel cost an estimated $15 million, and Montage Kapalua Bay was officially opened in June 2014. The resort contains a spa beach access near Kapalua Bay, and a Pegge Hopper art collection.
Montage Palmetto Bluff
Montage Palmetto Bluff came under the management of Montage Hotels in 2014. Montage spearheaded a renovation that included plans to introduce 150 new luxury rooms in addition to the already existent 50 cottages. Montage also introduced a new spa, fitness center, and dining accommodations. Montage Palmetto Bluff is located in Bluffton, South Carolina on the banks of the May River.
Planned
Montage has two upcoming hotels, two of which will operate under the Pendry Hotels branding. Pendry San Diego is set to open in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter in late 2016. Sagamore Pendry Baltimore is set to open in Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood in early 2017. It will be the first of its east coast hotels under the brand. Montage also built a resort in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Recognition and awards
The properties of Montage Hotels & Resorts have received numerous awards and accolades since the Montage brand debuted in 2003. Montage Laguna Beach has been honored by Andrew Harper Travels and Travel + Leisure. The flagship also received a five-star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide along with its spa and restaurant. The Condé Nast Traveler gave Montage Laguna Beach a "Gold" rank on its list of the World's Best Places to Stay. The magazine's Reader's Choice Awards have named the Laguna Beach property the best place to stay in Southern California, and the resort has also earned a AAA Five Diamond Award. The Montage Deer Valley resort was named the 17th best luxury hotel in the United States and received the AAA Five Diamond Award in 2015. All five properties were recognized by Condé Nast Traveler in 2015 with reader choice awards for The Best Hotels & Resorts in the World.
