NEW YORK CITY The estate of Ernest Hemingway is looking to partner with a hotel management company to launch a chain of boutique hotels using the famed author’s life as the theme.
As it is currently conceptualized, Hemingway Hotels and Resorts would be inspired by his life experiences, passion, infamous hunger for adventure and the sense of romance present in so many of his novels.
Marla Metzner, president of Fashion Licensing of America Inc., which holds the licensing rights to Hemingway’s estate, tells HOTELS that no two Hemingway hotels would be alike and that each would feature design aesthetics reflective of some aspect of his life. Examples could include specific locations where Hemingway spent time, such as Key West, Paris, Pamplona or Venice.
All hotels will have a library, of course. And Hemingway’s enduring image of masculinity—he is often considered an iconic “man’s man”—would also be reflected in the hotels’ branding.
The hotels would be in the upper-upscale segment, Metzner says. “The experience of the guest is what’s paramount, and it has to be delivered with wonderful amenities,” she says. “We see this as a 4.5-star hotel—it can’t be fancy-shmancy, because it’s Hemingway—but the experience will be 5-star.”