The 5 Best Quotes From Hotelier Andre Balazs’ T Magazine Profile

The New York Times‘ Sunday glossy T profiles hotelier Andre Balazs this week. Balazs, who created the Standard brand and has one of the best eyes for design in the industry, also has some of the better quotes in the industry, sounding more like a fashion designer than a stodgy hotel operator.

While we recommend that you read the story in full over at the Times, we couldn’t help but share our favorite quotes:

• “I get very, very, very sad in places that aren’t right”
• “I’ve been to places where I cry if it’s physically ugly.”
• “We make our own Ping-Pong tables, did you know that?”
• “Nuance gives me great pleasure.”
• “It’s all real-estate based entertainment, in a way.”

Balazs knows entertainment and he knows how to please a fickle constituency that has continued to patronize his standalone properties such as the Chateau Marmont and Standard hotels in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami long past the sell-by date that often dooms design hotels.

In September Balazs announced that he would be selling off his properties but maintaining control of their operations via the newly formed Standard International. We hope he also maintains his penchant for entertaining interviews, too.