Meeting... Avi Brosh

After planting flags in Santa Barbara and Portland, the founder and creative force behind Palisociety talks about having an integrated approach, independent spirit and eclectic style.

Words: Ben Thomas

We don’t get a chance to walk around in the rain very often,” says the evercharismatic Avi Brosh as he dials in from the sunny shores of Los Angeles. “I cannot remember the last time it rained, perhaps over a year ago!” Having grown up in New Jersey, where he was accustomed to four regular seasons every year, the man behind Palisociety – a collection of neighbourhood-centric hotels and residences across North America – took some time to adjust to the Californian climate after swapping the East Coast for the West following his years of study at Boston University.

Despite the unfamiliar territory, Brosh quickly got to work, establishing his own real estate development company, building a well-rounded portfolio of residential projects that not only looked good but performed well from a financial standpoint. There was, however, a gap in the market that Brosh was keen to plug. “I saw the need in Los Angeles for more of a New York-style hotel,” he explains. “The city had plenty of variety, but there was nothing with an understated, almost upscale bohemian vibe.”

A development soon came along that would prove difficult to convert into residential accommodation but, serendipitously, possessed all the nuances Brosh was looking for from his first hotel. And with that, Palihouse was born, debuting in West Hollywood at the beginning of 2008. “I didn’t really understand the challenges involved in opening hotels because it’s a totally different ball game to real estate,” he admits. “But ignorance is bliss, so I just went for it. Thankfully the hotel gods were with me and people responded well, coming to stay in the rooms but also frequenting the restaurant and bar.”

Since then, Palisociety has grown into a fully integrated hospitality enterprise that owns, develops, designs and operates all of its properties, with Brosh spearheading the innovation, creative direction and operational strategies alongside his trusted crew. “Our strategy focuses on providing economies of scale to smaller-keyed hotels through an institutional-quality management and centralised services platform,” notes Brosh. “We take a highly customised approach to programming, branding, design and operational planning for each site under four distinct monikers: Palihouse, Palihotel, Arrive by Palisociety and an assortment of independently branded properties.”

The group is very much a family business; Brosh’s wife Kirsten is Principal of Hotels & Branding, while son Archer works in both operations and design, and daughter Elle often spends time in the kitchen with the group’s Executive Chef William Marquardt. “When you take a family-style innkeeper sensibility to a big business, it’s infectious,” Brosh enthuses. “The ethos permeates everything we do, from the type of projects to the way that we design and run our sites. And on a personal level, sharing it all with the people closest to me is one of the joys of my life.”

This tight-knit team, coupled with Palisociety’s fully integrated approach, ensures control not only over the tone

Set in the heart of the Presidio Neighbourhood, Palihouse Santa Barbara is a coastal hideaway with 24 guestrooms, a Mediterraneanstyle courtyard and a cocktail bar

and aesthetic of its entire portfolio but also the budget and timeline from concept to completion, something that Brosh believes stems from his background as a developer. “Those disciplines were heavily ingrained in my mind before I got into the hotel business, so now it’s about trying to create a fluid process; when you’re working on smaller properties – typically of around 60 rooms – a single mistake can be detrimental to its entire performance.”

As such, he reiterates that Palisociety’s business model is somewhat proprietor-driven, with his own sensibilities woven into every aspect of the process, whether that be scouting a new location, designing interior spaces or even communicating with partners in the outside world. “My fingerprints are deeply ensconced in all of it,” Brosh confirms, before paying tribute to the group’s design studio for championing his idiosyncrasies. “I’m autocratic in certain areas but there’s now a trust within the team that allows our properties to breathe a little more than perhaps they did in the early days.”

And breathe they do, channelling an unapologetically eclectic style that is unfussy and down-to-earth. No two hotels are alike either, with each – from Palihouses in Miami Beach and Santa Monica, distinguished by their cosy studio suites, to more traditional Palihotels in Seattle and San Francisco – featuring a bespoke aesthetic that sees everything from wallpaper to tableware play its part.

Brosh goes on to explain that part of creating this independent spirit involves being realistic about the confines of the structure, before weaving together a narrative that takes in the history of the building and those who have frequented it over the years. “I take a time capsule kind of approach, designing with a respect for the past while making it current. And of course, the story needs to reflect what’s going on in that neighbourhood. A hotel in Seattle, for instance, will be completely different to one in Florida because of its location, but fundamentally the tone is going to be the same and certain aspects of the design will permeate through to make sure it’s on brand.”

Placemaking is a skill that Brosh has honed during his career, with art curation contributing to its evolution, though he admits his selections tend to be impulsive. “I am not a classically trained designer, nor did I study art in college or anywhere along the line,” he confesses. “I approach things in more of a pedestrian way; if I walked into a flea market or vintage store, I might like the $125 portrait over a Picasso sitting right next to it, as I would have no idea it was a Picasso! But I like doing things that way because it’s more authentic.”

Fittingly, art is infused into Palihouse’s latest Californian bolthole, which sits at the heart of the Presidio Neighbourhood in Santa Barbara. Originally constructed in 1920 as a School of Arts, the Spanish Colonial-inspired complex has been transformed into a coastal hideaway that radiates the group’s playful style and boutique sensibility, with Brosh and the in-house studio dreaming up an aesthetic storyline that blends “vintage preppy” with the “American Riviera” tag for which the city is often dubbed. Charm is found in abundance, from an intimate reception area that opens onto an airy lobby lounge with adjacent cocktail bar, to a Mediterranean-style courtyard and garden café that Brosh hopes will become a neighbourhood hub for the surrounding community. Equally homely are the 24 guestrooms, which tip their hat to the building’s past by way of restored fireplaces and original stone tiles underfoot.

Channelling a clear sense of place was the goal at Hotel Grand Stark too, which opened across the river from Portland’s downtown core this Spring. For its second venture in the Pacific Northwest – following the 96-key Palihotel Seattle opposite Pike Place Market and the Elliott Bay waterfront – the group opted to move away from its tendency to design everything inhouse, partnering with native firms North 45 Projects on the common areas and Submarine Hospitality for the F&B programme, comprising two distinct culinary concepts geared towards locals to the same degree as guests.

Though Brosh handed over some of the creative reins, the 57-room boutique retains many of the hallmarks of Palisociety’s signature style, starting with paying homage to the fourstorey structure’s previous life as a furniture showroom through its store-front façade.

Inside, guests are greeted by a galleryinspired lobby that showcases the work of local artists and makers. Lined with modernist archways, original hardwood floors and whitewashed walls, the space houses lounge-style furniture such as wooden side tables and leather chairs, with a central skylight adding natural illumination. To the right of the lobby, a dark green reception desk sits before a wall of Breccia Pernice terracotta marble, behind which is a Study Hall that can be used as a communal workspace, meeting venue or private dining room. And to the left, Submarine Hospitality’s Grand Stark Deli is a casual space with counter service and café-style seating, while Bar Chamberlain reimagines the classic watering hole with brick floors and plush banquettes.

“When you take a family-style innkeeper sensibility to a big business, it’s infectious. That ethos permeates everything we do, from the type of projects to the way that we design and run our sites.”

At Hotel Grand Stark in Portland, guests are greeted by a dark green desk that sits before a wall of Breccia Pernice terracotta marble

To avoid a stark contrast with the ground level, Palisociety layered the guestrooms with a mix of millwork, textiles and patterns, which are offset by light blue walls and a fusion of florals and tartan.

“We have to be very careful about the way we approach the design of each and every project,” says Brosh, adding that when collaborating with external partners, there should be a mutual appreciation between those involved as to exactly what the hotel represents. “After all, our guests want to be inspired, surprised and enamoured by what we’re bringing to the table.”

Despite the challenges facing the hospitality industry, Brosh also took the decision to broaden his company’s horizons during the pandemic, acquiring Arrive Hotels & Restaurants earlier this year to build a presence in tertiary markets across North America. With four locations already under its belt – Austin, Memphis, Wilmington and Palm Springs – and another two in planning, Arrive by Palisociety will share the same DNA as the wider collection, championing lowkey luxury that is tailored to its destination. “When there’s a crisis, people tend to come together,” Brosh reflects. “For us, that led to striking up conversations with the folks that had developed Arrive. We were then fortunate enough to acquire the company and get the hotels on a sound footing very quickly.”

Having witnessed early success with Arrive by Palisociety, as well as the new outposts in Santa Barbara and Portland, Brosh is turning his attention to growing the portfolio further, with seven hotels in the pipeline for the next two years, including sites in Hollywood, San Diego and New Orleans. “Now that we’ve got a great corporate team, it allows me to dive deeper into the placemaking components and try new things, customising the properties even more than we have done before,” he explains.

And though there’s been talk of expanding beyond the States, Brosh is cautious to put a date on the group’s international debut as things stand: “We’re looking forward to doing something outside of the US, but I’m not sure what that quite looks like yet,” he concludes. “We now have four distinct brands that we’re able to deploy in different markets, so I’d like to think it will be on the cards for us very soon.” You heard it here first.