Sage Hospitality Group
Sage Hospitality Group announced today the upcoming opening of its newest independent hotel, Catbird, in Denver’s ultra-desirable River North (RiNo) Art District. An industry-disrupting take on the extended stay hotel, Catbird injects new energy into the segment by bringing it into the independent lifestyle space.
Inspired by the feeling of home, Catbird blurs the lines between hotel and house through the use of adaptable spaces that foster a deeper sense of belonging for its guests and the community. The result is a hotel where opposing forces thrive together and inspiration is gathered from unlikely places, melding together to create unique experiences.
“We are thrilled to introduce Catbird to the world, which we believe to be our most innovative and out-of-the-box project yet,” said Walter Isenberg, president and CEO of Sage Hospitality Group. “At every level of our organization, the Sage team has worked tirelessly to bring this concept to life, and I believe Catbird is truly a differentiator for Sage and for the industry. There is no other hotel that offers the guest experience Catbird offers, and we look forward to bringing the concept to other key markets in the future.”
Catbird’s 165 guest rooms feature a patent-pending design, including truly unique lofted beds, custom-built multi-functional furniture and high-touch finishes. High-tech entertainment amenities include 4K Ultra HD Projectors that project onto custom screens that drop down in front of the large exterior windows, making the guest rooms the perfect space to binge the latest shows from top streaming services. Rooms emphasize the coveted comforts that people experience at home brought to life in a hotel, including full kitchens with functional high-end housewares, like the cult-favorite Always Pan from Our Place, and cooking essentials such as individually packaged, pre-measured spices from Occo. Each guest floor hosts complimentary laundry services as well as a water filling station that dispenses still and sparkling water.
Paying homage to the history of the neighborhood around it, Catbird encompasses a 2,500 square foot, four-bedroom historic home, originally built in 1890, which has been preserved as part of the hotel. The spacious home has been completely updated with high-design, high-touch amenities and décor making it a true home away from home for guests to reserve during their time in Denver, or for groups wishing to use it as a home for a social event space, retreat or special celebration.
Just like home – Catbird doesn’t skimp on the amenities. The hotel is home to Catbird Playroom – a gear locker stocked with bikes, skateboards, scooters, cameras and other items that are available for guests to borrow and use as they explore Denver. Amenities also include package delivery lockers and a guest storage area where repeat guests can leave often-used items, and there’s even a dog run for furry friends. For those who don’t want to break their workout routine, the hotel’s state-of-the-art fitness center features a full complement of Peloton bikes, treadmills, water rowing machines, cross trainers and free weights.
The rooftop at Catbird is the home to The Red Barber, a convivial bar retreat offering an unparalleled vantage point and 360-degree views of the junction of the city skyline and mountain vistas. The Red Barber redefines Denver’s backyard experience, boasting flexible, adaptable spaces including an event deck, amphitheater for live music and entertainment, lawn with unexpected life-sized yard games, hot tubs for Catbird hotel guests and more. A diverse, creative beverage selection and a menu ripe with handheld bites are sure to fulfill the cravings of guests and locals alike. The Red Barber is a year-round destination for everything from warm summer days to cozy winter evenings.
Each of Sage Hospitality Group’s four companies – Sage Studio, Sage Hotel Management, Sage Restaurant Concepts and Sage Investments – has played a key role in developing the property and will continue to do so as it moves into day-to-day operations.
Sage Studio
Sage has long been known as a leader in experiential hospitality, creating places people go to, not through. Launched in early 2020, Sage Studio gives shape to that work and is dedicated to creating spaces and brands that fuse creativity and ingenuity to light the way for a new standard in hospitality. Guests of Catbird and The Red Barber will be hard pressed to find any part of the experience that was not influenced or created by the team from Sage Studio. From the furniture, finishes and fixtures to the unique brands, programming and guest touchpoints throughout the property, the team at Sage Studio worked in collaboration with their partners to ensure that the Catbird concept and experience would truly push the envelope of what travelers have come to expect in the extended stay space.
“To us, brands that matter are so much more than a logo and a color palette. The brand should be the foundation upon which an entire project is built; the map from which every creative decision should take its direction,” said executive vice president of Sage Studio, Jessica Werner. “With this project, the brand identity is rooted in opposing forces and celebrates the truly independent character of the RiNo Art District. Those elements come through in everything from the interior design, staff uniforms and art collection to the menus, in-room amenities and visual identities, and even to the brand name itself. Every element and every moment are intentional.”
Catbird is poised to become a cornerstone brand concept for Sage Hospitality Group. The truly innovative and unique design of the rooms is patent pending, and the company intends to expand the brand into other key markets in the future.
Throughout the project, the Sage Studio team worked with a number of partners to bring the concept and vision to life. Interior design for public spaces and The Red Barber was led by Swan Dive Design Studio, and guest room design was executed by the industry veterans at DLR Group. Architecture for the entire project was done by Denver-based Shears Adkins Rockmore (SAR+) Architects. The extensive art collection on property was curated by long-time Sage partner, NINE dot ARTS. The brand naming, messaging and visual identity along with the public space concept designs for Catbird was developed by Portland-based OMFGCO in collaboration with Kate Davis Brand Consulting. Initial brand concepting and messaging platform for The Red Barber was developed by Sage Restaurant Concepts in conjunction with Sage Studio, with visual identity and graphic design elements created by Denver-based Wunder Werkz.
As the property moves into regular operations, the Sage Studio team will stay closely involved to maintain the integrity of the brands and the guest experience, continuing to leverage the property’s unique identity to guide its decision making.
Sage Hotel Management
Catbird joins Sage Hotel Management’s growing portfolio of independent hotels, the Sage Independent Hotel Collection. The addition of Catbird brings the collection to 12 truly unique hotels across the U.S. and includes properties like The Rally Hotel at McGregor Square (Denver), Asbury Ocean Club Hotel (Asbury Park, NJ), The Crawford Hotel at Union Station (Denver), Hotel Commonwealth (Boston), The Maven at Dairy Block (Denver), Hutton Hotel (Nashville) and Hotel Landing (Wayzata, MN).
“Our team thrives when operating hotels that focus on creating a truly unique guest experience, and Catbird is exactly that,” said president and chief operating officer of Sage Hotel Management, Daniel del Olmo. “An incredible amount of work went into bringing this hotel and its outlets to life. Now begins the undertaking of operating this stunning asset in such a way that not only delivers an exceptional guest experience but exceeds our partners’ business goals and expectations and sets the stage for future developments in desirable markets nationwide. We have worked diligently, and will continue to do so, to ensure that this hotel opens strong and continues to own the upswing as the economy recovers and travelers return to Denver.”
Sage Restaurant Concepts
The launch of The Red Barber marks the continued growth of Sage Restaurant Concepts’ portfolio of independent restaurant and bar concepts. Now boasting more than 30 restaurants and bars in 11 states, Sage Restaurant Concepts is driving tremendous momentum on the heels of the most devastating year the industry has ever faced. The opening of this outlet is a testament to the unique, elevated concepts Sage Restaurant Concepts creates, designed to complement the desires of both local guests and visitors who choose Sage hotels.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our team and the stunning, creative concept that is The Red Barber,” said Sage Restaurant Concepts COO Meaghan Goedde. “This launch signifies the next phase of SRC’s growth and development as we continue growing in tandem with Sage hotels, scaling our existing proprietary brands and creating independent concepts unique to the local communities we serve.”
Sage Investments
Sage has developed a reputation as not just as a strong operator, but as a great and determined investment partner thanks to the dedication of the team at Sage Investments and their deep understanding of markets and risk. Whether investing for the short term or long term, Sage Investments strives to achieve outsized returns for its partners by finding and adding value in unique and proprietary ways. Sage is a co-owner of Catbird in conjunction with Walnut Development Partners and EXDO Development Group.
“This project was an incredibly attractive deal for us for a number or reasons, one of which was the opportunity to partner with Walnut and EXDO,” said Jason Altberger, president and chief investment officer for Sage Investments. “We look forward to continuing to grow Sage’s real estate investment program with top-notch developments like this one, enabling us to continue delivering stellar outcomes like this for our investors.”
In addition to the ownership stake that Sage has in the project, the Sage Investments team was involved in the development of the property from the start, ensuring that the project was delivered on budget and with minimal schedule disruptions from COVID. As the asset moves into daily operations, the Sage Investments team continually provides the entire Sage organization with guidance on how to make decisions based on the mantra to always “act like a partner and think like an owner.”
The opening of Catbird marked the third new construction hotel opening for the company thus far in 2021, along with the late-March opening of both The Rally Hotel at McGregor Square in Denver and UNC Charlotte Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. To learn more about Sage Hospitality Group’s companies and their growing portfolio of hotels and restaurants, visit sagehospitalitygroup.com.
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