Daily Front Row

2011 July 25

From The Daily Dan: East Hampton Revisited at c/o The Maidstone

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East Hampton Revisited
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(NEW YORK) If the Maidstone Country Club is an East End escargot, then c/o The Maidstone is the palate cleanser. The storied inn has been remade into an auberge that pays homage to Sweden, of all things, and its James Carpenter-helmed resto, The Living Room, is one of the Hamptons’ brightest culinary stars. The Daily Dan checks in with the outfit’s groundbreaking new owner, Jenny Ljungberg. ALEXANDRA ILYASHOV 

What inspired you to bring Sweden to East Hampton?

Well, I’m Swedish—we moved to  Westchester when I was 13 because my father, Åke, who was in real estate, wanted to build Swedish wooden houses. I finished high school in Belgium and came back for college at Tufts. During breaks, my best friend and I worked at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Colorado, which my father owned. After my first night as a busboy in the lodge’s restaurant, I’d found what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I haven’t left the hotel and restaurant industry since! I started at the Beaver Creek Lodge in Colorado and then the Diplomat Hotel in Stockholm. Then, working at the Marriott in Amsterdam, I got the idea to develop a group of hotels. 

What did you learn at the Marriott?

I knew which guy liked to have a gin and tonic ready when he arrived, and I remembered that his wife was allergic to nuts, so we’d give her olives as a bar snack instead. I would use this knowledge to, say, call the Marriott in London and tell them to have Mr. Anderson’s favorite drink ready and leave a note from me. I worked in guest relations for a while. I was young and overly ambitious, but it was just common sense. 

How was the “c/o” hotel group born? 

The first hotel I owned was Tammsvik, in Sweden. My father had bought it, and later gave it to me. I had a variety of roles there, and I quickly advanced to management. I took over the hotel at the age of 25, in 1999. Once my family started to build the brand, we were buying all of these beautiful historical buildings to turn into hotels. Within five years, we had five hotels in Sweden. At that point, I decided to buy out my family members and turn my concepts into an international brand. In 2006, I created the “c/o” hotel brand. I started the U.S. company and international hotel venture in my bedroom while in business school at Columbia. 

So what’s the story behind the “c/o” prefix? 

It’s from the terminology used for sending letters in the old days. We kept the historical names for all of our hotels, and just added the “care of” prefix.  Almost all of my properties are estates, so staying at one is kind of like visiting at a friend’s place. 

How did you end up in the Hamptons? 

I opened up the Maidstone in May 2009. Before I bought it, it had been a hotel called the Maidstone Arms, which was for sale for two years. It wasn’t horribly rundown, but you could tell it hadn’t really been cared for. I’ve made my mark buying historical hotels that people care about instead of properties that need to be completely overhauled. I’d looked at 10 to 15 properties in Manhattan before my strategic adviser called to tell me he’d found the ideal hotel; It sounded perfect—except it was in East Hampton. I’d never been there! 

So why’d you take it?

It was a total sleeping beauty. And unlike many of my properties in Sweden, which are in remote areas, the Hamptons is already a tourist destination. There just weren’t any design hotels. Most of them were these beautiful buildings that had opened up for business as inns, with seven or nine rooms. We wanted to speak to a sophisticated clientele in their 30s through 50s who were interested in design, high tech, and the combination of food and wine. City dwellers care a lot about their quality of life, but they didn’t seem to keep that level of concern while vacationing. I’d come out to a Hamptons hotel and they wouldn’t have Wi-Fi. On one of my visits, I wanted a glass of champagne, and neither my broker nor the receptionist could tell me where to find one. Their response was, “Oh, I don’t know—maybe Citarella?” I was shocked. That was the piece of the market missing—the lounge-like living. The Maidstone is more about who you’re with, as opposed to who you’re picking up. That’s the market we’ve cornered. 

Which is...

A lot of our clientele is from the media, fashion, music, art, and other creative industries. We also have some Wall Street people and photographers. A lot of well-traveled people have read about us. We get guests from South Africa, Australia, Argentina-...

Your rooms are named after Northern European design stars. Which is your favorite?

My favorite is the Edvard Munch room—dark and seedy. Also, I really like the Arne Jacobsen one. The bathroom is tiled to replicate a gas station he designed in Denmark. 

What unique challenges do the Hamptons present?

Some conservative Hamptonites are very vocal. We can hardly have lights visible throughout the property, which becomes a problem in the parking lot at night. I respect those who want dark skies, but we want to make sure guests can see their cars. 

What are your hospitality tricks? 

We will do anything and everything you ask—as long as it’s legal.  Need babysitting? Of course! Forgot your wife’s anniversary? We’ll fix that too. We have a saying at the Maidstone: We’re people serving people. It’s kind of like the Ritz-Carlton’s, “Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” But we’re not quite as formal!

What’s next for the Maidstone? 

We’re starting an afternoon café concept. Mom can have a latte or a glass of wine while kids do homework. We just started “Yappie Hour” a few weeks ago: the drinks and the dogs menu are both half price! We’re also launching a personal butler service that will take your kids to tennis class or drop them off at the beach. Beyond the Hamptons, we’re looking to open in Manhattan in the next three years. After that? The Caribbean, followed by Tuscany. 

Want more of the Maidstone? Check in with James Carpenter, chef at The Living Room restaurant, over on Chic Report for molto mouthwatering scoop!