The Andaz brand merges the locale with each individual property. How are New York City and the financial district incorporated into Andaz Wall Street?

We incorporated the area’s business landscape into a vibrant yet functional hotel design, making things efficient for the business traveler. Rooms offer ample workspace, and the furniture layout improves functionality. New York is busy; everyone wants things done in a New York minute. With that in mind, we are introducing amenities such as 15-minute treatments in the spa. The local region comes into play in our food and beverage offerings. The restaurant, Wallnut, offers Hudson Valley cuisine using fresh, seasonal ingredients. We know exactly where our wines and food products are cultivated, and we change them seasonally.

The hotel opens this month. What can Guests expect?

Andaz Wall Street offers a refreshing take on the boutique-style hotel experience and has a great location. It is simple yet sophisticated, good in quality and value. Hosts, who can help with any needs, provide friendly and uncomplicated service. With no official check-in desk, the no-desk environment facilitates a greater one-on-one interaction. Guests can relax with a glass of wine while the host finalizes the details, or they can check in using automated screens or before arrival with BlackBerrys or iPhones. Snacks, non-alcoholic beverages in the minibar, local calls and Internet are complimentary. A bakery/café area will offer light fare and a beverage selection. Comfortable residential-style accommodations, a large gym, a spa and the Andaz studios, which will serve meetings in a casual yet stylish setting, round out the experience.

Andaz means “personal style” in Hindi, so it was important to incorporate fashion. We partnered with NYC-based Theory to provide a fashion collection for hotel employees. The brand offers business clothing with a twist, and associates will have several outfits to choose from.

What challenges did you face with the hotel launch? How did the Andaz vision help overcome any obstacles?

The Andaz vision is to offer the highest quality of product and service in a simple way. It’s about simplifying an experience and retaining quality. It’s easy to complicate things, and it’s complicated to keep things easy — the hardest part of the process was remembering this. Focusing on keeping things uncomplicated helped me stay on track for the launch.

Tell our readers about your career in the hospitality industry.

I started as an apprentice at the InterContinental Berlin, developing my knack for the food and beverage side. I studied hospitality at St. Moritz in Switzerland and Massachusetts, then moved to an urban entertainment center in Stuttgart run by Copthorne Millennium. I was assistant food and beverage director at the Grand Hyatt Berlin and the Grand Hyatt Beijing before becoming director of food and beverage at the Park Hyatt Tokyo. The assignment as executive assistant manager of Park Hyatt Zürich brought me back to Europe, and in December 2008 I took on my current position at Andaz Wall Street.