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	<title>Observer &#187; That&#8217;s Shvo Like It! Master Marketer Michael Tries to Bring Madison Ave to Moinian&#8217;s Downtown W</title>
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		<title>Observer &#187; That&#8217;s Shvo Like It! Master Marketer Michael Tries to Bring Madison Ave to Moinian&#8217;s Downtown W</title>
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		<title>That&#8217;s Shvo Like It! Master Marketer Michael Tries to Bring Madison Ave to Moinian&#8217;s Downtown W</title>

		<comments>http://observer.com/2007/11/thats-shvo-like-it-master-marketer-michael-tries-to-bring-madison-ave-to-moinians-downtown-w/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Nov 2007 12:22:56 -0400</pubDate>
					<link>http://observer.com/2007/11/thats-shvo-like-it-master-marketer-michael-tries-to-bring-madison-ave-to-moinians-downtown-w/</link>
			<dc:creator>Julia Heming</dc:creator>
				
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		<description><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/acitelli-michaelshvo1v_0.jpg?w=200&h=300" />Arriving at the opening day of the W New York-Downtown Hotel and Condominium sales office was a little disorienting. A polite doorman greeted you at the entrance--but, beyond the threshold, complete darkness. Then, as soon as the next automated door opened, you were in a different world. It was no longer a Wednesday morning in the financial district.
<p>It was a <a href="/2007/michael-shvo-vs-world">Michael Shvo</a> reality. And in Shvo's reality it was time for a cocktail.</p>
<p>Three suited investors were offered martinis (at 11:00 a.m.!) before they walked through the sales presentation for real estate marketing firm Shvo's latest project--the W New York-Downtown Hotel and Condominium, a plush Joseph Moinian development slated to open at 123 Washington Street in 2009 with 222 condos and 217 hotel rooms.  </p>
<p>The entire sales office had a nightclub aesthetic with no natural light, a candlelit bar, and red rectangular couches off-setting the curving wall shapes--the signature look of Graft, the interior design firm for the project.</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo, 36, there to greet his real-estate investing friends, explained the aesthetic for the space. &quot;The way that Shvo designs sales offices is in line with what the building will look like,&quot; he said. &quot;We're known for really creating sales experiences, not sales offices.&quot;</p>
<p>And what an experience it was. The tour consisted of an explanation of the W brand, the neighborhood surrounding the development, and the building itself, with each part incorporating a different technology.  </p>
<p>As a video projected onto one of the curved walls highlighting the opportunities to &quot;eat, drink, flirt, and play at the W restaurant,&quot; a laser on a globe with W's demarcating the global presence of the brand indicated the area of the world being discussed.  </p>
<p>As a sales representative said that the downtown area was &quot;the next Madison Avenue,&quot; she tapped her foot on the floor to trigger a video image of lower Manhattan.  </p>
<p>When discussing the various amenities available only to residents of the building--the bliss spa treatments, the rooftop bar, VIP access to the as-of-yet-unannounced club--another salesman stretched his arm out into the space in front of the projection and without touching anything manipulated the arrow on the screen through the different floor plans.  </p>
<p>&quot;It uses gesture tracking,&quot; Zoe Weisberg, director of public relations for Shvo, said. &quot;It's like <em>Minority Report</em>.&quot;  </p>
<p>And while this state-of-the-art technology was certainly impressive, one couldn't help but ask, what does this have to do with a hotel-condominium development?</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo said the use of technology is meant to give you an idea of what he calls the &quot;all encompassing lifestyle brand&quot; that W stands for. &quot;W is a young brand,&quot; he said. &quot;It's an innovative brand.&quot; Mr. Shvo and the whole presentation stressed the sexy, youthful side of the W brand, one that indicates the target audience for this development.  Mr. Shvo said most of the marketing was pointed toward single men.  </p>
<p>&quot;I'm your typical buyer here,&quot; Mr. Shvo said. &quot;I work late hours and I want to know that I can get into a restaurant in my building without waiting in line. Living in a hotel is something that can't be replaced with any condominium building, no matter how good it is.&quot;</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo told <em>The Observer</em> he bought two units in the building, one with a river view and another facing north to what will eventually be the Freedom Tower and the rest of Manhattan. </p>
]]></description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignleft" src="http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/acitelli-michaelshvo1v_0.jpg?w=200&h=300" />Arriving at the opening day of the W New York-Downtown Hotel and Condominium sales office was a little disorienting. A polite doorman greeted you at the entrance--but, beyond the threshold, complete darkness. Then, as soon as the next automated door opened, you were in a different world. It was no longer a Wednesday morning in the financial district.
<p>It was a <a href="/2007/michael-shvo-vs-world">Michael Shvo</a> reality. And in Shvo's reality it was time for a cocktail.</p>
<p>Three suited investors were offered martinis (at 11:00 a.m.!) before they walked through the sales presentation for real estate marketing firm Shvo's latest project--the W New York-Downtown Hotel and Condominium, a plush Joseph Moinian development slated to open at 123 Washington Street in 2009 with 222 condos and 217 hotel rooms.  </p>
<p>The entire sales office had a nightclub aesthetic with no natural light, a candlelit bar, and red rectangular couches off-setting the curving wall shapes--the signature look of Graft, the interior design firm for the project.</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo, 36, there to greet his real-estate investing friends, explained the aesthetic for the space. &quot;The way that Shvo designs sales offices is in line with what the building will look like,&quot; he said. &quot;We're known for really creating sales experiences, not sales offices.&quot;</p>
<p>And what an experience it was. The tour consisted of an explanation of the W brand, the neighborhood surrounding the development, and the building itself, with each part incorporating a different technology.  </p>
<p>As a video projected onto one of the curved walls highlighting the opportunities to &quot;eat, drink, flirt, and play at the W restaurant,&quot; a laser on a globe with W's demarcating the global presence of the brand indicated the area of the world being discussed.  </p>
<p>As a sales representative said that the downtown area was &quot;the next Madison Avenue,&quot; she tapped her foot on the floor to trigger a video image of lower Manhattan.  </p>
<p>When discussing the various amenities available only to residents of the building--the bliss spa treatments, the rooftop bar, VIP access to the as-of-yet-unannounced club--another salesman stretched his arm out into the space in front of the projection and without touching anything manipulated the arrow on the screen through the different floor plans.  </p>
<p>&quot;It uses gesture tracking,&quot; Zoe Weisberg, director of public relations for Shvo, said. &quot;It's like <em>Minority Report</em>.&quot;  </p>
<p>And while this state-of-the-art technology was certainly impressive, one couldn't help but ask, what does this have to do with a hotel-condominium development?</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo said the use of technology is meant to give you an idea of what he calls the &quot;all encompassing lifestyle brand&quot; that W stands for. &quot;W is a young brand,&quot; he said. &quot;It's an innovative brand.&quot; Mr. Shvo and the whole presentation stressed the sexy, youthful side of the W brand, one that indicates the target audience for this development.  Mr. Shvo said most of the marketing was pointed toward single men.  </p>
<p>&quot;I'm your typical buyer here,&quot; Mr. Shvo said. &quot;I work late hours and I want to know that I can get into a restaurant in my building without waiting in line. Living in a hotel is something that can't be replaced with any condominium building, no matter how good it is.&quot;</p>
<p>Mr. Shvo told <em>The Observer</em> he bought two units in the building, one with a river view and another facing north to what will eventually be the Freedom Tower and the rest of Manhattan. </p>
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