December 2, 2009 – A New York company known for its luxury hotels on both coasts has been hired to manage Marina City’s Hotel Sax.

Thompson Hotel Associates already manages two locations for Sax owner LaSalle Hotel Properties. The company took over management of the 353-room Chicago hotel on Monday, according to a press release. They replace Gemstone Resorts International, which had managed the hotel since March 2006.

“We have great confidence in Thompson Hotels as a strategic hotel operator,” said LaSalle CEO Michael Barnello. “We believe that their combination of operating and marketing expertise will benefit the hotel immediately.”

Thompson has five hotels in New York, including 60 Thompson, a 100-room luxury hotel in Manhattan’s SoHo district. Two Thompson-managed hotels in Los Angeles include the historic Roosevelt Hotel. Additionally, the company runs one hotel in Toronto, one in Washington, D.C., and will open a hotel in Korea in 2012.

“I am excited to bring Thompson Hotels to the Chicago market,” said Thompson co-owner Stephen Brandman, “and I look forward to introducing the Thompson nuances of style and service to Hotel Sax.”

According to Brandman, his privately-owned company has about 1,500 employees and annual revenue of more than $100 million.

(Above) Hotel Sax Chicago page on Thompson Hotels web site. The image at left was captured in 2007 for Hotel Sax by MCO editor Steven Dahlman.

 Web site: Thompson Hotel Associates