Kasikci's new job

After quitting unexpectedly in July as head of the Peninsula Beverly Hills (LABO), Ali Kasikci is finally talking about his new job: head of Montage Beverly Hills, the super-luxury hotel/condo on Canon Drive that's expected to open in a little over a year. That had been the betting for most of the summer. Kasikci told the Business Journal that he had decided to leave the Peninsula at the end of last year and started to put the word out – quietly - that he was looking for a new position. Given Kasikci's prominence as the hotelier to the stars - and CEOs and financiers and just plain rich people - he will likely bring with him a lot of big names (just as he did when the Pen opened).

The Montage’s location – a short walk to the Spago Beverly Hills restaurant and a couple of blocks to the heart of Rodeo Drive – could put it at an advantage over its competitors, said Wayne Williams, president of Los Angeles-based asset management company Williams & Associates. However, some analysts believe that the Westside market is so strong that all parties will sustain strong business. “Ali going to Montage strengthens the Montage but there is no reason that the Peninsula shouldn’t do well,” said Bruce Baltin, a senior vice president of PKF Consulting, a hospitality specialist in Los Angeles. He works with both hotels and is a friend of Kasikci’s.